dale cave. Possibly, the paucity of these bones may ccounted for by the circumstance of the amphibious ts of this genus, and their inability to wander to any iderable distances from the water, so that their reis might have been more exposed than those of the hant, to have been swept into the sea.

Fenus Rhinoceros. There are three existing species is animal. 1. That of India, with a single horn on nose, and a rugous, plaited coat; the cutting teeth beseparated by a space from the grinders. 2. That of Cape of Good Hope, with two horns, the skin smooth, without folds, and no cutting teeth. 3. That of Sura, with two horns, the skin but slightly rugous, thus mbling that of the Cape, but having cutting teeth like of India.

n comparing the teeth of the living species with those id in the fossil state, Cuvier determined that they were ifferent as to constitute another species of this animal, whose remains are now found only in the strata of earth.

The remains of the extinct rhinoceros were first disered in digging a well, near Canterbury, in England, enteen feet below the surface. This was in 1668. erwards Professor Pallas found, among a collection of es at St. Petersburg, four sculls and five horns, be ging to this animal. Since that time, the bones of this mal have been discovered in various parts of England, rmany, and Russia.

Megatherium. This name merely signifies "a huge d beast." It is the most rare among all the great fos

animals.

The first skeleton of this singular beast, was sent from enos Ayres, in South America, to Madrid, in 1789, with notice that it was found in the ground about three leagues m that city.

This animal was set up in the Royal Cabinet of Madrid, the manner which has since been followed by Mr. ale of Philadelphia, with respect to the American mason, and Mr. Adams of Petersburg, with respect to the Derian elephant.

A minute description of the Megatherium, was publish

gravings. Afterwards a Livoninan anatomist, and an draughtsman, conjointly, published an exact ntation, and a good description of this skeleton.

Fig. 53.

An anim

adjoining cut, fig. 53, from Dr. Ure's Geology, is - the author, to present an exact form of this skele

is thirteen feet long, and nine feet high, its size omewhat less than that of the mastodon.

respect to the habits of this animal, "the teeth," . Ure, "prove that it lived on vegetables, and its ore-feet, armed with sharp claws, testify that it was their roots that it sought after. Its magnitude and is, supplied it with abundant means of defence. It : swift in running, but this was unnecessary, as no occasion either to pursue or fly. It would e be difficult to find in its organization alone, the of the final destruction of this genus; and yet, if it sts, where can it be? How can it have escaped all earches of hunters and naturalists? Its analogies mate it to different genera of the edentel, or toothiily of animals. It has the head and shoulder of a a creature possessing both tusks and grinders; ts limbs and its feet exhibit a singular mixture of ers belonging to the ant-eaters, and the armadillos. no analogy, whatever, to the felis, or tiger tribe." y, p. 549.

animal had neither tusks nor proboscis, like the on and elephant; this is proved by the great

under gi large end haps, at t that wou burrowed have thro

h of its neck, which, it is apparent, could not have orted such apparatus. As its fore parts are exceedstrong, and its teeth not formed for tearing flesh, its s were probably employed in digging for the roots of as food, and if so, there is a probability that it bur-d in earth. What a phenomenon in the imagination! animal, of the size of an elephant, running about r ground, like a mole,-leaving a path after him e enough for a horse and wagon to follow; and, per, at the same time, throwing up a ridge on the surface would stop the career of a stage coach. If he only owed, like a rabbit, what a mountain of earth he must thrown out!

Tegolonyx. This term signifies "great clawed," the al being so named from the great size of its claws. his is another of the lost animals of the former world. longs to the same genus with the last described, but ier, on comparing their bones, found that it was of a rent species. It is not so large, by one-third, as the atherium, but of the same form, in all respects. he bones of this animal were found in a cavern, in the ty of Green Briar, Virginia, much decayed, and only ufficient number to form a small part of a skeleton. esides these skeletons of great quadrupeds, there have discovered a great variety of others in the fossil , several of them of large size, as the Elk, Tapir, and e others, but most of them are of less interest than e we have described, and for the descriptions of which, must refer the reader to more 'extended works on this ect.

FOSSIL AMPHIBIOUS ANIMALS.

of the antediluvian amphibia, the crocodile and lizard es form the most interesting groups, especially the

er.

Crocodile. Fossil bones of this animal have been found arious countries, and in many localities. In England, many, France, and Italy, their occurrence in strata,

enus of Cuvier, which he called gavials, or long
led.

collection of these bones, made at Honfleur and
e, in France, are preserved in the museum of Natural
ry, in Paris. But the most perfect specimen of this
is said to have been found near Monheim, in Ger-
It is enclosed between two plates of schistose,
y limestone, of a yellowish gray color, mingled with
nents of quartz. It was accompanied with the cast
e tail of a small fish, and the remains of an insect.
he bones of the crocodile are browner than the stone

The slab containing this animal is three feet long, ifteen inches broad, and the form of the head, trunk, ail, from end to end, is plainly to be seen impressed e rock, and very little deranged in respect to shape. upper jaw is armed with twenty-five or twenty-six on each side. The number of vertebræ, or pieces osing the back bone, are sixty-nine; and these are not ged, except towards the tail.

le remains of the fossil crocodile are found in strata,
far below those containing any species of quadru-
and hence are supposed to be of more ancient date.
remains of this animal in the Jura mountains, are in
tone so solid as to be susceptible of a high polish.
ith respect to these bones, Cuvier remarks, that "the
nce of an animal, such as the crocodile, apparently
ging to fresh water, in such beds, is a very remark-
circumstance. It is the more deserving of notice, as
accompanied with the remains of tortoises, all equally
bitants of fresh water. This fact, joined to several
s, proves that there existed dry lands, irrigated by
s, at an exceedingly remote period, and long before
uccessions of those tertiary mineral formations, which
in the neighborhood of Paris.

egalosaurus. This is one of the saurian, or lizard the term signifies "great lizard."” It appears to be I to the lizards and crocodiles, but differs from them This was an antediluvian monster, far exceeding ze any of the crocodiles of the present day. A fosigh bone of one of these animals, which Cuvier meawas thirty-two inches long; and supposing that the al was proportioned like others of the lizard tribe, he have had a total length of forty-eight feet; and from

1

the in

an exc

The

Englan teeth of therefor the oce

Mr. losauru

thigh b whence four ind tions of seventy

exceeded

this mon

or walk dry land was pro

of the la

incisor form of its cutting teeth, this must have been exceedingly fierce and voracious animal.

'he bones of this specimen were found at Stonesfield, in land, among innumerable marine fossils, such as the h of sharks, the remains of crabs, sea shells, &c., and efore there is little doubt but this was a monster of ocean, though amphibious.

Mr. Mantell, of Lewes, in Sussex, has discovered megaurus' bones, of still greater dimensions, one of the h bones being twenty-two inches in circumference, ence he concludes that its length must have been fiftyinches. This, according to the estimated propors of the animal, gives him a total length of more than enty-five feet, a size in the animal kingdom, rarely eeded, even by the whales of the present day, and yet monster, in all probability, was capable of crawling, walking, both on the bottom of the sea, and on the land, like the crocodiles of our own times. Its height probably fourteen or fifteen feet, being equal to that he largest elephant.

Fig. 54.

What sort of engines the antediluvians possessed, which could have withstood or destroyed a fierce reptile, capable of devouring an elephant or a rhinoceros at a meal, we know not. At present, with the exception of our artillery, we possess no weapons capable of preventing the devastations of such a monster.

The teeth of this animal were lodged in distinct sockets. They were curved backwards, undoubtedly for the purpose of the better securing their prey. They were compressed or flattened laterally, with the edge toothed, or serrated, through the whole length of the posterior, or cutting side, and at the point of the anterior side or edge. Fig. 54 represents the tooth of a megalosaurus of the natural size. It is thin on the concave or cutting edge, but thicker on the convex side, so as to give it

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