. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. EXTINCT REPTILES. 339 The vertebi-iB difler mvicli in this group in size and mimber. As a rule the bodies were slightly concave before and behind, or nearly flat; but in some instances the cervical vertebrre were hollow behind only, the dorsal were flat, and those of the tail amphiccelous. Chevron bones were attached between the tail vertebra;; and the sacrum appears not to have been formed by less than four vertebrse. These reptiles had long narrow scapulae, no clavicles, and the coracoid was rounded. The femur is bird-like at its farther
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. EXTINCT REPTILES. 339 The vertebi-iB difler mvicli in this group in size and mimber. As a rule the bodies were slightly concave before and behind, or nearly flat; but in some instances the cervical vertebrre were hollow behind only, the dorsal were flat, and those of the tail amphiccelous. Chevron bones were attached between the tail vertebra;; and the sacrum appears not to have been formed by less than four vertebrse. These reptiles had long narrow scapulae, no clavicles, and the coracoid was rounded. The femur is bird-like at its farther end, and the inner and outer digits are either shorter than the rest or quite rudimentary ; and the third digit is the longest, as in the birds in general (Huxley). Tlie bones of the pelvis were much like those of birds. THE OKNITHOSAURIA. Flying reptiles, but not fashioned on the principle of the modern little Dragon, existed in the Secondary age of the world, and must have been common in Europe and America. The largest had a spread of wmg of from ten to twenty-five feet, and were found fossil in the remains of the inland Cretaceous sea of North America. Smaller than these, but furnished with teeth (which the others had not), were those of Europe, some of which were as large as the Albatross, and others no larger than a Blackbird. The American kinds are called Pteranodontia, and the European Pterodactyles. In some of the Em-opean kinds there were no teeth in the front of the jaw, and the others were implanted in soekets, but there was a beak (Rampliorhynchus). This kind had a very long tail. In others (Dimorphodon), the front teeth were large and pointed, and the others small. The true Pterodactyles had short tails, teeth throughout the jaws, and the little finger with four long joints. A membrane was attached to them, to the fore arm, to the flanks of the body down to the tail, and it stretched thence to the ankle, and passed over to the end of the little finger. No other fi
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