Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 3.djvu/447

Rh by a heart-shaped print, or a trail, that has come from the caudal appendage. This remarkable quadrupedal display is succeeded by another row of trifid impressions; just as if the animal stopped to rest on his journey, and then resumed his line of march.

Surely no one can doubt the quadrupedal character of this Anomœpus. Yet, it was not till after years of discussion and discovery had



elapsed that his true relationship was appreciated. The first-discovered rows were supposed to be ornithic, and it was these quadrupedal features that led some authors hastily to infer that all the trifid impressions were reptilian, or marsupial. The bipedal rows themselves offer two features distinguishing the most nearly-allied forms from the birds: first, the animals took very short steps; and, secondly, the great width of the track-way indicated a very broad body, probably inferior, in delicacy of organization, to that of birds. To these two invariable characters are commonly added a caudal trail, a fourth toe on an occasional front-foot impression, so that the study of a large suite of specimens will satisfy the most truthful observer that these animals were not birds. The total number of species of this character is 21. One of these equalled the largest Brontozoum in size, whose front-foot has not yet been found, though we have indications of a fourth toe behind, and a long, slender tail.

It may not be out of place to allude briefly to the discoveries which have confirmed the existence of the group of ornithic reptiles. The first link in the series was furnished by the discovery of the nearly-complete skeleton of a bird related to the raven in the lithographic stone of the Jurassic series of Bavaria, called the Archeopteryx. A feather belonging to this genus was found in 1861, and described with great minuteness by Hermann von Meyer. Shortly afterward, Andreas Wagner described the nearly-complete skeleton of an animal, to which were attached feathers like the one made known by Von Meyer. He called the animal a flying reptile. Prof. Owen, of the British Museum, made a very thorough examination of the same specimen,