By the middle of the 19th century, loosely organized systems for “networking” had developed among East Coast American scientists. These networks were both formal, such as memberships in societies or museums, and informal groups of colleagues. Such professional associations helped to establish co-operation in field work, laboratory research, and publication which had a major impact on paleontology. These associations also helped to establish outlets for publication and to acquire government funding for research. Even during the Civil War years, these professional networks served to further science and the careers of a number of young scholars ‘on their way up.’ Some of these activities were conducted under the auspices of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; others were sponsored through the Federal Government via the United States National Museum (Smithsonian Institution). From these scientific networks, many of which were under the aegis of Joseph Leidy, came a large number of important contributions to Kansas paleontology. Several of these occurred shortly after the close of the Civil War and involved military doctors that were posted to newly established forts in western Kansas. Important discoveries including rich deposits of fossil leaves, type specimens of the marine reptiles including Elasmosaurus platyurus, Polycotylus latipinnis, Tylosaurus proriger, and the first known bird with teeth, Ichthyornis dispar, were made by individuals in Kansas with connections to professionals in the, by then, well-established network of Joseph Leidy.

“Reader, you must die… What will become of you?...what shall you be on the day after your death…your soul, whither shall it go?... That which was free within you…what shall become of it? Where shall that sensible, existing soul, which must survive the tomb, go to? What will it become, what shall you be, my reader, the day after your death?” Louis Figuier, The Day After Death. 1884, pp. 1-2.“Every age has its bogus prophets, who become famous or infamous if you prefer it.” Elliott Coues, New york Sun, July 20, 1890.“The serious worker in science holds a high position among men, no matter what the great herd may say about him. They simply do not know their opinion is not worth considering.” Edward D. Cope to Charles H. Sternberg, March 16, 1896.

As originally described by Cope (1868), the type specimen of Elasmosaurus platyurus from western Kansas included more than 100 vertebrae, portions of the skull, and the reasonably complete pectoral and pelvic girdles of what was then the largest known plesiosaur. Within four years of its discovery, however, both of the limb girdles had disappeared with no official explanation. Here we document the events leading up to the loss of important portions of this unique specimen.

The fossilized remains of prehistoric creatures are often difficult to remove from the rock that encloses them, and the bones are generally fragile once removed. In most cases, larger specimens need some protective covering in order to be transported from the collection site. Not doing so can result in the specimens being shattered and scattered. Historical developments in collecting, preserving and transporting techniques for newly discovered fossils are discussed here, including two important early Kansas discoveries of type specimens: Elasmosaurus platyurus in 1867 and Protostega gigas in 1871.

In late summer, 1893, Edward Drinker Cope (1840–1897) conducted an exploratory and networking expedition through the Dakotas, eastern Wyoming, Kansas, the Panhandle areas of Oklahoma and Texas, and the southwestern part Missouri. This was his last trip to the West. His itinerary, observations and activities were discussed in several letters home as well as in subsequent publications.

Various late nineteenth and early twentieth-century publications contained discussions and images of extinct marine reptiles. Articles about paleontology appeared in popular books and magazines, children's books and scientific publications. Some restorations of fossil marine reptiles were quite accurate in the context of contemporary scientific knowledge while others were not. This dichotomy might be expected in popular literature. But it also appears in publications written by and in consultation with paleontologists.

“As the explorer approaches the beds of the Niobrara Group, he often sees in the distance a city of imposing grandeur. Wide streets, lined with buildings of dazzling whiteness meet his eye, and only a near approach will convince him that he is looking at nature's handiwork. The rains of ages have cut and fashioned the soft limestone into the semblance of cities.” Charles H. Sternberg, “The Niobrara Group.” (1881)“On the fırst day of May, 1876, three young men were seated around a campfıre at Buffalo Station on the Kansas Division of the Union Pacifıc Railway in western Kansas. The party was in the immediate employ of Professor E. D. Cope, the noted paleontologist of the United States Geological Survey… Is this the enchanted city of the Arabian Nights?… We see indeed a beautiful city but it is the city of the dead.” C. H. Sternberg, “The Young Fossil Hunters: A True Story of Western Exploration and Adventure.” (1889)“What vivid memories I have of that fırst expedition! Memories of countless hardships and splendid results.” Charles H. Sternberg The Life of a Fossil Hunter. (1909)

Stone-throwing by demons and witches and the mischievous activities of kobolds in mines are reviewed as part of an investigation into the darker folklore history of geology. Lithobolia has a pedigree extending from classical times, but sixteenth-century and seventeenth-century reports are particularly common. The existence of kobolds, who tormented miners by episodes of stone-throwing and mineral-switching, was accepted by clergy, laity and scientists alike. [1]

Edward Drinker Cope (1840–1897) reconstructed and named the type specimen of Elasmosaurus platyurus in 1869. In publishing this specimen, he made reference to various early 19th century publications on plesiosaurs. Along with these publications, he would have had access to images of various fossil bones including vertebrae of ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs which were printed in Edward Lhwyd's Lithophylacii Britannici Ichnographia (1699) as copies of the book were readily available to him in three Philadelphia research institutions. Cope did not refer to Lhwyd even though he had access to the book, and reasons for this are presented.

The diabolical and supernatural folklore traditions of geology are examined systematically for the first time. The following have all been suggested explanations for fossil remains: Devil's footprints, bones, toenails, fingers, thumbs, buttons, money and ninepins; Hobgoblin's claws; Fairy's fingers, heads, faces, hearts, beads, causeways, saltcellars, bottles, weights, money and loaves; elf arrows; witches’ beads and tongues. Twinned staurolite crystals have been called Fairy crosses.

Early reactions to and assessments of the work of Leo Lesquereux in Kansas paleontology are examined with attention given to contemporary scientists working with fossil materials from Kansas. Most reactions were favorable, although some commentators took exception to some of Lesquereux's dating of fossil specimens.

Contents Preface 1. Fossils in Art and Book Illustration in Early Modern Europe 2. The Late Seventeenth Century and the Eighteenth Century 3. The Nineteenth Century 4. The Paleontologist Poses with Fossils 5. Early Photography in Paleontology, 18401931 6. The Twentieth Century Notes Bibliography Index

Journal Article The Legacy of the Mastodon: The Golden Age of Fossils in America Get access The Legacy of the Mastodon: The Golden Age of Fossils in America. By Thomson Keith. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008. xvii + 386 pp. Illustrations, maps, tables, appendices, notes, index. $35.00.) Jane P. Davidson Jane P. Davidson University of Nevada, Reno Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Western Historical Quarterly, Volume 40, Issue 2, Summer 2009, Pages 214–215, https://doi.org/10.1093/whq/40.2.214 Published: 01 May 2009

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Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewsOn the Inconstancy of Witches: Pierre de Lancre's "Tableau de l'inconstance des Mauvais Anges et Démons" (1612). Gerhild Scholz Williams.Jane P. DavidsonJane P. DavidsonPDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmailPrint SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Volume 39, Number 2Summer 2008 The journal of the Sixteenth Century Society Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2307/20478918 PermissionsRequest permissions Views: 1Total views on this site Citations: 1Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright © 2008 by The Sixteenth Century Society and Conference. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Ioan Pop-Curșeu Actes sexuels, horreur et sorcellerie au cinéma. La copulation avec le Diable : une perspective psychanalytique, Studia Universitatis Babeş-Bolyai Dramatica 66, no.11 (Apr 2021): 109–133.https://doi.org/10.24193/subbdrama.2021.1.07

The United States Geological Survey of the Territories published several landmark works of paleontology that dealt with fossils found in Kansas during the decade after the Civil War. Such works appeared as volumes of the Hayden and King Surveys. There were also lesser known USGS publications on Kansas paleontology that preceded these important works. Cope's Vertebrata of the Cretaceous Formations of the West (1875) and Marsh's Odontornithes (1880). This study concerns the contents of USGS publications concerning paleontology in Kansas to 1875, as well also the role that the USGS publications play today in the study of the history of paleontology in the state as that support is recorded in the publications. “By examining the publications of the survey, it will be seen that much attention has been given to the ancient fauna and flora of our Western Territories. The value of [the] studies in connection with geological explorations and surveys is often in danger of being underestimated by not being correctly understood.” F. V. Hayden, Eleventh Annual Report of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories Embracing Idaho and Wyoming, 1877. “As it is desirable to develop the science of geology, the writer would be glad if his friends in the West would forward to him, in Philadelphia, at his expense, specimens of bones or teeth which they may find. He will return to them determinations of their nature and credit them with discoveries which may result from their care and interest in preserving them, in the publications of scientific bodies.” Edward Drinker Cope, Preliminary Report of the United States Geological Survey of Wyoming, And Portions of Contiguous Territories, 1872.