O.C. Marsh (Fig. 101) is noteworthy for similar explorations; his discovery of toothed birds in the Western rocks and his collection of fossil horses, until recently the most complete one in existence, are all very well known. Throughout his long life he contributed from his own private fortune, and intellectually through his indefatigable labors, to the progress of palæontology.
Fig. 101.—O.C. Marsh, 1831-1899.
Zittel.—The name most widely known in palæontology is that of the late Karl von Zittel (1839-1904), who devoted all his working life to the advancement of the science of fossils. In his great work, Handbuch der Palaeontologie (1876-1893), he brought under one view the entire range of fossils from the protozoa up to the mammals. Osborn says: "It is probably not an exaggeration to say that he did more for the promotion and diffusion of palæontology than any other single man who lived during the nineteenth century. While not gifted with genius, he possessed extraordinary judgment, critical capacity, and untiring industry." His portrait (Fig. 102) shows a face "full of keen intelligence and enthusiasm."
Zittel's influence was exerted not only through his writings, but also through his lectures and the stimulus imparted to the large number of young men who were attracted to Munich to study under his direction. These disciples are now distributed in various universities in Europe and the United States, and are there carrying forward the work begun by Zittel. The great collection of fossils which he left at Munich contains illustrations of the whole story of the evolution of life through geological ages.
Recent Developments.—The greatest advance now being made in the study of fossil vertebrate life consists in establishing the lineage of families, orders, and classes. Investigators have been especially fortunate in working out the direct line of descent of a number of living mammals. Fossils have been collected which supply a panoramic view of the line of descent of horses, of camels, of rhinoceroses, and of other animals. The most fruitful worker in this field at the present time is perhaps Henry F. Osborn, of the American Museum of Natural History, New York City. His profound and important investigations in the ancestry of animal life are now nearing the time of their publication in elaborated form.
Palæontology, by treating fossil life and recent life in the same category, has come to be one of the important lines of investigation in biology. It is, of course, especially rich in giving us a knowledge of the hard parts of animals, but by ingenious methods we can arrive at an idea of some of the soft parts that have completely disappeared. Molds of the interior of the cranium can be made, and thus one may form a notion of the relative size and development of the brain in different vertebrated animals. This method of making molds and studying them has shown that one characteristic of the geological time of the tertiary period was a marked development in regard to the brain size of the different animals. There was apparently, just prior to the quaternary epoch, a need on the part of animals to have an increased brain-growth; and one can not doubt that this feature which is demonstrated by fossil life had a great influence in the development of higher animal forms.
