IN 1787, SOMEONE in Nely ten—found anenormous ticking out of a stream bank at a place called oodbury Creek. t belong to any species of creature still alive, certainly not in New Jersey.

    From tle is kno is t to o a  time, dinosaurs were unknown.

    t to Dr. Caspar istar, tion’s leading anatomist, a meeting of ty in P autumn. Unfortunately,istar failed completely to recognize tiousand uninspired remarks to t t it ed so little interest t it  in a storeroom and eventually disappeared altogether.

    So t dinosaur bone ever found  to be lost.

    t t attract greater interest is more ttle puzzling, for its appearancecame at a time  about tanimals. trange assertion by t Frencuralist te de Buffon—ed sper—t living to te in  and muceemed oire Naturelle , agnant, tive, and t size or vigor, titutions rose from its rotting ss. Insuc even tive Indians lacked virility. “tive organs were“small and feeble.”

    Buffon’s observations found surprisingly eager support among oters, especiallyt complicated by actual familiarity ry. ADutc native American males  only reproductivelyunimposing, but “so lacking in virility t ts.” Sucy and could be found repeated or ecexts tillnear teentury.

    Not surprisingly, sucly met in America. ted a furious (and, unless text is understood, quite betal in es on tate of Virginia , and induced o send ty soldiers into to find a bull moose to present to Buffon asproof of tature and majesty of American quadrupeds. It took to trackdoable subj