我国古籍中化石记载之丰富,在世界各国中是独一无二的。为此,笔者对古籍中的化石记载进行了一些整理,已发表的有《我国古代的脊椎动物化石知识》。现整理出古籍中的化石之最,不妥之处盼同行指正。最早记载化石的古籍是《山海经》。《山海经·中山经》在叙述中山首经时说:“又东二十里,曰金星之山,多天婴,其状如龙骨,可以已座。”天婴,又名九婴,乃水火之怪也。这一段话说明“龙骨”一词最初由天婴演化而来。龙骨是我国对脊椎动物的骨骼化石和牙齿化石的俗称,一般指新生代的哺乳动物,主要是上新世及更新世的象、犀牛、鹿、骆驼以至人类的骨骼和牙齿化石。“金星之山”,据郝懿行在《山海经笺疏》中所注, The abundance of fossil records in ancient Chinese books is unique among all countries in the world. To this end, the author of ancient books in the fossil records carried out some finishing, has been published, “China’s ancient vertebrate fossil knowledge.” Now sorted out the most ancient fossils, the wrong place hope counterparts correct. The earliest recorded fossils of ancient books is “Shan Hai Jing.” “Shan Hai Jing Zhong Shan Jing,” narrating the first pass of Zhongshan, said: “and twenty miles East, said the mountain of Venus, many days of infants, its shape, such as the keel, you can have a seat.” Infant, also known as nine infants, Fire and water also strange. This passage shows that the term “keel” was originally evolved from the baby. Keel is a common name for vertebrate fossils and fossils of the vertebrates. It generally refers to the Cenozoic mammals, mainly Pliocene and Pleistocene elephants, rhino, deer, camels and even human bones and teeth fossils. “Venus Mountain”, according to Hao Yixing in “Shan Hai Jing Jian Shu” note,