Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1867-01-12

REMOTE ANTIQUITY.

Ter with a large amount OF fossils OF eS
tinct animals, collected during an expedi
ton to the Red Lands of Decotah Terri
tory for the Smithsonian Institute, and
Philadelphia Academy of Natural Scien
ces. It is but common justice to state
that the expedition was fitted up anc
paid for altogether by the private gentle
men, members of the Philadelphia Acade
my. DR.. Hayden has arrived in Phila.
delphia, and we had the pleasure on Sat
urday last Of seeing the fossils he brought
with him at the Academy. In all such
scientific enterprises these institutions
aid each other, and thus the Smithsonian
Institutions museum always benefits by
outside undertakings, just as the Phila.
delphia Academy receives specimens
from the government expeditions.
These fossil remains were discovered
in the Bad Lands not recently, but some
time back, and by mere accident. A fur
trader named Culbertson, residing at
Chambersburg, Pa, was attracted by the
curious appearance of them, and took
some specimens to his home as matter OF
interest to bis family, and there they
were seen by scientific men, who at once
perceived their rarity and value. Suisse
quently the naturalists accompanying
the government expeditions to lay out
wagon roads brought home large quanti-
ties Of these fossils, and the great inter.
est they excited induced the fitting up of
the recent private expedition of DR.. Hay
den. To the ordinary eye thes speci-
mems, though they may be thought cur
ious, would not be as wonderful as
in reality they are. They are all remains
of extinct species Of animals, and belong
to an age of the world Of such remote
antiquity that no traces of mankind have
been found in that geological formation.
We do not use the scientific terms, be-
cause we can, perhaps, better explain the
matter in a plain way.
The rocks in which these remains are
found must evidently have been once
the muddy shores of a lake, the extent
or boundaries of which cannot now be
defined, and as the animals persisted, their
bones lay undisturbed in the mud until
petritication prevented their final deatruc-
lion. In one piece Of rock We plainly
see the trail left BY some marine animal
in the original mud. In another speci-
men we have the skull. with the jaw wide
open, as it evidently lay loose in decay,
when the a " washed up the mud in
the Jaw and kept it from closing. There
are also fresh water turtles Of all sizes
up to q very large n These indica-
tons leave no reason to doubt that where
these fossils are found must have been
the lines of the great lake.
Next we have specimens of the fossil
remains of an extinct species of camel
showing that after the ~upheaval of the
had destroyed the lake, the bottom
Of the latter was converted into one vast
arid plain, upon which only such animals
could exist as are found in the desert r.
gions Of the Old World. The othe, sheci-
mems are of extinct species Re Illuminating
animals, from which it opea that the
once arid plain he, secome covered with
a-nr'snns grssss. From tue number of
these latter specimens it is apparent that
these Eliminating animals must have null
into herds riyaling those of the
buffaloes now seen. Perhaps the most
curious of these are the remains Of sever
al species of the horse, the smallest be-
about the size of a setter dog, and
the largest about three times that size.
It is next to observable that among
the specimens are several species Of car.
niyorous animals now extinct, evidently
by nature to prey upon these i'm
mense herds of ruminants and prevent
their increase. Among these we find
varieties Of the tiger and r~hinoceros. As
both the tiger and the camel are animals
peculiar to tropical regions, some of our
readers will think it strange that thew
should be found in these high latitudes.l
But we have also among the specimens
fossil remains Of a species Of elephant
we'll as of the tapir, and all the fossil
plants are tropical. Palm trees once
grew on the shores of the great lake.
and several varieties of the ammonite
sailed their barks upon its wates. Yet
in all this immense wilderness no trace Of
is found, and there nature must
have rioted in luxuriance without the
or the voice of any being created
with intelligence above the brute.-Phi-l
ladeIphiia Press.
Mary, who died for you 2" asked a
parson of q blooming damsel Of sweet
sixteen. Nobody, as I knows on was
fbA RAMA uoal- d |