The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1874-02-18
THE FOSSIL TREASURES FoUyD IN
THE Ear JEST

For the past twenty years or more the va
rious expeditions to the far West have been
accommodating the materials which will enable
the geologistto reconstruct the physical history
OF these now barren troeless plains. There are
numerous cemeteries of the ancient inhabitants
whose remains have been more or less disen-
tombed by the action of the elements. 1t is
now known that vast chain of fresh water
lakes covered the surface of this continent, to
greater or less extent from the Mississippi
to the Pacific coast and from the Arctic Sea
to Mexico. Some of the lakes were of enor-
nous size. The great ancient lake basin,
known as Mducaises 1erres or the Bad
Lands covered large portion of Nebraska.
Dakota and Colorado, an area of 100,0 600 TO
100000 square miles. As far back as 1858,
the writer visited one of these far famed bone
deposits on White Earth river, in Dakota,
near the northeastern base of the Black Hills.
1t is one of the widest and most desolate re-
gions on this continent. 1t has been very APP
propriately named by the Dakota Indians
Ma Ko Seetcha or Bad Lands,o which sig-
mites very difficult country to travel in not
only from the ruggedness of the surface, but
also from the absence of any good water, and
the small supply Of wood and game. 1t is on
ly to the geologist Tat this place can have
any permanent attractions. He wenos his way
through its wonderful canyons among some
of the grandest ruins in the world 1t resem-
bles, indeed, a gigantic city fallen to decay
Houses, towers, minarets and spires may ap-
parently be seen on every side. These fantas-
tic piles assume the greatest variety of shapes
when viewed from distance and not unfre-
quently the rising or setting sun lights up
these grand old ruins with wild, strange
beauty. In the summer the sun pours its rays
on the bare white walls, which reflect them
on the weary traveller with double intensity
not only depressing him with the heat but SC
dazzling his eyes that he is not unfrequentl,
affected with temporary blindness. 1t is a
the foot of these ruins that the fossils M
found. In the lower strata we find the +eet
and jaws of n hyopotainus, {. river hors
much like the hippopotamus, which must hav
lived in the marshes that border this lake.
Here, too, the titanotherium, gigantic pacl
yderm, was associated with n species of horn
less rhinoceros. Higher up in some of thes
lake sediments thousands of turtles are i'm
bedded, and preserved to the present tim
with surprising perfection, their harder por
tions being as complete as when the animal
were swimming about in the waters of year
ago. They vary in size from an inch or TIVE
across the back to three or four feet. Associ
ated with the remains of turtles are those o
q number of ruminants, all belonging to ex
tinct genera and possessing peculiar charac
! tiers which ally them to the deer and hog
Indeed Dir. Ledy calls them Illuminating hogs
! Like domestic species they were provided with
cutting teeth and CANNES, but the grinding
teeth are constructed after the same pattern as
those of all living ruminants. The feet OF
these animals were provided with four toes,
and none Of them possessed horns or antlers.
/ They appear to have existed in immense num-
bers, and to have lived in great herds like the
+ bison of the west. Remains of more than
seven hundred individuals of one species have
been already studied and described by Dr..
Leidy. Their enemies were numerous among
them were wolves, hyenodous, ard sabre
toothed tigers.