Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-01-24

Mexico. Some of these lakes were
of enormous size. The great ancient
lake basin, known as Mauvaises
Terres, or the "Bad Lands" covered
a large portion of Nebraska, Dako
ia, and Colorado-an area of 400,
600 to 10000 square miles. As far
back as 1856 the writer visited one
of these far-famed bone deposits, on
the White Earth River, in Dakota,
near the northwestern base of the
Black Hills. 1t is one of the Wild
est and most desolate regions on this
continent. 1t has been very appro-
priately named by the Dakota Indi-
ans, Mako Seetcha, or "Bad Lands, "
which signifies very difficult coun-
try to travel oYer-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 only to the geolo-
gist that this place can have any
permanent attractions. He wends
his way through its wonderful can
ons among some of the grandest
ruins in the world. resembles, in
deed, a gigantic city fallen to decay.
Houses, towers, minarets and spires
may apparently be seen on every
side. These fantastic piles assume
the greatest variety of shapes when
viewed in the distance, and not un-
frequently the rising or the 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 a
double intensity, not only expressing
him with the heat, but so dazzling
his eyes that he is not unfrequentlY
affected with temporary blindness.
1t is at the foot of these ruins that
the fossil treasures are found. In
the lower strata we find the teeth
and jaws of hyopotamus, a river
horse much like the hippopotamus,
which must have lived in the marsh
es that bordered this lake. Here,
too, the titanotherium, a gigantic
pachyderm, associated with a species
of hOrnless rhinocerOs. Higher up
in some of these lake sediments,
thousands of turtles were imbedded,
and are preserved to the present time
with surprising perfection, their
harder portions being as COM
plete as when the animals were
swimming about in the tertiary wa
ters hundreds of thousands of years
ago. They vary in size from an inch
or two across the back to three or
four feet. Associated with the re-
mains of turtles are those of num-
Der of ruminants, all belonging to ex-
tinct genera, and possessing peculiar
characters which ally them to the
deer and the hog. Indeed, DR.. Lei
dy calls them ruminating hogs.
Like the domestic species, they were
provided with cutting-teeth and ca
mines, 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
horns or antlers. They
appear to have existed in great num-
bers, and to have lived in great herds
like the bison of the West. Remains
of more than seven hundred individ-
uals of one species have been al
ready studied and described by DR..
Leidy. Their enemies were numer-
Gus; among them were wolves, hy-
and sabre-toothed tigers.
'EIn the summer of 1857, while
the writer was attached to the Ex-
ploring Expedition under the com
mand of Lieut.. Warren, he discover
ed on the Niobrana River another of
those remarkable graveyards, in
which was entombed fauna, close
ly allied to, and yet entirely distinct
from that on White River, and
plainly intermediate between that of
the latter and that of the present pc
Rod. Several species of extinct cam
els, and great variety of the horse
family characterized this fauna.
One of the horses was about the size
Of the common domestic animal,
while another allied form, about the
size of a Newfoundland dog, was
provided with three hoofs to each
foot, though the lateral hoofs were
DR.. Leidy has already
identified twenty-seven species Of
5he horse family which are thus
known to have lived on this CONT
lent prior to the advent of man
about three times as many rs are
found living throughout the world. !
Among the carnivores there were
several species of foxes and wolves,
i've varieties of the cat family, and !
three species Of hyena. Some Of the
skulls of the tiger-like animals ex-
libited marks of terrible conflicts
with the hyena. Among the ro-
dents were porcupine, small bea-
yer, rabbit, mouse, &c.
The pachyderms, or thick-skinned |
were very numerous, and |
ire of the greatest interest, from the
fact that none of them are living on
5he continent at the present time.
Five species Of the rhinoccros are
,ound; mastodon, an elephant, and
forms allied to the domcs-
lie hog, vaying in size from that of
he African hippopotamus down to
hat of the domestic cat. From the
discovery Of this group of animals
We may draw the inference that Ne
lraska and Dakota were the homes
If race closely allied to those in
labiting Asia and Africa at the
present time. From their character
sites we are led to believe that the
climate during that period was con
iderably warmer than it is now.
The inference is also drawn that
America, instead of being, as it is
Usually called, "New World" is
'eally older than the Eastern lIemi-
phere.
IN I:,.,-; ,,,, =, L-.,,,,c, 1 W.