Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1874-01-10
WESTERN ANCIENT LIFE.


WESTERN ANCIENT LIFE.
Vast Forests Filled with Strange Beasts Once
Whore Nov There Are Only Wild Plaius--
The Elephant aud Hippopotamus Beneath
the Native Palms Of Kausas, Wyoming and
Colorado
Dr.. f. V. Hayden contributes TO the
Ncw York Tribune most interesting /
summary of the results Of the official .
surveys of the Western territories. The !
following extract concerning the dis /
coyery of fossil remains of animals !
wonld pass belief did it not rest on the /
authority of many of the most able and !
conscientious scientific men of the coun- +,
try. We quote as iOllows;--
For the past twenty years or more the
various expeditions to the far West have
been accumulating the materials which
will enable the ggolOaist to reconstruct
ihe phoscal history Of these now barren,
treeless plains. NUmerous cemeteries Of
the ancient Inhabitants have been dis
covered, whose remains have been more
or less discntombed by the action Of the
elements. 1t is now known that a vast
chain OF fresh water lakes covered the
surface of this continent to a greater or
/ less extent. from the Mississippi to the
/ Pacific coast, and from the Arctic sea 10
Mexico. Some Of these lakes were Of
{ enormous size. The great ancient lake
/ basin, knoNn as -NauydiseS ItrreS, or the
I - Bad Lands" covered a large portion Of
/ Nebraska, Dakota and Colorado, an area
of 100, coo 10 10000 square miles. As
far back as 1853, the writer visited one
of these far famed bone deposits, on the
White Earth River, in Dahota, near the
Northwestern base Of the Black Hills. 1t
is one Of the widest aud most desolate
regions On this continent. II has becu
v-rv appropriately named by the Dakota
Indians, Mako Beelcha, or " Bad
Lands, which signifies a very difficult
country to travel over not ouly from the
tuggednges of the surface, bat also from
The absence of any good water, and the
snsl supply of wood and game. 1t is
oulv 10 The geologi=t that this place can
nave any permanent attractions. lie
weuds Lis way through its wonderful
clnons among some of the grandest
ruins IN the world. 1t resembles, Indeed,
gigantic city fallen to decay. Houses,
towers, innarcis aud spires may appar'
cntly hc seen on every side These fan
tastic piles assume the greatest variety Of
shapt. w hen viewed in the distance, and
not unfiequently the rising or the setting
. sun lights M these graud old ruins with
. "a wild, strange beauty. In the summer
/ tie sun p4ufs its rays on the bare, white
walls. which reflect them on the weary
r ttaveler with double intensity, not only
& ot.r, ssing him with the heat, but 50
dszzliug his eyes that he is not unire'
] dncmlyaa ct,d with temporary blindness.
Fl itfsnt tbe foot of these ruins that the
! fossil trep suites aic found.
p In the lower strata we IND the leelh
4 and Jaws Of a hyopotamus, riyyr horse
mrth likcih hiuiopolamus, which musl
have lived IN the mHr,hes that oordered
this lake. Here too the liianotherium, 9
=, gigant pachyderm, was associated viii
=, a suecies of hornlrss rhiuOcerOa. llighel
>, rp in some Of these lake sediments thou
sands of turtles were imbcdded, 8ud art
n preserved 10 the present time with sur
-, wi-irg perfection, their harder portiOni
. irip,. rs complete as when the amin All
!, were swimming about iu the tertlar'
n. Matters hundreds Of thousands OF year
- ago. ThcY vary in size from an inch o
a TWO across the back 10 turee or four ieet
a Associated with The remaius of turtle
~ are those Of number of ruminants, al
Ar belonging to extinct genera, and possess
= inv uerniinr characters which ally ther
- TO the deer aud the hog. Indeed, Dl
~ Ieidy calls them rumiuatiug hogs. Lik
-. the domestic spt cies they were provide
H., Win cutting teeth, and CANNES, but th
M grinding ter,h are constructed after IN
, came pattern as those Of all living rumii
~ auts, The feet OF these animals wei
M provided with four toes, and none Of thel
h. possessed horRs or autlers. They appei
~, to have existed in immense numbers, an
- tg,s Q hoe a ftt hi la
~, of the West Remains of more tha
.! s.v, n hundred individuals Of one speel'
"a have been already studied Al d desctbt
r, by Or. i.eldy. Their enemies we
+. uumeruus; among them were wUlve
'r, hvnnodmas, and saber toothed tigers.
, In the summer of 1851, while Il
~ writer was attached to tue EXporr
d, Expedition ui der the command OF Lieu
"a Warren, he discovered on the NiOhra
an river another of these remarkable gray
., wards, iu which was eutombed faut
H. closely allied TO, yet entirely dlstin
IN. from that on White River, and plain
30, Intermediate between that of the latt
,.ir and OF the present period. Sever
,.r .tpcies uf cXtiuct cHme.s, and gre
IL, variety OF tn. horse family cnaracteriz
t. This fauna. One of the horses was abo
IT. the sizs of the cOmmon domestic anlni
me while aH0ihcr allied form, about the a
nj. OF u Newfoundland dog, was pro7id
M with three hunfa to each foot, though I
~ literal houf, were fudimtutal. DIR. Lei
hssultt5ly idtutilrd twenty spec
of the i.nise family which are thus kno'
To have lived on this continent friOr
the advent of mau --ahout three tunes
nto many as are now found living throue
esl- ont The world, Among the carniyol
10 there gcre several speties OF FOXES q
the wolves, i've varieties Of the cat iuml
ties otd three species of hyena. Some
ilty the skulls Of the tigsl.ilke animals Z
'ing limited the marks of terrible cOntli
lar, With the hycnas. Among the rodci
Nhd we're a porcupne, small beaver, rabt
ul mouse &c.
the pschvderms, or thiek-skinned a
iTds mails, we're Xety numerous, aud are
lies. lie greatest interest, from the fact u
iasi- none of them are living on the coutlu'
the at the present time. Five species OF T
hrls nocerus are ionnd maetodon, an
wcT, phnnt, aui numerous iOlms allied 10
lay) domestic hog, varying IN s4s from q
need of the African hippOpotamus down
mo that of the dome-te cat. From the
lUr covery Of this group Of extinct amin
rrd ,ve may draw the IL ference that Nebra'
u cia ana Dakota were the homts OF a +
closely allied to those inhahiung A
tsrs and Africa at the present time Fl
and their characteristics We are led to bell
uces that the climate during that perled
d no considerably warmer Than il is Row.
been inference is also drawn that Amer
instead Of being as it is usually cal
Y the M New World" is really older I
Irchy he Eastern Hemisphere.
Don The discoveries in Kansas and v
ming sill more wonderful Daring
rast summer Prof. Cope has occu
" re. c9rs derable time under the ausp,et
- Of .