Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-03-31
ANCIENT COLORADO.

ANCIENT COLORADO.
Her AninnIs in the Past-Prof. Cope's Ac-
count of the Discovery of Fossil Remains
| Made by Him i'm the = an Juan Country.
From the Rocky Mountain News.
Prof Cope has recently published a
semi official report of the discoveries Of
the fossil remains by his portion Of the
Wheeler expedition, announced at the
time in the News. Coming from head
quarters in this way, the account is nat
uraDy more complete than could have
been given in mere newspaper article.
He begins with the barely credible state
mort that the results obtained have
been highly interesting and important
to geological science. An analysis of
the structure of the region traversed
between Pueblo and Santa Fe was &C
companied by successful collecting of
fossil remains in many Of the strata.
Thus the cretaceous beds near the Huer-
fano yielded many fine fossil shells and
teeth of extinct fishes, and the carbon
ferrous limestone of the Sangre
de Christie Pass was found to be
equally rich A unique collec-
ton of large number of most
beautifully preserved invertebrate re-
mains was procured from the same
formation near Taos. South of the
Picoris Mountains, the sandbeds and
bluffs of the pliocene formation fill the
valley of the Rio Grande. These are
the deposits of lake of comparatively
modern age, and in some localities they
abound in remains of skeletons OF the
animals that inhabited the surrounding
continent at that time. Mastodons of
species quite different from those SO fire.
quently found In the Eastern States were
found to be abundant, while camels and
horses had evidently existed III droves.
One of the most singular discoveries was
that of deer which did not shed their
horns as do modern species of that type;
but there was abundant reason to believe
that they were frequently broken off in
combats. To keep the herbivorous
animals in check, there were several
species of wild dogs, while to eat them
when life had departed, large vulture,
allied to the turkey buzzard, was pre-
pared, rs the fossil remains demon
strate.
After concluding the Investigations
of this basin, the geologist was enabled,
through the courtesy of General Gregg,
commanding the District of New Next
co, to make an exploration of the geolo
gy of the region at the northern end Of
the Sandia mountains, 40 miles south
of Santa Fe Here numerous fossil re-
mains were found, including those OF
the hairy elephant, eiephas le1'inaigen-
ius GEAR. coluna6d). Subsequently to
this, the party, after examining the geol-
ogy to the Eastern Jemez Mountains,
passed north to Abieuin, on the Rio
Charna, and through the Canon Gan
ielon to TERRA Amarillo. Prof. Cope
had been led to suspect the existence OF
tertiary lake basin on the sides OF the
drainage basin of the San Juan River,
and had already published his belief
that the rich life Of the Eocene period
of Wyoming had been preceded by old
er forms which had lived upon older
territory in the Southern regions OF the
great basin.
This position was fully confirmed by
the discovery, in the region In question,
by Prof Cope, of an enormous mass OF
lacustrine deposits Of some 5000 feet
in thickness, which covers an area OF at
least 5000 square miles probably
more), which include remains of the
oldest mammalia fauna Of this CONT
nent, and which correspond to the low
est of the fossil bearing beds of Wy
oming. About 100 species Of animals
were obtained, of which two-thirds are
mammalia, and large percentage new
to science. The crocodiles were v ny
numerous, and turtles swarmed. The
mammalia did not embrace many OF the
modern classes, but exhibit, according
to the preliminary reports published by
order of Lieutenant Wheeler, charac-
tiers of orders of which little has been
known. The largest species were those
of the genus Bathomodon, OF which live
species were discovered, which range
from the size of an Indian rhinoceros to
that of the tapir. They resembled
closely the elephant in the structure OF
the feet and legs, but the tapir and the
bear III the character Of the skull.
They were armed with the most for
midable tusks, and their cranla were
solid and we'll -thickened to repel attack.
Besides these, there were numerous
species more nearly resembling the
taprs, and in some remote degree the
horses, of more harmless type, while a
numerous population of carnivora re-
stricted the increase of the rest. Six
teen species of flesh eating forms were
found, some of them minute, and Others
of powerful make, but all far removed
from the existing types, and more 0,
less related in structure to other kinds
of quadrupeds, especially to those of in
sectiverous habits.
An AnecdOte of Lincoln.
Tho folloxxri1ace o,aoodoto oE A bro b