New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-02-17

, Professor Cope has recently published
semi official report OF the discoveries of tn
, fossil remains by his portion of the Wheele
expedition, announced at the time in til
News. Coming from headquarters in thi
way, the account is naturally more CON
plete than could have been given in mer
newspaper article. Hej begins with th
obtained have been highly interesting ant
important to geological science. An analy
sis of the structure of the region traverse(
between Puebla and Santa Fe was accom-
panied by successful collecting of fossil
remains in many of the strata. Thus the
cretaceons beds near the HuerfanO yielded
many fine fossil shells, and teeth of extinct
the Sangre de Christie Pass was found to be
equally rich. A unique collection OF a large
number of most beautifully preserved in.
vertebrate remains was procured from the
same formation near Taos. South of the
Picolis mountains, the sand beds 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
the skeletons of the animals that inhabited
the surrounding continent at that time.
MastodOns Of species quite different from
that SO frequently found in the Eastern
| States were found to be abundant, while
| camels and horses had evidently existed in
droves. One of the most singular discOv-
| cries was that of deer which did not shed
their h0rds as do modern species Of that
type; bnt there was abundant reason to be-
Heve they we're frequently broken Off in
combats. To keep the herbivorous animals
in check there were several species Of wild
dog, while to eat them when life had de.
parted, large vulture, allied to the turkey.
buzzard, was prepared, as the fossil remains
demonstrate.
After concluding the investigation of this
basin, the geolOgist was enabled, through
the courtesy of General Gregg, command.
ing the district of New Mexico, to make an
exploration of the geology of the region at
the northern end OF the Sandia mountains,
forty miles south Of Santa Fe. Here nu-
merOus fossil remains were found, includ-
ing those of the hairy ELEPHANTS, elcphas
terimigenia,S tear. coiumbi). Subsequently
to this the party, after examining the geo.
Ogy OF the eastern Jemez mountains,
passed north to Aloquin, on the Rio Char.
ma, and through the Canon CanjelOn to
TERRA Amarillo. Professor 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 older forms which had
lived upon older territory In the southern
region of the great basin. This position
was fully confirmed 10y the discov-
cry, in the region In question, by Professor
Cope, OF an enormous mass of lacustrine |
deposits of some 5000 feet in thickness.
which cover an area of at least 5000 square |
miles probably mOre), which include re- |
mains. Of the Oldest mammalian fauna of |
this continent, and which correspond to the |
lowest of the fossil-bearing beds of Wyo-
ming. About one hundred species of ami |
mails were obtained, of which two-thirds
are mammalia, and large percentage new
to science. The crOcodiles were very nu-
merous, and turtles swarmed. The NAM
malta did not embrace many of the modern
classes, but exhibit, according to the pre-
iminary reports published by order of
Lieutenant Wheeler, character of orders of
which little has been known. The largest
species were those Of the genus Bath
nodon. of which five species were dis
indian rhinocerOs to that of the tapir. |
They resembled closely the elephant in tie
structure Of the feet and legs, but the tapir
md the bear in the character OF the skull
hey were armed with most formidable
usRs, ana their crania were solid and well
Hlckenen to repel attack. Besides these
ueIe were numerous species more nearly re-
emoiing the tapirs, and in some remote de- |
rec the horse, Of a more harmless type. |
Vhiie d numerous population of carniyOra |
eStrlcted the increase OF the rest. Sixteen
pecies OF resh-eating forms were found,
ONE OF thsm minute, and others of power.
vi make, out all Tar removed from the axaxks
.uIs types ana more or less related M
lructure TO other kinds of quadrupeds, es- {
ecially to those of insectiverous HABITS
,OcbN Maintain No,rc |