, 1875-01-16

alcr Asailnnls In tho rnkt-PrOf. C0pe'H
Account OF tho fsiGcoycry OK EoHsil
Iecmniun nlahc by IHtm tn tho S:an
Jllula Country.
From the Rocky Afonntatn Ssrs
rrof. Cope hrs recently published Bomi-
Official report Of the discoveries Of tho fossil ro-
uains By his portion Of tho Wheeler expedition,
announced at the tina in tho Nc,os. Coming
from headquarters in this way. tho account fa
naturally more complete than could have been
given 10 moro newspaper article. Ho begins With
tie bsroy credible statement that tho results OBJ
tained havo been highly interesting and impor-
TINT to geological science. An analysis Of the
structure Of tic region trayersod between Pueb-
10 and santa Fe was accompanied by srccessfn fnl
collecting OF fossil remains i'll many Of the stra-
ta. Thus tho cretaceous beds near tho HueT.
fano yielded nany line fossil shells md teoth OF
extinct ttahes, and tue cnrooniforous limestone
Of tho Sangre do Christie Fass was found TO bo
equally rlch A unique collection OF largo NUM-
ber Of most beautifully preserved lnvertebrAto re-
m.ins WIS procured from tho sanlo formation
near Taos, South OF tie Picoris Mountains, tue
sanl-beds and bluffs Of tho pliocene formation
fill tho valley OF tue Rio Grando. These arc tue
deposits Of . lako Of comparatively modern age,
and In some tocaltlos thoy abound III remains OF
tic skeletons OF tho animals shat inhabited tho
SURROUNDING continent at thne time. Mastodons
OF species quito different from that 30 frequently
found In the Eastern StateH were found to be
&UHD44ht, Wall0 EMtuel3 AlH i1QlbG0 uA4
existed iu t1.oyes. Ono Of tho most singular dis
coyeries WAS that Of deer which did not shod
their horns as do modern species OF that typo |;
| but thero waH abundant reason to bo!ieve that
| they Nere frequently broken oil IN eombats. 10
| keep the herbiyorous animalb in check, thero
were soyerai species Of wild dogs, while to cat
| them when lfo Ind departed, lnrgo vulture.
/ allied to the srrkey-buzzard, was prepared, .as
| tho fosal remains domonBtrate.
| After concluding tho Investigations OF this
/ Inu; ,a Gnnhleu. tlr1uHh tile
| courtesy OF Gen. urcggt commanding tie Dis
! tsict Ut Now Mo1co, to mako an exploration Of
tho geology Of the region at tho nogthorn end OF
| tho SgndiA Mountains, 40 1nites south of Santa
nclndinE those Of tho hairy elephant. e!ephds
fr,;n,iqctirts (r0r. colusibl. subsequently to
this the party after cxa1niniag the GEOLOGY tho
Eastern Jomez Mountains, PASSED north to Abs-
uuin, Oh tho lilo charna, and through tue Cnnou
| Gnnielon to 1errA Am4rilla. Prof. Cope had
boon led TO suspect the existence Of q ter
tlary lake baHin Oh tho sides Of the drainage
basin Ut tho ban Juan River. and had Alreaa,
published his boliof thst the rich life Of tht
Eocene period Of Wyoming had boon prccedee
by older forms Which had Lived upon older terri
tory in the bouthorn regions Ct the great basin
Thiu position Was fully Confirmed BY tue discov
| CRY, iii the region III question, by Prof. Cope,
All enormous mass Of lac,strlnc deposits o
some 5000 feet in thickness, which coy
or au area Of at least 5000 square mile
{probably more), which include remains OF tn
| oldest mammalian 1kuuh OE tuts c0AIlAoAtl al
Which correspond to tho lowest OF tho fossil
boar,lg beds of Wyoming. About 100 species o
animals we're obtaiuod, OF which t"o-thlrds arr
mammalia. and largo percensage no" t
science. The crocotleH wore very numerous
and tustios awar1nad. Tho man,mAlia did no
embrace many Of tho modeEn classics, but e1hit
it. according to tile preliminary reports publish
od by order Of Lieut.. Wheeler, characters c
oriers Of which little has been known. Tbs largcf
: species were those OF the genus l}athn,odon, 4
which five species wero discovered. Wch RAM;
! tint OF tho taplr. They resen,bled closely sh
elephsnt iu tic structure ot Tug feet ana = iegt
but tho tarIr aud tie bear In tho character o. ~
J skull TAoy wero armed with most fortnidab
tusks, aud thelr crRnia were solid and well th.ct
encl to rcpe attack. besides these, thero wei
l numerous species moro nearly resembling tn
tapirs. nna ii somo 1omoto degree tho horses, I
! moro larlnless typo, wh!la . numerous populs
. tiou Of carniyora restricted tho increase Of Il
, rest. Si1tcon species Of tlosh-eati1g forms vel
found, Aouse OF them minute. aud others {
powerful mako. but all far .eaored from tho o.
inti,,e types and more or losa related t structu
to other kinds Of quadzupets. especially to tho