The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-11-10
Some Extinct American Animals.

When the theory Of evolution began
90 displace the old theory Of specific
creation, its opponents were wont TO
ask triumphantly for missing links. If
species are the result Of gradual devel-
Opment by progressive variation, they
said, We ought TO find an abundance Of
intermediate forms where are they?
The advocates Of evolution could on
~ reply: Theywill appear when sought
for. Dirwin even ventured the prONh-
ecy that in course Of time links would
be found connecting the extremely
specialized one-tOed horse with the nor
NAL four and fve-tOed mammals. The
readers Of the SctcHtfc AmeucuH know
how completely the prophecy has been
fulfilled in the numerous and increas-
ingly specialized horse-like creatures
which roamed over our Western plains
during the tertiary period Of geology.
At the beginning of the period the four
tOed orOhippus was most like the horse
that was 10 be, though il exhibited many
uuhorsClike characteristics. From that
time down 20 the present the chain OF
development is complete. the precursors
of the horse steadily growing more and
more horselike in head, and foot, and
general structure of body and limb. In
the middle tertiary, the mesohippus
had but three toes, slender splint Of
bone being the only vestige Of the lost
toe; and i'm the miohippus the splint
had vanished Later the three nearly
equal toes of the miohippus had be-
come three very unequal toes in the
hipparion, the large middle toe being
the mfin il not the entire support IF
the animal. At the close of the period,
the prevailing form was true horse,
in which the dwindled and seless side
toes Of the hippariOn had ceased to eN-
ist as toes, appearing only a. slender
splints under the skin. In the modern
horse these splints are sometimes seen,
attesting it, relationship with the horses
of prehistoric times.
Similar, If not positive, evidence of
evolution is borne by the remains of
tapirs, rhinoceroses, and other hoOfed
animals. In eocene times the most
prominent of the unequaled-toed ungu-
lates were the hyrachyus and the palTO-
syOps, the former allied 20 the lophiO-
dOns and tapirs, the latter TO the paleo-
theriums of the European teItiaries.
Both these families embraced animals
varying in size from a small rhinoceros
10 peccary. Ia the miocene period,
these families attained great develop
ment in form, variety and size; the
group became more distinctly separated
from each other, and some of them
possessed remarkably specialized char
acter There we're, however, no true
tapirs, which afterwards became so nu-
merous. The ascendant forms Of this
period were rhinocerOtic, represented
by the diceratherum, with its pair OF
horns side by side on the nose. and the
very interesting genus hyracodon,whicr
furnishes connecting link between tn,
palwotheroid animals Of the eocene and
the true rhinoceros Of the plioceue. The
mioccnc period also produces seyera
species Of a more perfect rhinocerOs
still hornless. But more remarkable
than any Of these, indeed in some re
spects the most remarkable OF all the
animals brought 90 light in the straits
of the West, we're a number Of species
81 grOtesquc appearance and gigantic
size, resembling the existing rhinOceroi
in general appearance, but larger,so