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

~ nuns anu ~ hAuffnubusf anu appear
10 have died out during the milo enc
epoch. While they lived they must have
played the part of the then extinct uin-
atherium OF the eOcene (of which more
directly, and that afterwards filled by
the mastodons and elephants of later
ages.
Very interesting evidence Of evolu-
ton is also furnished by the equal-tOed
hOOfed animals, represented now by
pigs, hippopOiami, camels, cheyrOtains,
deer, antelOpes, sheep and oxen. Their
remains appear but sparingly during
the eOcene period, but become album
dant in the miocene. During this period
the first mentioned family were repre-
sented chiefly by huge swine-like crea-
lures, some Of which approached the
hippopotamus in size. here was also
an allied four-toed form, more like true
pigs; but all the species were Of the
peccary type. The sole existing sur
vivor Of the form on this continent is
the South American peccary, apparent
ly an unmodified remnant Of the old
miOcene fauna.
A much more remarkable family was
the oreodantide, which began in the
later eocene, extended through the miO-
Gene, when they swarmed enormously,
dying out IN the early pliOcene. In
nearly all points Of structure, they were
intermediate between ruminants and
swine, furnishing a complete line of
transition between those nov widely
separated groups. Their remains are
found IN great abundance, both IL spc-
cies and individuals; and gradual
modification, corresponding with the
chronological position, can be traced
/ from the earlier, more generalized forms
10 the latest and most specialized; thus
aflording one Of the most complete
chains OF evidence Yet found In favor
OF progressive alteration Of form, not
only Of specific but Of generic import
ance, through advancing ages.
Exceedingly suggestive, too, j. the
history of tie camehdg as exhibited in
our tertiary strata. Here was appa-
rently the original home Of this singu-
. lar group, now represented only By the
llamas OF South America, and the two
camels Of the old world. During the
middle and later tertiary ages, tran
sitional forms from the more gener-
allied ruminauts-animals increasingly
camel-like and llam8-like in character
were abundant in North America,
whence they probably migrated during
4 the glacial epoch 10 the present homes
of the existing members Of the family,
along with the horses, tapirs, and pee
carries, which disappeared from this
country about that time.
Not less interesting Is the story told
+ By the remains of those unique eOcene
monsters 10 which the names titanothe-
rum, uintatherium, dinOcera, loxolO-
phodon, and e0basileus have been given
huge creatures intermediate between the
orders represented by the rhinOcerOs
and the elephant. Professor Flower
compares them 10 broken piers Of the
I bridge by which the gulf, that now so
completely divides the orders II the
perissOdactyle ungulates and the pro-
boscidea, may have been passed over.
They were al clephant-like in bulk and
general appearance, Yet presented a
combination Of characters which made
them unlike any thing elsewhere known
Their feet were fiye-tOed, their legs
straight and massive; their necks long
er than the elephants, and their SIN IL
Drained, narrow head much more ike
the rhinoceros's than the elephants.
But their distinguished peculiarly was
their frontal armament Of three pairs Of
horns. which. with their enormous size
and strength, must have made them
formidable indeed Their end Is vet a
mystery. IL Has been suggested that al
the close Of the eocene period they may
have migrated 10 Asia 10 lay the f0unda-
ton ofthat family which first appears In
the old world under the more familiar
forms Of the typical probOscideans-the
elephants, mastodons, and mammOths.
None Of these appear in America earlier
than the pleiocene period, a long time
after they bad become abundant in the
old world.
Among the carnivora which preyed
upon the abundant herbivorous fauna
OF the great plains, forests, and lake
regions of the tertiary ages, not a few
furnish extremely cogent evidence Of
specific evolution. There were among
| them fierce creatures, larger than
/ wolves (synaplotherum and mesonyx)
which presented such combination Of
characters that il j. impossible 70 rank
them with either Of the existing fami-
lies Of the order 10 which they belong
In some respects they were like dogs.
in Others they were bear-like; in - II
others they were more generalized than
any existing members OF the order.
, Then there were several species Of hye-
nodon, some larger han any Of the
= European forms, and others no larger
, than fox; "the last sur vivors Of a
| group notably differing from any now
, known" In the character Of their
. skulls they stand intermediate between
! wolves and opossums. In the earlier