New-York tribune., 1877-09-01

succiuct account of the introduction and success
sion of vertebrate life in America. From the
necessity of the case it deals almost whony
with the forms of animals known only 10
science and hence christened with names that
are proper but not common, and that cannon
be called popular But the great underlying
facts are important and plain enough Tor ordl-
nary comprehension.
TJnouestionably the greatest of the truths
toueht in this address is the fact that most,
if not all. the leading families OF mammals
have arisen in America and developed INTO
their more modern representatives, OF Deconie
extinct. A few notable series, such as the
horse and swine, can now DC presenteu
almost in completeness from the earliest 10
the latest FORMS and there is also the sig
niicapt fact that these forms are found
in our rocks i'm the order of their development J;
tbe earlier forms in the more ancient rocks,
the higher animals of the same family IN the
LATER strata. In the address, we have for the
first time an attempt to bring under review
tbe extinct vertebrate life of this hemisphere
in a connected history, showing when these
animals first made their appearance, tracing
each through its changes, and indicating III
many instances the relation of these ANIMALS
TO the later births of the other hemisphere
Ii is clearly apparent that America supplied 10
the Old World many of its most important
animals such as the horse, camel, pig, deer,
and perhaps the elephant and bison. The evil
dence goes TO show that these animals crossed
TO Asia at an epoch when this continent was
not divided from that one by Behring Suaits.
The ancestors of the Indian races are believed
Aoio hxt tbn m
bridge, and there are some evidences OF lhe
antiquity of man on this continent that point
to period preceding even the GLACIAL Age
Among the novelties announced respecting the
origin of animals, is the theory that the slotD
family began its existence in North America,
and travelled thence to South Amerlca-pre-
csely the reverse of the view previously cur
rent among naturalists. The creatures with
big brains are shown to have been, OF old as
now. always the winners in the struggle for
existence. Geologists will be gratifed by the
discussion, in the complete address, OF the
much-debated relations between the cretaceous
and tertiary formations in the lake basins OF
the Rocky Mountains. The famous " bird
tracks, of the Connecticut Valley sandstone
have been produced by reptiles, probably dino
saurs. and Prof. Marsh has found the tracks
of their fore-feet, which were occasionally put
to the ground. The settlement OF this matter
is important, as it puts an end to many fruit
less discussions and theories.
1t will be noted that the leading addresses
of both the American and British Science AS
soeations this year use the hypothesis OF evo-
luton to explain the advent of the varied
forms of life upon the globe, and treat the
theory as generally accepted. 1t still has
its opponents, but since the death of Prof.
Louis Agassiz there are no names of great emil
nence among the naturalists who adhere to the
old doctrines of creation Prof. Marsh's adj
dress contains little that will draw the fire OF
opponents outside of the ranks of science, since
he does not claim that man, or even man
like apes, originated in this country. The an
cestor of man, who emigrated hence to the
Eastern Hemisphere, was indeed already of the
same family as man, being "primate;" but
nevertheless indubtably a monkey.