Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-04-26
For the oxroRp DEMOCRAT.
CONCERNING LIFE.
No. ?.

tict species The largest class, lived
iourished and passed before man appeared
on earth. Another class has become ex
tinct within the historic era of the hu
man family. The numerous tracks i'm
pressed upon the imperishable sandstone
OF the Connecticut valley, tell the stoI!
with remarkable precision and exactness
There are footprints Is inches long ant
Is Inches wide still preserved in rocks o.
that remote period, showing their strides i'
be five or six feet, aud indicating according
10 the opinion OF Prof Hitchcock, the
birds TO weigh from FIVE 10 eight hundred
pounds, and would stand from ten to
twelve feet high. The fossil remains OF 9
gi ,aniic bird discovered in New Zealand,
| called the Diuoruus, whose bones were
larger than those OF 4 horse, yet the foot
prints did not exceed those OF those Of the
Connecticut valley. Portions of 4 large
bird, Epinornus, have been found in Mad
assScar. ana also entire eggs, one measur-
iug thirteen or fourteen inches in diameter,
six times as large as an ostrich egg, or
equal 10 twelve dozens or hens eggs.
These enormous species Of the fea;hered
tribe iourished aS long as the the condi.
tion Of the earth favored their progress,
then disappeared, that another bird should
occupy their places, better fitted 20 supply
Z the coming wants of man. Then appears
10 be a transformation from some varieties
OF birds - qusdrupeds, for we dnj them
| united In the sam auimal-the character
i>,ics Of a fowl with that Of a mammal
These are among the strong evidences OF
evolution. upon which Dr. Darwin found>
his theory OF the origin OF man.
The mammalian race i the highest typ,
created, prior 20 the human family. The
tertiary period seems 10 be the age Of man
msls numbering l6jS distinct species The
DiuOthcrium. or fearful beast, was ofwon-
derful magnitude aud peculiar appearance
auI lived on vegetables. An entire head
WAS found four feet long and three feet
wide, with large tuSks in the lower jaw
turned d0wnwards, and used a. Dir Buck
land thinks, 10 grub up the roots on which
il fcd Curvior, the French naturalist, eS-
tlmated the animal to he Is or 20 feet long.
The mastodon. sncicnily roAmed over
America and Europe. 1t resembled the
elephant OF the present day. though much
larger. Their remains are numerous, aud
have been discovered in a wide belt, almost
iucircling the globe. Tusks, the ivory Of
commerce. were sometimes Il or ii feet
loBg.-molar teeth weighing from 10 to Il
pounds. The ivory mines OF Siberia, which
has furnished larss quantities for more
than hundred years, have their origin
from the carcasSes OF these animals iloated
down and deposited on the low land ad-
Joining rivers, emptying into the Northern
seas.
There formerly existed In the cold re-
gions. spicies OF the elephant covered
with a mass OF thick hair. An entirr
specimen Of this animal WAS found, some
years ago, frozen into an iceburg, in II
good state OF preservation. The remains
are now in the museum al 81. Petersburg
The Magstherian, an extinct animal OF
South America, was OF enormous magni-
/ tude His thigh bones were three times
as Ia rye a. an elephsut, and fOIe feet, at
least one yard long.
In the United States Survey of 1873,
Prof Cope discovered iu Colorado, the re-
mains of two or three species Of the rhinoc-
eros almost as large as the elephant; with
I horns. either on the nose, or over each
eve. A huge animal once lived there hav-
| ing boue 10 inches in diameter, thigh
bone Is. and 4 vrTiebra SO inches in cir
/ cumfrrence. Remarkable bone caves have
been discovered yearly over the whole sur
face of the earth, containing the remains
| OF numberless animals, of extinct, as well
| a. living species. The famous hirkdalc
| cave in England, discovered some year :
ago. Is remarkable for its variety of ami
msl remains. Parts of the skeletons OF
two or three hundred hyenss have been
detected, with portions of the framework
of the cave tiger. the great cave bear, the
ox. dear, mammoth and rhiuoceros These
animals which could be domesticated and
become subservianI 10 the wants OF men,
were preserved, while another class passed
away.
The creation, development aud arrange
ment of the animal kingdom, demonstrate
the wisdom OF Intelligent Creative Power,
whose hand has been employed through
countless ages. TO pre- pare our earth fol
the reception Of that, whose fruit should
be Humanity. SCIENTIST.
FRYEBURG CENTRE. April l.