The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-25
WJ(Ilit Eagle
HISTORY IN CID BONES.
BONE FOSSIL REMAIrjS WHICH WERE
FOUND IN FLORIDA.

RI,inocerI, Three Toed Horses, Liamas,
bTastodons, Tigers, Bp.gat!leria, All Dis
covered Where No Or g Expected to Find
Them-How GeoIogis:s Read Them.
Big boxes full Of curious old bones have
been arriving at the biological school Of the
University Of Pennsylvs MIA, pending a rest
Ing place In the working room of Professor
Joseph Leidy, the famour anat0mist. Ger
tain marks have indic2 eI that they came
from Archer, Levy cOu. - a. The speci-
mems have been carefL apped up IN
Florida moss and other p---Ing 10 prevent
breaking on the way north.
These bones ere hundreds Of years old.
They belong 10 extinct creatures Of the qua
ternary period. DR.. Leidy has been hard al
work identifying the animals OF which the
bones form a part, and this Identification is
now complete His conclusions are now very
Interesting. The chief bones he says, are
those Of a rhinoceros, a naStodOn, llama,
three toed horse and a giant sloth There
are also parts of tapir, a small crocodile
and gar pike.
In 1887, a gentleman living in Archer, in
northern Florida, found some fossil bones IN
beds Of clay, and wrote to the late Professor
Baird, Of the Smithsonian institute, about
them. At that time scientists were not ex-
pecting the discovery Of fossil remains in
Florida at al, and Professor Baird, becoming
interested, suggested to DR.. Leidy that he go
there and search for more bones. DR.. Leidy,
being unable to do so, interested Maj. Powell,
superintendent Of the United States geolog-
icaI survey, in the matter, and the latter sent
one of his assistants, Mr.. Dali, to ArcherNfor
TWO weeks
WHAT THE BONES TELL.
Is result Of this visit two barrels and six
boxes of.bones were sent to DR.. Leidy to be
identified There were no further finds there
until Professor Marsh, of Yale college, put
an assistant, Mr. Hatcher, to work digging in
the same clay. directing him to send all the
remains he might unearth to DR.. Leidy. Seven
more boxes accordingly reached here. The
two coDsignments, altogether, contained feet
and limb bones, portions Of the jaws and
numbers Of the teeth of about twenty rhinoc-
eri: feet and limb bones and q quantity Of
teeth of the nastodon; the claws and ankle
bones Of tho giant sloth; the limb bones, toe
bones and teeth of the llama; limb bones and
teeth Of a three tccd horse, and other less
important remains.
Or. Leidy identifies the. Thinoceros az a va
Tiety whose skeleton has never before been
found IN this country east Of the Mississippi
JtisabouT the sl2s Of the present Indian rhinoc-
eros, but has tUszs eight inches long instead
of three inches, and was probably hovnless
1t lived in Florida IN the Guatorrary period,
previous TO the appearance Of man. The
InastOdon whose bones We're found Dr.. Leidy
calculates TO have been half as large again as
the present Asiatic elephant and different
species from the common masJOdon whose
remains have been found in almost every
state in the Union. The head Of one of the
arm bones, which in the man Is about one
and half inches in diameter, Is all that one
can lift, being as big as the human head.
One of the giant slOths, pronounced by DR..
Leidy the Elega1herium, was also as large as
the Asiatic elephant. The only living sloth
known, about the size OF a terrier, is tree
animal
EVERY SDOTH HIS OWN SURGEON.
This megatherium, though too large to
climb into trees, fed upon tree leaves and
branches, and used TO rear up on its hind
legs. embrace the tree with its short fore legs,
and swaying it from side TO side finally up
root it. Dr. Leidy argues for this habit from
its strong back legs and tail QiSe the kanga-
roofs, and from the fact that several slele-
tons Of these animals have been previously
discovered carrying signs of serious fractures
of bones, which have been practically cured
during life
The remains OF the three liamas show that
these animals must have ranged in size from
a little larger than a camel 10 one and half
times as lsrge The three toed horse. whose
bones were found in Florida, was probably
two-thirds the size Of donkey. So many
1. =
DR.. Leidy to trace out a complete history Of
their dentition. Cuvier believed that in this
animal the three milk grinders and three
back grinders were followed in each case by
a single successor. A few years ago a Ger
man investigator announced his discovery
that each Of these sets Of three teeth was
succeeded by TWO teeth. DR.. Leidy's study
of the teeth sent TO him confirms this an
nouncement.
A TIGER AND IT'S PREY.
At Peace Creek and Ocala, Fla, fossil re-
mains have also been found The bones at
the former place were those Of two giant ar
madillos, the first discovered in this country
north of Texas. The other bones were found
last winter in a cave near Ocala. The blast
ing of limestone brought them to light They
were those of 4 sa0er toothed tiger, about as
tea4 - a lbcJe,ii LltL lldtlllt, me
size of a camel, an elephant, like an Asiatic
elephant, and a horse, lndistinguishable
from the common horse. Among the bones
of the tiger was the skull, showing its canine
teeth, which are SIX inches long and iattened
out like a sabcr. This animal Is now extinct,
and its remains have never before been found
east Of tue Mississippi. Or. Leidy is satisfied
that the elephant, iger, horse anG camel, being
found in the same cave, lived at the same
time, and thinks 1t likely that the others had
been brought to the spot by the tiger as its
food. The finding OF The bones of u horse is
considered strong evidence that the common
horse once existed on Juis continent and after
ward became extinct These animals are also
placed in the quateuary period.
Until these recent discoveries the eyes Of
scientists had not been turned toward Florida
in expectation OF finding fossil remains The
Bad Lands OAK, ANA Brldger, Wy. T. are
two Of the prominent fossil fields OF the West.
Philadelphia Press.