New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-24
wy,r WIS THE BROyToTHERrUM,

A discussion is now going on among the facHi'S
~. ,ho Uorro,,s Peak South Dakota) University
which threatens TO dismember tins pouy Vi
teachers. II arose in this way About hioh'h
ago some miners employed by the custer ivy
Tin-NIining Company unearthed certain FOSSIL ie
mains. apparently those of some glganuc ahi'h"'
Of the remote past. Professor fo"leI' VIM
ooo,,nios rho Geological chair in the Harneys
Peak University, appealed to ana pronounce"
the fossils those OF the brontoheriuin Inc pro-
fessor is the NEST abscnt-mindcd man in The uni
versitv. and beside that, he has never been Kho"h
either to inter or comprehend joke, so his knowl'
edge Of fossilology has never been quesuoheu'
ND tho nrcsent instance was no exception to TINS
rule The pctrifactions were accordingly ac-
ccptcd as the remains of the brontotherluhi' an"
removed to the museum of the university
Shortly after the specimens were piaceu III 'nc
museum Professor Fowler inaugurated a scries Vi
lectures ON the life and habits Of the brontothe-
rum. using the recently found fossils 10 lli"s'r"'c
lis remarks About the only perfect specimen OF
the lot was the lower iawbone which 'ne Pio-
,ossor found was twelve feet in length. From
this he readily decided that the animal must nave
stood inward Of forty feet in height while it could
have been but little less than "A hundred feet nom
nose 70 tail The students became much inter
pStPt.
vestca,ions. soon enabled to lay much new ana
valuable information before them Inc pron'o
tbcrium he found to have been most formidable
I.oos, ro,ginc tho country with the greatest IT.
,rcnid,tv 70 the CONSERVATION Of the other pre-
,i,,oric animals H. must have been, the pro-
tcssor surmised. most inspiring sight to see a
drove of brontOthcriums proceeding across inc
nroiric on a smart run in quest Of their natural
nrofcssor shrewdly suspected that the rear legs OF
Tho brontotherium were considerably longer than
tho others and that il moved after the manner oil
rho KANGAROO Think. said the professor, OF seems
~ Of these noble animals going across the plans
- q morning in pursuit of flock of hippopotaml,
handing 200 feet into the air AT every Jump ana
covorino I25 Yards without touching the ground.
can sre in my minds eye" exclaimed Professor
Fowler in his third lecture, this noble animal
sitting I'D on his launches on n little Use OF
rround Anon he reaches his nose mp 100 feet
into the air and whistles 10 his mate hve miles
o,yov. Getting response, he whisks of giant OAK
with ono stroke OF his tail and bounds away
leaving tracks fifteen feet long and Sin feet deep
Tho professor INDUCED in much speculation OF TINS
kind and awakened great enthusiasm among the
students.
4 week ago the president Of Harneys Peak
University Professor Estes recovered from III
Of sickness which had conhued him to the house
for six'wccl,s. and visited the institution lie mad
not been in the building an hour before he made
an examination Of the fossils which had been dis
c,vcrcd durjn4 his illness lie agreed with FRO
fcssor Fowler that they We're the remains oil the
hron,othcrium. but produced CONSERVATION by say
inc that the hrontoihcrium was a tree ana not an
animal This Professor Fowler vigorously denied.
President Estes. however, maintains his position
that the brontothcrium was n large Tree uudcf
whose shade the prehistoric man courted the pre-
historic woman. the supposed lower Jaw peihg'
the president said, nothing more nor less than II
bouch Of tie tree quite naturally dcnuded OF Us
foliage by tho lapse Of ages All the teachers IN
fine institution have taken sides and the c'n'ro-
vcr,v as 10 whether the brontothcrlnm hoppe"
on its hind legs or grew up ont OF the ground Is
becoming warm
Where professors disasrcc The Tribune does mol
feel called upon 10 decide, and we can only close
with the hope tha: further remains Will be dis
covered which will settle the matter in one way
., sner