Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-16
FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS.
characteristics of Some of the Discoveries
Recently Made in the Red Sandstone


Near HoIyoke, Mass.-What the Animal
was Like.
Several footprints of reptiles of. various
dimensions have lately been discovered
about three miles from Holyoke, says the
Springfield Republican, upon the rock in G.
L. Bosworth's quarry, near the shore of the
Connecticut river, which have caused con-
siderable excitement and ELECTED many in
quirjes.
These discoveries occur not infrequently,
more than 12C00 such footmarks having al
ready been brought to light, and, in fact, it
is well known throughout the scientific
world that the new red sandstone of the
Connecticut Valley which extends about
ITO miles from north to south and averages
about 20 miles in width from east to west, is
one of the most prolific repositories of fossil
prints. Slabs of this stone, having upon
them the wonderful indentations, can be
found in almost all the museums of this
country and Europe.
A few days ago, accompanied by my
friend, Prof. Woodman, who is, as the world
knows, one of the most profound scholars
in the natural sciences, visited Mr. Bos-
M1rth's quarry: me soil over the ROCKS;
been removed and left exposed an extensive
area, upon which a large number of tracks
are apparent. Prof Woodman said that in
all his ramblings through the world he had
not seen such a large number clustered TO-
gether in so circumscribed place. Several
of the tracks can be traced from one end of
the quarry to the other.
There is not only large number of them.
but they are of various sizes, and were made
by animals of different species, though the
conformation of the foot indicates that they
belong to the same genus. Some of the
tricks measure Is inches in length and 10 in
width: others are 10 inches long, and there
are others that do not measure more than
three OF four inches, and are of proportional
the public road which forms the northern
boundary of the quarry has two large, well
delineated tracks upon its surface feet 6
inches apart, which indicate the str1de IN
the step OF the animal.
Tracks Have the Same Conformation.
All the tracks bear the same conforma-
tion of the foot-thatis is. all have only three
toes, and the steps bear the same charac-
teristics-they are single; that is, made by
bipeds. There is no doubt they are much
smaller now than when first made. The
mud, in drying up, must have contracted
considerably to become as the rock is to-
day, of crystalline nature. Many OF these
fossil prints bear q close resemblance to the
tracks of birds, so much so that for years
many of them were believed to have been
made by some of the feathered tribes, but
since the discovery of the dinosaurs in the
triassic strata the question has been def
nitely settled. There is no doubt now that
these tracks we're made by several species of
reptiles which have already been found
in the triassic beds of Nevada and Cali
fornia, and on the western slope of the
Rocky Mountains. The numerous tracks
found show that these animals formed a
large genus, with very many species; One
species had three toes, another had four,
and another five. The three-toed was the
most numerous, and produced species of
enormous sizes. The Brontozoum Gigan-
teum, the Otozoum Moodh, belong to the
three-toed variety and were from IA to ID
feet in height. The four-toed and hve-toed
species were not quite so numerous but
they produced individuals of still greater
dimensions. Specimens have been found
that measured Is feet in height and their
tracks "A inches in length.
The fossils of all these animals show that
all the species had large heads, saurian-like,
with enormous teeth. They all had four
legs, but made little use of their forelegS,
which were very small ana atrophied Tor
want of use These characteristics indicate
that they were In form as well as in habits
closely allied to the bird family.
They Walked on Their Hind Legs.
The fact that they walked on their hind
legs that their bones were hollow like those
of birds, that they had the same conforms
tion of the foot and were biped in their
habits, points to the conclusion that they
were the primitive sketches of new design
which was just in the stage of its evolution,
an intermediate form or q connecting link
emerging from the reptilian genus into the
u.
bird than that of any other, and If 1t were
not for their forelegs they might be classed
at once Us the primitive genus of the feath-
cred tribe.
The fact that they had teeth does not pre-
clude the possibility of their being interme-
diate between reptiles and birds, because
teeth were very common appendage to the
primitive birds, and are still found with
some of our living birds. The parrot and
the penguin have rudiments of teeth and
alveolar processes. That conformation in
fossil birds was the law, and its absence was
the exception. Several species had jaws ike
saurians, and were saurian-like in their dis.
position and appearance. The arch8pteryx,
the gastornis, the hesperornis, the ichthy-
orniS and many others were Of that sort.
Some of these birds had teeth three inches
in length, sharp and pointed.
But the dinosaurs were not the only ami
mails which had the privilege to rove over
the muddy plain of this valley. A large
number of other footprints have been found
which must have been made by other ami
mails belonging ing, to d1ffeTent thI. orders: t The
saurs, the belodonus lepturus, the droma-
therium and many others are often met
with. In 1912 the late Prot. Hitchcock had
by 50 species of bipeds and IA species of
quadrupeds.
Questions as to the Worlds Age.
In regard to footprints. the question upon
which centers the greatest interest is not
about their number or nature, nor of the
character or disposition of the animals that
made them, but in their immense antiquity.
Ii they dated only few years back they
would not be noticed. But their age is so
that We can never form an ade-
Quate conception of its duration, and il is so
with all the geological periods. The num-
Der of centuries required to bring the state |
of the earth from a vapOrOus mass into its |
concrete FORM and then through the series |
of tranSforma tions which have ma rked the |
evolutions of the radiates into the articu- |
lates and these into the mollusks, and the |
mollusks into the fishes, and the fishes into |
the reptiles, and the reptiles into the birds, |
and the birds into the mammalians, and the |
into the genus homo, battle our |
The only means we have to |
adopted for geology-that is, the azoic, OF |
time previous to the appearance of the Or |
ganic life; the eozoic, or tn time when life |
first appeared; the paleozoic, or age of |
fishes; the mesoZoic, or age of reptiles; the |
cenozoic, OF the age of the mammaltans,
The evolution of a class of animals into |
other classes and species is called an age; |
the group of rocks laid during an age is an |
era, and each rock of an era Is called a |
period; thus we say, the paleozoio Is the age |
OF fishes. and comprises the Devontan era, |
which is composed of the Portage" Hamfl- !
ton, corniferous; and the Oriskany periods. |
The chronology of a rock is determined byfl
its fossils if It ia sedimentary, and by its /
or physical composition and a.
If it is plutonio. These minor |
study of the science and to enable one to |
grasp its intricate problems.