Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-05-26

feet nine inches high at the shoulders
and six fest Eve inches At the rusmp Or
| hips, while the head Is exactly Shree
feet four inches IN length, with a low,
| fiat mugwunrpiao skull and powerful
jaws
The single tuS&E Is three feet long, and
at its union with the plate of the skull
six inches in diameter, the diameter at
/ the tip being about five inches The
| tip. instead OF being pointed, as is usual
| with corniculate animals, is blunt and
also hollow, forming tube or cylinder
and suggesting a chokebore gun The
inner surface shows in places marks of
erosion effected by repeated and forcible
contact with some hinty substance, the
ivory being worn in parallel grooves to
the depth of a full quarter inch Prof
Waskish Is Of the opinion that the horn
or tusk WIS employed in the killing of
the animals prey, though not in the
way of thTuSting or impaling the object
of attack. and here comes his plausible
theory, which If sustained, contributes
t. geological knowledge hitherto un-
suspected fact, At once astounding and
interesting-th fact thas there once
existed genus of animals whose in
stinct and physical makeup led them
to anticipate IN q crude way the modern
practice among mankind Of using ex-
plosives or compressed air for hurting
projectiles-
This tusk, he contends, was employed
for firing projectiles through the air.
He says that the animal had a proboscis
with which to gather stones of suitable
size and to place theIIin the hollow of
his natural tube; that there was an ex-
tori o<4 Of Nr7Sl
for the admittance of air, and Snat the
creature possessed sufficient lung power
for the expulsion Of air to propel the
projectile through the tube with eIengh
force and to such q distance as to easily
overcome and kill his prey In fact he
was dead shot The professor be-
Eeves, moreover, the dinotherium shows
a certificate that the beast comes from
fighting family, three of his ribs hav-
ing been broken at some time and
afterwards reunited by nature. The
tibla Ozone of the right forelegl tllad
also been fractured and, like the ribs,
repaired by natural forces
Except as before mentioned, the tusk
shows but little wear. The skeleton
head is perfect, except that two teeth
are missing. The size and formation OF
the leg bones show that the animal was
one of great strength and agility and
capable of rapid motion Whether or
not the toes We're armed with claws he
doubts, but inclines to the belief that
they Were. 1t is also said that the
creatures skin was very similar in text
ure to that of the rhiaocerous, but as to
| that, of course, we hare no means of
positive demonstration
This discovery has thus far been Kept
from the general knowledge of those in
this vicinity for good and sufficient rea-
sons, one being the desire to first clear
away all possible doubt of the genuine
ness and significance of this almost IN
precedented discovery. This is now &C
complished. No other specimen of this
genus is to be found in any public or
private collection throughout the world,
| though Prof Waskish states that doubt
less other similar relics Of this testimony
from the tertiary period lie buried in
Minnesota under the geological drift
mentioned, especially between Browns
creek and Comedian lake. Tempting
offers have recently been made the. So
ciety TO allow the placing OF the skele-
ton on public and miscellaneous exkibi-
| ton, but have thus far been declined
| St Paul Globe.