The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-08-25
GIANT CATS OF LONG AGO.
MONSTER FELINEs LIVED IN AMERICA
IN The REMOTE PAST.

- Hhers Were Cats as big ~ Lisna
IN this Country. says . sei.nsi.s-
Aso Dogs as Large a. Bears.
There used to be cats IN North
america 10000 years ago. said paIeon-
toiogist. Great carnivorous feline crea-
lures OF the tribe roamed over this couu-
ny then in enormous numbers. They
are all extinct, and have left only their
bones behind to tell the story OF how they
hved and what they fed upon. One often
reads OF the art by which the naturalist
y able 70 restore the skeleton OF an ami
NAL from . single bone, and In fact good
many mistakes have been made through
overconfidence on the part Of learned
gentlemen in reconstructing fossils by
theory from insufficient material. But
there 10 no possibility Of mistaking the
testimony afforded by the teeth. They
tell all about the manner of existence led
by their former owner, giving accurately
the habits, diet and approximate age Of
the beast.
Thus 1t II very fortunate that teeth
last longer than any other objects In
nature. At this day are found In a per-
feet state Of preservation the molars and
incisors which were used to chew with by
the mighty reptiles OF millions of years
ago. 1t h from his dentition that science
declares man to be carnivorous only by
habit, and not by nature. spoke OF that
the other day to Q young man In search
Of information, who replied impolitely:
30 IL hem When asked him what he
meant By that he said that the dentition
Of hon would certainly not indicate that
It was carnfvorous by nature, and yet It
evidently was 30, judging from it, addic-
ton to worms and preference for flesh in
general. However, a. was going to re-
mark, the piercing and cutting teeth Of
some of these cats Of long ago are the
most perfectly adapted instruments for
cutting purposes that ever were seen, be-
ing unequalled by any manufactured tools
for such uses.
For example, there was the gompho-
dus, which was as big as the largest
panther and had two teeth In its upper
jaw resembling daggers, each five inches
In length. AS weapons for penetrating
flesh they are unrivalled among carnivor-
Gus animals, recent or extinct. They are
rather like the teeth of some huge flesh
eating dinosaurs, the terrible reptiles of
the mesozoic epoch, which had cutting
teeth that nothing could resist. Doubt
less this creature was inconceivabiy blood
thirsty. Quite as fierce, however, and
even more formidable by reason of its
greater size, was the contemporary
pogonodon, which was as large as the
biggest jaguar. There were two species
of this animal which held the field in
Oregon curing the period I speak OF
against all rivals. 1t was undoubtedly .
great destroyer Of life among the herbiv-
orous beasts.
"Our knowledge of one OF these spe-
cies is due to a very fortunate chance.
Some years ago an exploring party was
sent into the John Day River Valley in
Oregon for the purpose of looking for
fossils. That is famous region for such
treasures, water having cut big slices out
Of hills, which were formed originally by
detritus deposited during myriads Of
years. 1t happened that the attention of
one member of the expedition was at
tracted by something that looked like q
skull, half projecting from the summit Of
the pinnacle of a crag. 1t was, in fact,
a skull, and the shining of the great teeth
was what caught his eye. He climbed up
the cliff, and fetched it down with much
difficulty and danger to life and limb. It
was the Uranium of q once formidable
pogonodon.
During this same epoch, there were
numerous other species of cats, all of
them since extinct, which varied in size
all the way from that of household
pussy OF to- day to the huge sabre toothed
tiger. Not few Of them were astonish-
ingly fierce and correspondingly destruc-
tive. The teeth they have left behind
tell the story Of the way they lived, de-
scribing, as well as words could do it,
their extreme ferocity. They attained the
climax of their type in the sabre toothed
tigers, bigger than either the lion or the
tiger of to-day, which had CANNES foot
in length and shaped like curved knives
with saw-like edges. They roamed the
continent In the time OF the gigantic
sloths, such as the megatheria, and doubt
helpless and vegetable seating beasts. They
were plentiful in Texas, where the re-
mains Of good many have been dug up.
sit Is interesting to consider the fact
that these sabre toothed tigers-like the
cave bears, which were twice as heavy as
grizzlies and probably quite as ferocious
were contemporary with human beings
on the earth, and the latter were obliged
considerable numbers in the caves. of
Southern France, which were the resi-
dences of primeval men and women in the
ancient stone age, 100000 years and more
ago.
"During the period when the wonder
full cats were 30 plentiful in North Amer
lea there were numerous dogs and dog
like beasts also, all of which have since
become extinct. The biggest species was
as large as q good-sized bear. In that
part Of the country which is now called
Colorado and Dakota there were several
kinds of dog-like animals about the size
OF foxes, which were nocturnal in their
habits, having very large eyes with which
to see in the night time. They had great
ears also and short, sharp noses. All
these things can be told from their skulls"
Washington Star.
A Had Mixture.
The adaptation of q certain newly fedged
M. D., to his profession was under dis