The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1894-08-03
RARE FOSSILS.
Prof. Scott IF Princeton College De-
scribes the MiOcene Fossils Found
in Smith River Valley in 1891.
THIRTy.TWOG ENERAOFANIMALS
Mastodons, Camels. R%hinOcerOs, TOed
Horses, OreOdOnts, Dogs. Coy
Otes. Beavers. Etc.

Many of the readers of The TRIBUNE
remember the Princeton college geologi-
cal expedition which outfitted in Great
Falls in 1891, and examined the fossil
beds of Smith river in Meagher county,
belonging to the Miocene period.
Prof. W. b. Scott Of Princeton, who
directed the expedition, has published q
hook regarding it and a portion of the
fossils found which have been examined
and identified. A copy of this book has
been received. 1t consists Of 1876 pages
with one map and elk large superb lith.
ograpbs of the more important speci-
mems found The book is the first one
ever printed which gives a detailed and
scientific description Of archaeological
discoveries in Montana, where a given
area has been systematically explored.
In the opening chapter Prot. Scott
renders special thanks to Hon. Paris
Gibson and w. w. Connor for assistance
rendered at Great Falls, and pays a tri.
butte to the services Of 0. G. Morrison, to
whose labors it is stated the success OF
the undertaking was in a measure due.
Many gentlemen at White Sulphur
Springs and Livingston are a'so remem.
bered.
Prot. Scott states that theee tertiary
deposits on Smith river were first iden.
titled by Grinpell and Dana in 1875, who
were with the exploring expedition OF
Col. William Ludlow's corps of engi.
neers, and who noted the existence here
OF a Miocene lake basin, which was sue
ceeded by another like basin in the PHI
ocene time. They noted the thickness
OF the strata pertaining to each period,
and also found remains Of %rbinoceros,
oreodon, dogs and turtles. In the upper
beds the toed horse, and also turtles.
In 1879 Prof. Cope gave the name OF
Ticholeptus narrow to these beds, and
deter mined twenty species of fossil
mammalia from this locality. He also
assigned the age of the formation to be
between the John Day groups of Oregon
and that of the Loup Fork in Nebraska,
which age has since been partially con.
firmed.
In 1891 as stated, the Princeton ex.
petition visited this section and pro-
cured specimens Of thirty-two genera OF
mammalia comprising thirty to forty
species which proved there were two
distinct horizons of fossils. the lower
one of which was thoroughly examined
for the first time. Speaking of this
lower horizon, Prof. Scott states II know
Of very few spots of equal extent which
have yielded so large a number of in
dividuals and species and refers this
horizon to the John Day group, but by
the presence of specimens allied to the
Cayote and the Oreodon it must belong
to the summit of this group. Beside
tha,a fu,n cnactoc u,ara found thrao
species of the toed horse, one of beaver,
one ruminant, two species of %rhinoceros,
and three species OF oreodon an animal
allied to the deer tribe o extinct.
In the upper beds Prof. Scott de-
scribes twenty-five species Of animals
found by the Princeton expedition, com
prising one species Of dog, five species
Of the toed horse, nine of oreodonts, one
Of rhinoceros, n Of the camel, two OF
species allied to antelope, two of turtle
and one of mastodon. Mr.. Scott says
that from these results this deposit is
not paralleled elsewhere by any deposits
known, and that the two horizons Of
Smith River bridge over a gap hereto
fore existing between the John Day and
Loup Fork groups. The author notes
the lack of small animals in the col
lection, and the total absence of insects.
Prof. Scott in summarizing the result
of the investigation says: 1.-THE beds Of
Smith river belong to two horizons diff
fering widely in character and even more
marked in the fossils, and that Cope's
subdivision is we'll taken. . The
nearest European equivalent are the
beds of Sansan and Simorre. . . That
one specimen, cynodesmus, forms an i'm
portant link in the dog species, making
it O very probable that this family
originated in America. That these
beds furnish one new species Of horse
nearly filling a gap now existing in the
history of this family, and an unexpect-
ed discovery of another species not in
the direct line of equine descent, but
paralleling it, is very Interesting"
The whole book is very interesting to
those wishing to study the evolution of
animal life. The remains exhibit to us
in a fossil condition not only ANIMALS
now extinct, but also some closely allied
to those living at the present time. They
also picture TO us in enduring stone the
outlines of species, bone for bone, which
existed then and which formed links in
the Oh in of evolution which would re-
suit ultimately in the existence OF ami.
mails which are now familiar to the eyes
of man. When we consider the vast
lapse of time between the present and
the time OF the existence OF these ami.
mails, truly, "a thousand years is as a day
in this mundane history" and that then,
as now, the smallest atom of creation
was as perfectly made as the largest.