The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-03-23
FOSSILS DE PATAGONIA.
An Expedition Of Scientific Men Sent
from Princeton.

for those who Are TO Follow Him-In-
vesl;gation of the Geology and Falcon
tology of the Countrywide Object of
the Expedition. &.
Princeton, n. j., March 1.-THE great
Interest in the various modern sciences
coming under the head of natural his
tory, which has grown up at Princeton
In recent years, largely through the
energetic efforts Of Profs. Scott and
Libby OF Princeton University and Prof.
Henry Fairfield Osborn, formerly of
Princeton, but now OF Columbia Col
lego. New York, and which has given
rise to numerous scientific expeditions to
the far West the REGION Of the north pole,
the Hawaiian Islands, Mexico, Yucatan,
and other places has now led to thu
organization OF An expedition to South
America, comparatively new field for
the study of natural history. This last
expedition is headed by Prof. John Bell
Hatcher, Curator Of the Princeton Uni
versity Museum of Natural History, who
is ably assisted by P. A. Peterson, who
was formerly connected with the Aneri-
can Museum of Natural History, in New
York.
These gentlenRen are now en- route for
Patagonia, OH the Lamport & Holt steam
er Calico, and expect to arrive at
Buenos Ayres about March 20. Several
weeks will be spent in the study of ool-
lections of the fauna and fora of the dis
oil
Buenos Ayres. From that city the Pata-
CONAN coast will be reached by means of
Government transports, the objective
point being one of the small ports, either
Santa Cruz or Gallegos. Here the expe-
dition will be organized, and will
Immediately proceed inland some two
hundred miles, by means Of pack ponies.
The field Of operation will be the valleys
of the GaIlegos River, the Santa Cruz
River, and the Beseado River, which are
reported to be remarkably rich in fossils
unknown to the northern continent.
The region is extremely wild, cold, and
bleak, the latitude being about the fifty
second parallel south. Provisions will be
supplied the expedition from the nearest
towns, which are seventy-five TO hun
dred miles distant from the fields of
operation.
Previous to his departure Prof. Hatch.
er was sean, at his Princeton residence,
by correspondent of The New York
Times, and talked freely concerning his
distant expedition. Among other things
he said that the exploration of Patagonia
had long bean one of his fayorite plans
but its execution had been delayed for
several years on account of lack of time
and equipment for SO great an undertake
ing. At least one year must be spent on
the fold, and it is not unlikely that the
expedition will continue its operations
for two or three years. Prof. Hatcher
said that the atten tion of biologists WAS
first called to the great scientific import
ance Of Patagonia 10y the explorations on
the coast of that inhospitable land which
were made by Charles Darwin more than
half century ago, in his famous voyage
in the Beagle, which resulted in the COL
lection of many extra ordinary fossil ami
mails. In later years this work has been
sedulously carried on by the Argentine
paleontologists, Burmeister, Moreno, and
especially the brothers A rneehino. The
later have brought together an enormous
collection of fossil mammals and birds,
tho description OF which has been fol-
lowed with the liveliest interest by the
paloontologists Of Europe and North
& nerica.
ssThe ArneghiIos have labored under very
great difficulties in work upon Pata-
gonian fossils, particularly on account of
the absence Of material from the northern
hemisphere, and hence their conclusions
have been received with much incredulity
and skepticism. that was often well
founded. Two years ago ST. Morens, the
director Of the museum at the La Plata,
invited Mr.. Lydekker, from England, to
make study Of the collections at that
museum, and to employ his extensive
knowledge of the collections of Europe
and Asia for tho purpose of comparison
with the fauna of South America. AS
The result of such study, Lydekker has
published two large volumes, which,
Enough most interesting AMI important,
form but the beginning Of the vast work
which remains TO be done.
The tertiary formations of Patagonia
are divided into three very distinctly
defined horizons. Tho so-called Pata.
gonian bed is of marine origin, aid the
o5ier two are fresh-water. The fresh
a6sr beds have yielded fossil birds and
7Nalauals in great abundance, rivaling
g even surprising in richness the famous
J5sa Lands of the West, which have con-
triDutel so largely in recent years to the
Princeton museum. These fossils all
date from q period when North and South
America were separated by sea, and the
animals in the two continents were fun
damenrally different, having nothing in
common. On the other hand, great in
tsrest has been aroused by the Areghinos'
discovery OF numerous mammals Of Aus
tralian type, which has led many to
belief in the former existence of an
antarctic continent connected with both
Australia and South Amerca
From what has been said, it will be
obvious that the gsological and paleouto-
logical exploration OF Patagonia offers an
unusually inviting field, and promises
the richest results in all departments of
biological science. Princeton has now
taken advantage of this opening, and has
sent ont a thoroughly equipped expedi-
tion, which is prepared to nuke the best
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