The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-11-25

! ~ lMi toiAhl4 aNota ~ Aht /
p w had Lands" Of the
,,,ss.g-,.Svr. west Until now It
| 1870 ~ has never been
hAAH known. says the
4 w Al New York Herald.
S.lfN W But with the re-
sSFRlN,.s. turn OF a success
INV ful expedition. com
lin posed Of scientists.
it will be recog-
nized as a place where prehistoric ma
ture lies disclosed and where wonders
Of the past are associated with the pic
turesqueness OF the present These
important finds are the result OF a
carefully planned geological exploration
Of the Band Lands" made BY Prof. J.
+. Todd. state geologist OF South Da-
kota. and five scientists OF the state
university-E. c. Eokert. r. W. Ellis.
p. A. Jordan. d. s. Payne and L. J.
Wallace These explorers followed the
valleys Of the White. Cheyenne and Bad
rivers. crossed their divides and COW
wv NAN ANAlNNn AlAl NNANNNA AHN
Black hills and Chamberlain. From
Rose Bud. porcuplne creek and the
noted fossil ground OF Indian draw
they collected more than a ton Of many
rare and several new specimens. which
they shipped from Hermooa 10 Vcrmil-
lion. First and foremost. that much
discussed animal. the great American
hog, has been found at last. For Prof.
Todd and his associates unearthed rs
remains In the fossil beds Of the bad
Lands" II bears In general outline
resemblance to its descendant COM
mon 70 this country. There the rcaem-
blanco ceases, for Il is almost as large
as a medium sized elephant and 10
armed with two horns. several inches
In length, one on each side OF lia long
flexible nose. Scientists recognize this
interesting brute as the brontotherium,
compromise between the elephant
! and the taplr on one side and the rhin-
oceros and hog on the other. Skulls
were dug up which measured two and
a half feet In length and nearly as
much In breadth. They are saddle
, shaped, much like that OF the rhinocer-
= o.. the back OF each rising In a prom
inont transverse crest. Fortunately
I for prehistoric man. the broniotherium
I was almost exclusively vegetarian.
Il was a powerful beast and must have
J. been a hard fighter. Had Il been car
nivorous II would have discouraged
immigration and interfered largely
with the census. Il abounded IA the
i White river region. and was a very
= quick breeder. The scientists say ia
i habits were mostly those OF the rhin-
n oceros OF today. but they unite In elias.
e styling Il as the common ancestor OF
u the wild and domestic hogs Abov,
+ the brontotherium beds Prof Todd
q and the others found plenty OF fossils
OF oreodons and turtles. most OF IN,
" latter OF enormous size. though som,
y were only few inches In length. Many
u skeletons OF the oreOdon. a prehistoric
n animal combining the characteristic
y OF the hog and deer. were a. large Al
u a sheep. -Four or I've species OF 70
y dents and as many Of earnivora wer'
7, unearthcd. none OF the latter beinl
larger than a dog. The professo
y found a complete specimen OF that size
:, but Il was In very small fragments
- They also discovered incomplete specl
\, mems Of q species OF rhinoceros. a cam
- Ell and one Of the ancestors OF the hors,
/, the miohippus which was no higge
:, than Southdown sheep. In IN
Loup Fork beds. everything the Whit
river. they dug up specimens OF waite
plants and fresh water Ghells and
few OF the large bones OF the man
=. moth and mtstadon. most Of whio
we're very much under the weather.
~ "of the picturesque features OF N
!, Bad Lands, said Prof Todd TO N
m, writer. there can scarcely be an e,
IN aggeration In language. Words IA
all 10 convey the continual change OF oul
Of lines. both beautiful and grotesqu
81. which meet the eye OF the traveller q
M he passes through this strange reglol
Every one. as he passes through mi
after mile OF these startling forms
continued the professor asks viii
could have caused this region to be
different from those which bound
upon every side. The question Is al
swered as follows:
, "The country is largely barren. b,
] cause the formations are nearly impe
|! vious TO water. so that most OF n
L. surface quickly becomes dry: and a
|, though some species have evidently
certain seasons succeeded In establish
ing themselves upon these barren su
faces. yet the usually prevailing dr.
ness OF the region almost complete
prevents vegetation, except on the loy
er fats. where moisture is retained 4
a longer time"
Speaking Of the enormous fossil bed
Prof. Todd went on; THE thlokne
OF these beds Is from 800 10 800 fe,
and they were deposited by the waite
nk OF a vast frosh water lake. A natur
ce- explanation OF the occurrence OF 10
ow sils near the margin Of a lake. especiu
~ on the Black hills side. would see
to be that herds Of animals at tim
were overwhelmed on its shores du
ere ing severe storms The rarer renal
SEES OF other species may be accounted I
ok. by the superstition that trlbuta
mo streams occasionally carried their b
VA. dies into the lake"
M
er. Enlightened e. Last.