The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-10-06

ER}EfM contributes a paper
on prehistoric
Y1 Quadrupeds OF the
~ Rockies" TO a cur
rent magazine. The
brtlele Ia illustrated by drawings by
charles knight. giving careful recon
Etructlons OF these strange beasts.
Prof. Osborn says: Before describing
tho animals themselves, We may stop
10 note what our present knowledge
bi them has cost In human skill and
Endurance. Every one OF these pic
lures Is drawn from a complete skele-
ton hewn out Of the solid rock. and
bach OF those skeletons represents years
bnd years OF arduous exploration In
which Workman. Hatcher. Peterson
Ind others sent out by the American
Museum. by Princeton. or by Yale.
pave become famous Our party found
The Titanothore in brolling alkall
canon OF South Dakota. Its head was
protruding from hard sandstone
clifi. and the chest. limbs. and trunk
were chlseled out by the men under a
rude shelter which lowered the noon
temperature TO iO6 degreos They
we're encouraged to think that the
whole beast had been mired In a stand
Ing position. This was probably the
care originally. but suddenly they
oamo across a fault; Il appeared that
Inc hind limbs had been swept away;
nd itrequlred two years more search
llg before bones o. an animal u a cor
responding size we're secured. Every
rther skeleton has its own story Of do
termination. disappointment, and sur
prlse.
The old lake basins, once on sea-level
ind enriched by the moist. balmy
Winds OF the Pacific. are now elevated
rom four 10 FIVE thousand Get. The
/ nly rcdeemlug feature Of their present
ipect OF absolute barrennoss Is that
ne absence OF vegetation leaves the
I'D graves and burylng grounds bare
ossil bones and skeletons are not
lcntiiui-iar from "a; but a trained
ye sees a great distance along the
are gulllcs. cliffs. aud canonS. and
,our daily scramble Of fifteen TO TWEEN
y miles enables you 10 prospect over
Q vast stretch. You arc OF In the
morning stidcncd by frosy night
You know by sad experience that the
lee In the basiro does not promise n
rool day. Your backbone Is still frcez-
Tag while the sun begins to broll and
lister your skin. and you are the liy-
lig embodiment Of the famous dessert
,erved by the japanese hot crust
ithout. an ice within. Your trail b.
Tins on the upland. which may be the
lctual level OF the old lake bottom
md as II walking through a graveyard,
lou never look for bones until the land
freaks away by erosion.
when you reach the edge Of this
upland. you look OF into a sea Of rock,
pometimes Wild beyond description,
pnd you plunge down the slope to a GER
tain level Then you follow this Level
round and round and In and out. Here
you are on a seam which bears fossils
Above and below Il are other similar
fosslllferous seams. and between them
ere barren seams whore you will not
lind bone II you search I'LL doomsday
This level. perhaps, represents the delta
OF a great mountain river which swept
tho animals out with coarse sand. pch-
blss and debris Sometimes you walk
miles and miles. up ard down. day
after day. and see nothing but com
mon turtle bon6a. which are 80 doccp-
live and tempting At a distance that
the fossil hunter proiancly kicks them
aside. Turtles are found everywhere
because they swan out, baskcd In the
sunshine In the mld-lakes. and occa-
s!onally sank TO the bottom. while the
carcasses Of land animals were buried
IN the delias or nearer shore.
In such fossil-barren land the heat
seems twice as torrld, on the buttes
your muscles aad back ache ioubly
your tongue les parched from the last
yulp OF alsali water, your soul albion
fossil. and longs for the green shad,
d the East. and tho watermelon
when. all Of a sudden little project
az bone strikes your wcariod eye. You
iall on your knees. and breathe gently
On the loose sand; a little scTaping
and YOU see the signs OF a skull-per'
iaps Of some missing link. The thrill
II discovery spreads Ike an e!ixil
through your frame, and two or thro'
lours later. after carefully cutting Gu
ne prize. you walk vigorously back 4,
amp, every inch man.
Thus fossil hunting Is a life Of vie
ssltudes and emotions. The fossil
iunter Il predestlned 10 his work, lik
he sportsman. Tie returns East In th
autumn. yowlng he will never so bacl
10 the Bad Lands: but as the favora
bic months OF spring come round h
becomes more and more restless unit
ae Is OF. The country that Is as no
a. Hades. watered by stagnant alkal
pools. Is almost Invariably the riches
In fossils. Here. in fact, as you hn'
the greatest variety and number o
bones, you enjoy tho most delightful
lights OF the scientific imagination
when parched and burned. you eoniur
before you the glorles OF these ancion
lakes.