The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1896-10-24
GIANT FOSSILS.
PREHISTORIC ANIMALS FROM
THE ROCKIES.
Zones of Monsters That Existed
Countless Ages Ago Recovered
After Long and Tiresomo
Search-An Exciting Quest.
PROFESSOR - II. FATRCRILD
. Osborn, Curator of Vertebrate
WV AZ az "
Museum OF Natural HistOr

- Osborn, Curator of Vertebrate
Paleontology in the American
Museum OF Natural History,
contributes paper on "Prshistoric
Quadrupeds OF the Rockies" to the
Century. The article is illustrated
by drawings by Charles Knight, Civ
ing careful reconstruction OF these
strange beasts. Professor Osborn says:
Before describing the amin anls them.
selves, we may stop to note what our
present knowledge of them has cost
IN human skill and endurance. Every
one of these pictures is drawn from
complete skeleton hewn ont OF the
solid rock, and each Of these skeletons
represents years and years OF arduous
exploration in which Workman, Hat
cher, Petersen, and others sent out
by the American Museum, by Prince.
ton, or by Yale, have become famous.
Our party found the Titanothere in L.
broiling a|kali canon OF South Dakota.
It's head was protruding from hard
sandstone clit1, and the chest, limbs,
and trunk were chiseled out by the
men under q rule shelter which low.
cred the noon temperature to 106
degrees. They We're encouraged to
think that the whole beast had been
mired in standing position. This
was probably the case originally, but
suddenly they came across fault; it
appeared that the hind limbs had been
swept away; and it required two years
more searching batoro bones Of an an
imal of u corresponding size were
secured. Every other skeleton has
its own story Of determination, dis.
appointment and surprise.
Tie old lake basins, once on seq
level, and enriched by the moist, balmy
winds Of the Pacific, are now elevated
from four to five thousand feet. The
only reaenming feature OF their pres.
ent aspect OF absolute barrenncss is
that the absence OF vegetation leaves
the old graves aud burying grounds
bare. Fossil bones and skeletons are
not plentiful--far FROM it; but d
trained eye sees great distance along
the bare gullies, cliffs and canons,
and your daily scramble OF fifteen to
twenty miles enables you to prospect
over vast stretch. You are off III
morning, stiTened by t. frosty night.
You know by sad experience that the
ice in the basins does not promise
cool day. Your backbone is still
freezing while the sun begins 10 broil
and blister your skin, aud you are the
living embodiment OF the famous des-
sert served by the Japanese-a hot
crust without, and leo within. Your
trail begins on the upland, which may
be the actual level of the old lake
bottom; and as if walking through
graveyard, You never look for bones
until the land breaks away by erosion.
When you reach the edge OF this
upland, you look off into sen OF rock,
sometimes wild beyond description,
and you plunge down the slops to a
certain level. Then you follow this
level round and round and in and out.
Here you are on seam which bears
fossils. Above and below it are other
similar fossiliferous seams, and be.
tween them are barren seams where
you will not lind bone ii you search
till doomsday. This level, perhaps,
represents the delta Of great noun.
tain river which swept the animals out
with coarse sand, pebbles and debris.
Sometimes you walk miles and miles,
up and down, day alter day, and see
nothing but common turtle bones,
which are so deceptive and tempting
at % distance that the fossil hunter
profane'y kicks them aside. Turtles
are found everywhere because they
swan cut, basked in the sunshine in
ihe ,nidlakes, and occasionally sank to
the bottom, while tho carcasses of land
animals were buried in the deltas or
nearer shore.
In such a fossil.barren land the heat
seems twice as torrid, on the buttes
your muscles and back ache doubly,
your tongue lies parched from the
lest gulp of alkali water, your soul
abhors fossil, and longs for tho
green shade OF the East, and the water
melon, when all Of sudden. q little
projecting bone strikes your wearied
eye. You foil on your knees, and
breathe gently on tbs loose saud; a
little scraping, and you see the signs
OF skull-perhaps OF some missing
link. The thrill OF discovery spreads
like an elixir through your frame, and
two or three hours Inter, after care
fully cutting out the prize, you walk
vigorously back 70 camp every inch q
man.
Thus fossil-huntiug is o life of vicis.
STUDIES and emotions. The fossil.
hunter is predestined to his work, like
the sportsman. He returns East in
the autumn, vowing he will never go
back to the Bad Lands; but as the ia.
gorable months of spring come round
he becomes more and more restless
until he is of. The country that is as
hot as Hades, watered bv stscnant al-