The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-11


de nearly eight feet in length The dino
saurs range in size from "a few feet in
length to eighty feet or more. The re-
mains of these large animals are most in
teresting, since they are of such a gigantic
size. Imagine a femur six feet long or
over, a vertebra with its process nearly
four feet high, a scapua six feet long ana
ribs as large as a forty-pound steel rail
and from six to nine feet in length. AL
together there have been at least thirty
specimens of dinosaurs described from
these rocks, and without question this
number will be doubled in the next ten
years
Yale has the greatest collection or
these animals known. the University OF
Wyoming the second and the American
Museum Of Natural History of New York
the third. The scientific men of the world
have by some means been He'd 90 believe
that the iurassic rocks containing these
fossils We're only found In small areas,
and that these We're practically exhausted.
Not 10 per cent of the jurassic exposures in
Wyoming have been examined up to this
date, and even al the old escarpments
a Como (Aurora) there are lands not
prospeeted and places where quarries can
be opened up as large and as productive
as any ever known
only a year ago the American Museum
expedition found two magnificent skele-
tons within a quarter OF a mile of the
railroad and in sight of several of the
quarries opened by Prof. Marsh in the sew
entities. There is no reason why any Amer
lean or foreien museum should be without
these, the choicest of all museum speci-
mems. Besides the fossils mentioned, there
are about 100 species Of invertebrates TO
collect. then species OF fishes and turtles.
and a number of species of extremely rare
cycads
''The cretaceous rocks cover about one
half the state and have a maxmum thick
ness of about twenty feet They are also
rich in fossil life. but are not as well
known as the jurasslc. for they have not
received adequate attention from scen-
tifc men. In fossil plants they abound,
and in case of the fossil fora Of the ter
tiary Is included with the cretaceous, there
are 800 species described, and no doubt as
many more 70 discover that are found in
the cretaceous ana tertiary OF other dis
trlcts or that are new TO science.
THE iuvertebrate fossil life contains
hundreds of species-in fact, all of the
cretaceous species common to the Rocky
mountain region They are so plentiful
that one can often collect 100 species in q
single day. The vertebrate fossils are also
important, The huge dinosaurs so common
in the jurassic period lived also through
the cretaceous but they were not so
large, Not over a half dozen species have
been reported from the Wyoming erotace-
Gus, but with careful and painstaking la
Dor many more may be discovered
Swimming saurans were also numer-
Gus. but only few have been reported.
The number will no doubt approximate
the Kansas fauna when the series are BET
ter known The remains of the fishes
should also be mentioned, for there are
Of AZ
mails.
Mammals of All Sizes.
1.-THE tertiary is an extensive formation.
and is represented by many groups, which
occupy some of the valleys, such as the
Big Horn basin, Wind river, Green river,
Sweetwater river and the forks of the
Cheyenne river From these beds over
300 species of vertebrates have been re-
ported, and the most of these are mann
mails. The tertiary has been justly called
the Age of Mammals for prior TO this
period the manuals were not larger than
a mouse. The mammals are found In
great variety-those of elephantine size,
and with them those that were no larger
than an OK, and on down to the size Of a
rabbit These tertiary fields have, from
a scientific point Of view, yielded fossils
of greater Importance 10 the anatomist
and paleontoioRst than the jurassic. Here
are found the first horses, and from the
Wyoming beds nearly q complete series
has been obtained. Many of the fossils
found in the Green river and Big Horn
basins are not known to any other locality.
Some of these are so rare that there has
been only single specimen found Nearly
all of these animals bear a scientific name
only, but there are representatives. OF such
animals as rhinoceroses. camels deer,
wolves cats beavers and monkeys.
l.. H. H. =
Many Of the fresh water lakes during the
period were swarming with fishes turtles
and crocodiles, all of which are found n
the Green river shaes are the most per
feet specimens known. The largest are 50
beautiful that single fish has sold for
800; and choise specimens are held for
higher prices. Associated with the fishes
are numerous fossil insects that are also
rare specimens. and highly valued by
scientific collectors The turtles and croc-
odiles are in variety. and are found in 80
many bands that they are the common fos-
slls Of the lower tertiary. a great many
species OF invertebrates are also found In
these beds. The University of Wyoming
has collected little In the tertiary fields.
since our whole attention has been given
to the jurassic. incidentally, we have
gathered some OF the rare fossils, chief
among them being a few fine specimens Of
the Green river fishes. The only fossil
that has been reported from the pleistocene
IL an elephant. the lower jaw of which is
at the University Of Wyoming
ut Is not difficult TO understand why
Wyoming is justly celebrated as a great
treasure field for the museums Of the
world Unlike so many other fields. 10
scientific expedition need turn back from
the state without being fully repaid. To
a certain extent collecting is a profession,
and only men with keen eyes, who HAYS
acquired the valuable trait Of perseverance,
accomplish much IN any field. Wyoming,
however presents great facilities than an
other locality. for, as Dr. Cope once said,
II you can't find diamonds. you surely
can find stones, and in these, bones An
other feature that presents exceptional OPP
portunities to biologists or paleontologists
Is that while collecting they are coming In
contact with unexplored regions rich in
scientific data. rich alike for any branch
OF geology While fossils are being col
lected there is a great wealth in rock and
mineral species, and in the peculiar for
nations accompanying sedimentation.
1.-THE research in which we are now en-
he, fon In vta nil he.