The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-17

kOE. FLDhENllNO
who is famous for his researches
into the archaeological history Of
South America, IL a strong sup
porter of the theory that the giant
sloth still may be found alive somewhere
In the primevai wilderness OF Patagonia
or the Argentine. He says:
In 1898 Carlos Ameghino. who has been
exploring Patagonia for twelve years and
has expert knowledge concerning It's geo
logic and archaeological wealth. sent to
me a piece Of skin with the characteristic
little bones imbedded in II which we all
know so well from our examination Of
fossil megathertums. But this piece of
skin was fresh. Teuelt Indian had
given IL to him and had told him that
II was from a beast which he called lem
isch." The skin was about 2 inches thick.
and the surface was covered with stiff
hairs about 4 inches long. Their color
was between red and yellowish-brown- AT
once the skin was recognized BY US in the
La Plata museum a. that OF a giant sloth.
a relative Of the monstrous mylodon. and
We called II Neomylodon Listai. There
upon DR.. Loennberg. of the Upsala Uni
versity. examined similar remains which
DR.. Nordenskicid had brought back with
him from his trip to tho lands around
Magellan strait. and another piece was
sent to NJ. A. Smith Woodward. Of the
British museum. Both scientists found
that the neomyiodon must be close rela-
tive OF the mylodon The finds OF DR..
Nofdensk1old and OF Prof. Moreno were
made In the Eberhardt cave. near the
shores Of Ultima Esperansa,
The news Of this discovery melted 9TH
ers-Eriand Eordenskjoid and oskas
Borse, OF the University Of Stockholm,
and r. Hauthal. Of the La Plata museum
to make further investigations IN this
cave. and they found more pieces OF skin.
pieces of skulls. broken bones and bones
Of other animals. Everything was re-
markably fresh.
Though ell Of these remains DO not suf-
nce to justify . complete reconstruction
OF the animal. they are 20 numerous and
characteristic that a perfectly clear idea
OF the beast can be gathered from them.
They show that the animal was or IL a CO.
lossal sloth OF the size OF an OK, with
peculiarities which make II approach the
FOSSIL mylodon and the megatherium.
Now arises the question, May we count
the neomyiodon - being still among liv-
ing animals. or. IL extinct, how long has
II been since u lived7'
few scientists think that the neomyi.
don died out at the same time a. ala the
nylodon and the megatheriuni. and they
support their contention. with the state.
ment that In the cave. with the remains OF
the neomylodon, were found the remains
OF other extinct mammals such a. a giant
rodent, an extinct form OF horse ana a
great cat animal. which had not been
known at all I'LL its bones were found in
the cave.
But the bone remains on which thesA
conclusions are based are not to be cIassi-
ned so in this offtand way. There are so
few remains Of the gigantic rodent that
they permit no definite Identification. The
remains OF the extinct" horse may read
n
horseshoe the common domestic horse M
today and the other tho wild horse OF
south Patagonia. where Il Is stiil COM
mon. The big cat animal was n species
or taguar, Felis Onca. well known to the
natives of Patagonia
Thus scrutiny Of the evidence shows
us that the argument based on the pres.
enceain the cave Of tho remains OF other
extinct animals is not very strong. Thers
remains. then. as further support for tbs
contention that the neomylodon Ia an ex-
tinct animal only the fact that no Twin
specimen has been seen. But this IL only
negative argument.
Against IL there 10 the fresh condition OF
the skin and OF the bones. which proves
that the animal must have lived In recent
times some OF the pieces Of skin have
not merely the hair tntac. on them, but
there remains on them dried serum, and
to others there adheres Ee,atinpus mat
ter. on the bones there still adhere the
skin. sinews. muscles. nbers and even
dried flesh. The cave does not present
better conditions for preserving remains
than does any ordinary cave Indeed,
there Ia In II q perpetual dripping OF
lime-hearing water which has. as a mat
ter OF fact, damaged several Of the finds.
The oopes were found partly on the sur.
face partly in loose ground and partly
IN heap or animal dropplnss. and a.
all OF these organic remains resernbled
each other In respect to their pressrvA-
iion. II Is plain that they can have been
there only FOR comparatively short
space OF time, probably only decade.
certainly not more than century.
III the neomyodcn does not belong apy
more 70 the living animals. which has by
no means been proven yet, certainly IL
has been extinct only n very short time
We know that the Teueits Of South Pat
agonia ascribe the skin to an animal which
they call jemisch or jenischen. The word
means "little stones" or Something that
has little stones with which they rsfsr
70 the little psbh,e-nke bones that are
tmhedded In the skin. According to their
stories the animal hves In caves and re-
eesses on the shores Of Lakes Colhus and
Fontana and tho River senssel in Gem
trial Patagonia II appears only at night
and moves with equal facility on water
and land They describe q IA possessing
strong ineisots ears with rudifnentary GOV.
ersng and remarkably short legs Accord
tnx to 'hcm 1t walks like plantlxrads.
on its soles. and its toes are so dis
triguied that -four are on each fore foot
and three on each hind foot
They declare THAI the toes are connected
with web for swimming and tina, the
claws are Tremendously long The tai
Is long. thick and rktiened slightly. and
Is TO a certain degree yrohen-lls when
asSed about the sire OF this jemlsch. they
declared THAI It was larger than a puma.
but That the legs wera mach shorter Tn.
hair. which they described a. ooarxe, bard