The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-11-06
American Museum Expeditions
Locate Mammals That Lived
2,000,000 Years Ago.
TWO CARLOADS OF FOSSILS.
Many New Genera and Species
Discovered. Besides Complete
Skeletons of Great Sea
Serpents.
KETrBLIC

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
New York. nov. 5.-Three expeditions
under Professor Henry Fairfield Osborn
returned to the American Museum OF
Natural History from the Rocky Noun
tains. They brought back two carloads OF
skeletons of many animals heretofore I'M
discovered. besides complete skeletons of
monsters of which there were In the
worlds museums previously only frag-
mcnts.
Most remarkable was the discovery Of
d cave in New Mexico containing thou
sands OF complete and fragmentary skcle-
tons of a whole menagcrie of extinct ami
mails. Professor Osborn gave the follow
Ing account of the expeditions and their
results:
The mammal expedition into the Fort
Bridgcr region. Wyoming, was In charge
of Doctor w. D. Matthew Mr.. Waiter
Granger. This is a classic locality. Special
search was made for complete remains Of
the great horned quadruped which inhab-
tied this region in the eocene period. AS
a result portions of two skeletons of uin-
tatherium were detained. also a fine lower
Jaw.
"One of these skeletons was found in
such a position thai the animal must
have mtred In What was formerly a soft,
tenacious mud, but is now an olive green
sha,e.
NO far Off along the steep face of the
bad land cliff this shsle stratum was
notcbed by the cross section of an old
river channel filled with hard sandstone.
and We may, imagine that the animal
came down along the firm sand of the old
river he'd and ventured out too far into
the treacherous mud of the bayou.
There were also found the skeleton and
two fine skulls of hyrachyus. a primitive
running rhinoceros: the skull! and part OF
the skeleton of a ~hyopsodus. either a
emur or an insectivore: three skulls of
l~sectolophus. a primitive Rocky Mountain
tapir: six skulls of palaeosyops. an early
type OF titanothere. two with part of a
skeleton. and two skulls of carnivores re-
lated to the dog family.
"Diligent search was made for the fossil
horse of the Bridzer. but thus far only
f~ragmentary specimens have been found.
the best being a palate with complete set
Of upper teeth.
DISCOVERY OF PLESIOSAURS.
IN charge of the reptilian search was
Mr.. Barnum Brown. well known through
his explorations in Patagonia and in Mon
tana for fossil reptiles. 1t was especially
desired TO obtain a complete skeleton of
plesiosaurs.
Continuing the work begun in 1so2-os.
search was made in the Fort Pierre
Edgemont, S. D.. we obtained the greater
part of a plesiosaur skeleton. including
SKULL. Jaws and neck complete. about If
teen feet long. One complete paddle and
part of the pectoral girdle. with some dor
sal vertebrac. were also found.
I'm the same locality we obtained an
other p~lesiosaur specimen. having skull,
cfated vertebrate. Two other important
specimens were found in this formation
Il young plesiosaur having both girdles
and two paddles and a m~osasaur specimen
with skull. Jaws and part of the skeleton
uncrushed. This formation yielded TWEEN
ty-two boxes of fossils.
I'm beds near the Judith River in Mon
tana was discovered the skeleton of a
large herbivorous dinosaur related to the
~iquanodonts Of Europe. named trachodon,
including pelvis. vertebraI column and
limb bones. -
CAVE FULL OF MAMMALS.
The party continued down into Arkan-
sas. and In a crevasse in a cavern Of the
pleistocene age were found ten complete
and many fragmentary skulls of rodents
and carnivores. about 1000 taMs, thousands
of limb bones and vertebrate, representing
nearly forty species of animals.
Materials we're brought back for the
preparation of a section of this remarkl-
BILE cave which will show the bones m po-
sition as they were found. They include
many living species of animals. such as
bears. weasels. pumas. deer. foxes, wolves,
beavers and rabbits.
THE species of these animals were part
~ of living kinds and some kinds which
nave disappeared since his remarkable
cave collection vas deposited. Az proof Of
Its geological age there were also found a
skeleton Of the extinct saber toothed I ger,
recognizable: although very much crushed,
also the skeleton of a musk OK. Pemains
of living species of peccaries were also
found"
THO ,iiptufherec uhi,b profoeror ne-
born mentions. of which the first complete
skeletons were found. were great quad
rupeds with elephantine bodies, very sTall
brains, four horned skulls and powerful
tusks. They lived around the ancient
Bridger Lake. Wyoming, in the IIiddIe
eoccne tiEcs of 2,OOO 600 years ago.