New-York tribune., 1907-10-07
EGYPTIAN BONES HERE.
CASES OF BARE FOSSILS.
Natural History Museum Benefits
from Recent Expedition.

The American Museum of Natural History has
Just received from Egypt twenty seven cases of
rare fossils, about six hundred specimens in all
comprising forms new TO science, exceedingly val
liable fossils Of the ancestral elephant and Of an
extraordinary beast, the arsinoitherium, which is
not closely related TO any living form or any ex-
tinct group. II is conservativey estimated by
biologists that these animals existed more than A
million years ago.
These fossils are the product of an expedition
financed by Norris K. Jesup, president of the
museum, and sent to Northern Egypt by DR.. Her
c Bumpus. the director. under the direction
Of Professor Henry F. Osborne. Professor Osborne
was accompanied by Walter Granger as chief as
sistant and George Olsen, of the department of
vertebrate palaontology.
Mr.. Granger said yesterday that the fossils vvera
shipped from Alexandria by way of Hamburg on a
freight steamer and had just arrived in fine con-
dition, with nothing broken. They had been packed
in extra strong boxes by the Egyptian Survey De-
partment, which took charge of the shipping
When natural history specimens are shipped out
Of Egypt the customs officials open the boxes TO
see that they contain no archaeological specimens
on the shipment Of which the Egyptian govern
rnent places restrictions. There IS a wonderful
museum at Cairo. and the government feels that
unique specimens should remain there The
Egyptian Survey Department sent representative
10 the steamer see that the cases were loaded
properly. He declared there We're no arch4ologi-
cal specimens in them, and saved lot OF trouble
r. their shipment
Mr.. Granger went on to say: These specimens
are practically all of them individual. separate
bones. We got almost nothing in the way Of skele-
ton material. as the conditions in Egypt are not
suitable for the preservation of entire skeletons.
The region where these fossils found is about
sight miles north of Lake Qurun in the Fayoom
Depression about sixty miles southwest of Cairo.
TIE depression can be reached by railroad up the
Nile Valley TO El Wasta- and then across mar
TOW strip Of desert land. which separates the Nile
Valley from the Fayoom Depression. or by camel
trail across the desert from Ghizeh.
The chief importance Of this collection IS that
il brings 10 this country representation of these
extinct and extremely interesting North African
forms Of mammals. We have obtained several
forms that are new to science. We have increased
the fauna list. and have more complete material
OF the things discovered before.
Among the most interesting OF these fossils are
PROBABLY. first those belonging TO the ancestral
elephants representing two stages Of development
The moeritherium is the more primitive of the two
i was very small beast. not greatly resembling
modern elephant, except in the teeth The other.
the palsomastodon. does resemble the modern ele-
plant in the character Of its teeth, the shape OF
the skull and the general structure of the entire
skeleton. This also a dimnutive elephant.
"An these fossils are from the middle and upper
eocene formations The moeritherum occurs in
the middle eocene formation and also in the upper
eocene formation. while the palaeomastodon occurs
in the middle eocene formation. Before the dis
covery Of these localities by the Egyptian Survey
Department nothing known Of the early
cestry Of the elephants
Second IN point Of interest is beast that so
fsr as know has been found only in this
stricted localty-the arsnoitherium. The most
striking thing about the arsnoitherium is the pair
Of enormous horns on the nose. The age OF these
fossils may be placed at than q million years
which Is conservative estimate. Estimating the
age Of these early formations is mighty rough
work, but do not think any geologst would place
Il AZ less than a million years. We got A fairly
good skull OF a young individual and parts Of
skulls Of twenty-five others and numerous bones
representing almost every portion of the skeleton.
Our choicest specimens, so far as preservation
goes two fine skulls Of carnivorous animals
about the size Of gray wolves. These bones occur
associated with fossils Of which there is a great
abundance. in the upper eocene formation. Queerly
enough, although the wood there is thoroughly
petrihed, the bones are not petriied. They have
merely lost the animal matter in them, a very IN
usual condition It is puzzling that should he
petrifed and not the other The bones are in the
same strata with the wood, and learned that
the bones were found most abundant where the