The Washington herald., 1908-07-02

While the majority of Americans are
taking vacations AZ seashore or noun
tain. or pretending that they are cool
ana comfortable in their own darkened
homes, several sturdy wise men are going
carefully over the hills and valleys Of
Wyoming in quest Of a four-tOed horse.
They do not travel with lasso and rum
ming moose expecting 20 bring him in as
does the Texas cowboy. who ropes "A
Wild mustang. Neither will they crate
him or send him home in a jolting cattle
or horse car Nor will they pat him in
a zoo-lf he is found They hunt for him
with pick and shovel in the edges OF
overhanging cliffs or far below the sur
face Of the earth They Will bring him
back in a box that would be much too
small for a Merry Widow hat. each part
Of him carefully fixed in a matrix. He
viii be put in a museum in a glass case.
and he who runs may read that this is a
rare and wonderful thing. whose price is
above rubies. For you see. he died some
thing over 100000 years ago. before the
dawn OF the history Of mankind in the
world. when this continent was still in
the making.
This work is In charge Of one OF the
three expeditions that the American NJ
scum of Natural History Of New York
IS sending out for summer service in the
West. The first Of these expeditions has
gone 10 Nebraska 20 study the fossils of
the Miocene period, and bring home the
remains Of mammals that floUrished a
million years ago. The party which is
20 leave next month will head for Mon
tana and look for fossils Of a period OF
100000 years ago, the specific object
being the acquisition OF the complete re-
mains OF the horned GinOsaur, which they
hope 20 install I'm the recently fitted
dinOsaur room Of the museum. There is
yet no complete specimen Of this fossil
known The party which left recently
is the one that expects 20 look for a
fOur-toed horse. and also for its descend
ant, the three-toed horse.
\ few years ago these Wyoming beds
yielded TO enthusiastic paleontologists the
fossil remains Of tiny animal about the
size of a fox terrier. Its front feet
/ showed four distinct toes. its hind feet
three And this proved 10 be the remote
| ancestor Of the horse Of to-day. Frag-
meut by fragment. bone by bone. dust by
dust. these men Of science worked out
I the supposed shape, color and size OF
this tiny horse. and through the gen
crosity Of Pierpont Morgan were able %
make O little plaster animal that tepre-
seuted the possible appearance Of the
Z Protohippus This model stands in the
museum in the same alcove with a
Perchcron draft horse. and its entire
/ little body and tiny pointed head do not
equal in bulk the big. benevolent head
% the Percheron
The little horse or the EoCeue period
measured twelve inches az the shoulder.
Later he grew 10 fourteen inches. In
calculabie ages passed. and his de-
. srondants Of the Miocenc period stood
/ eighteen inches high and had three toes
ON each foot Eons later he grew taller
( still. his feet grew harder. and on each
were stiu three toes, but De measured al
most ten hands at the withers. and his
I head and neck had grown long. one
/ branch of his family NJ this time. the
Hypohip7us. must have looked greatly
/ like a Virginia deer. Time swung on
+ Where the four-toed horse had found The
/ foliage Of the trees In easy reach OF his
/ tiny head and where be had spreading
/ feet 20 lift him from the soft soil Of the
tropical forest beds. his children OF the
next two million years had 70 experience
7 vast changes in their physical makeup O.
/ keep pace with the changes Of nature
Age 10y age the sponCy. f0rest-set low
T lands were raised higher and higher
above the sea level. and with greater
altitude. decrease Of humidity and in
/ crease Of cooIness. the rank overhanging
vegetation must needs give place TO
/ grasses
As the trees receded and the grass
came, the descendant Of the little Pro
tohippUs. too. changed. The feet hard
ened 10 suit the fTmer soil. the less srew
longer and the heels higher, 20 allow him
% swing over greater distances, and the
neck grew longer u allow him 20 reach
the grasses at his feet. while the teeth
changed 90 suit the herbage \ wide
feeding range was his before the Age
OF Ice. He has left his trail from