The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-24
FOOTPRINTS IN
 THE SANDSTONES How The Scientists Find Old
 Fossils HITCHCOCK OF AMHERST colIeqe President Was Pioneer In One of the Most Important Branches of American Scientific
 Research.
HITCHCOCK OF AMHERST
rrono tha New York post.

From the New York Post.
 Edward Hitchcock, late president of Amherst college, was one of the first sci entists to recognize the value of fossil footprints in the study of evolution, and much time during his administration in the middle of the last century was de- voted to collecting fossils from the neigh borhood of Amherst
 The college museum now contains his collection, the first ever made in this country. It consists of some 2O,00O tracks of animals imprinted when the sand stones of the Connecticut valley were ac- cumulating millions of years ago, during the Triassic period.
 Hitchcock's attention was early at tracted to these fossil tracks, but the oo- stacles in the way of making a great collection were many. He lived before the day of large gifts for science. Few thought it worth while to waste money on fossil turkey tracks, The largest amount which he ever received Tor the purchase of specimens would hardly pay tha exnenses of a. single scientific expedi- tion today
 finder such conditions Hitchcock and some of his colleagues made collections which were pronounced by mempers ol the American Association for the Ad- vancement of Science in 1859 to be "un- eoualled. certainly by those of any other colleges in the United States"
 The tracks were in the sandstones or the Connecticut valley, stretchlng nortn and south for about 30 miles. Amherst was in the center of the best area Sat ,,rday afternoons and holidays the scl- enlist went out with his team searching the stone walls of the farms. the eXea- vations by the roadside, and the quarrles.
 He met the usual criticisms and ridicule of neghbors, friends and foes. New hofh seologists pronounced the footprints fossil seaweeds The common explanation was "The Lord stuck 'em in the ground when he made the world" Few agreed with him that they were bird tracks. In lS4l five eminent geologists reported in favor of Hitchcok's views; and the cont1rma- lion by this committee settled the ques- ton.
 As time went on he discovered that some of the animals which had made the tracks had large hind feet and small short fore legs. Some of them evidently had long tails. These could not be birds. They could not well be frogs or kanga : ooos. and few other animals having biped aocomotion were then known.
 He finally concluded that most of the tracks were made by reptiles having cer- tain characteristics resembling those or birds. Had he lived a leW years ioHSSi he would have seen this conclusion fully confirmed. Professor Marsh and others discovered and studied the dinosaurs. an extinct group of marvellous reptiles. Evi- dently many of the tracks resembling those of birds were made by these car nivorous dinosaurs.
 But while a great abundance or track have been found, only two or three skel9 tons have ever been discovered One fl these now in the Amherst museum wi found in a hole dug for. a large casti near Springfield. Skeletons have coi mainly from the west where the cor tions for their preservation were unusF 1y favorable.
 Beside the tracks of dinosaurs tl are the footprints of smaller reFe and even of insects. Here a fish as ploughed through the mud, there fiii has burrowed. Even the traces otne raindrops of a shower may still hue- fected. The footprints remain clefpe- cause the water was full of veniine particles of mica or isinglass, whit set tied in the track when the anin1 iaa passed They prevented the muflnci'
 fterward filled the hole from cking to the bottom or sides.
 Hitchcocks life was an interest one. He accepted the presidency of thsoliege in critical period and by a calui ad- minstration placed 1t on a if pasis- He went to Amherst in 1926 "a pro lessor of geology. Tn 1S44 he mace president of the college, holdinthls or flee for ten years. Then, resting the chair of geology he continuefo teacn