The Washington herald., 1911-02-05

the prevalence OF the first grazing horses
in all parts Of the world.
In the middle part of the period there
were three important examples among
the horses Of the br6wsers or leaf-eaters.
One Of these was q supposed forest-liv-
ing horse with short crested teeth and
persistent three-toed feet: another was q
small animal with teeth resembling those
Of the horse Of the preceding period, and
the third was ''short-crowned Parahip-
pus." Also. there was the Mercychip-
pus. cropping grass on the plains Of
Colorado,
The giraffe camel was In the West
Of those days. He was q lons-limbed
and long-necked animal who browsed
from the tops Of trees. The camels Of
the time were clearly divided into the
teeth and feet ofy great numbers Of
horses and camels prove beyond question
that in America there were appearing
grassy plains over which these animals
might roam and that there were arid
seasons when they had to cover long dis.
tances between water pools.
The Plocene division Of the mamma
lian age was marked in its late phase by
the extraordinary richness and variety
Of the horses. They are the most abun-
dant animals In all the formations which
ined. Never before or since in geologic
time has the mammalian life of the
globe enjoyed such a widespread and
uniform distribution" The mammals Of
India and China come into view. All the
great continents, except Australia, were
unified into one vast reach Of territory.
There have been found in Nevada ante
lopes with spiraliy-twisted horn icores. a
discovery which proves brilliantly" the
appearance in America Of true Asiatic
antelopes. In the great plains region
there disappeared one after another the
rhinoceros. the browsing horse. and the
giraffe or browsing camel. Great
herds Of land tortoises moved slowly
across the plains. In the early part Of
the period and in the latter portion they
were covered with immense herds Of
Wild horses Of many different kinds.
The Hallway Stage.
During great lengths Of time the three
toed browsing or forest horses were
mixed with the horses Of the type which
marked the halfway stage to the true
horse. The browsing type was the con-
servative one, doomed to pass away be-
fore very long. and dwelt In the wood
lands and copses. What b called the
horse Of the desert, the desert-living
type, also abounded
The American Museum expedition Of
1scs found in South Dakota . little clus-
ter of animals huddled together az Il
they had perished in desert storm.
One was tho 'superbly complete skeleton
Of an adult mare" This aajmal belonged
to the line Of Pliocene horses called Hip
parions. These animals foamed over
the dry. grassy plains and upla4ds. the.
hard conditions Of soil haStening he
change from the three-toed into the one
toed condition"
Last of the six divisions OF the aSo Of
mammals is the Pleistoceue. There was
q sinking which cut on The old eonti-
mental connections. Ireland lost. for ex-
ample. its hand connection With Wales
Gibraltar and Africa was broken and
also that between Italy. Sicily. and Az
ricA.
It was '.time Of transition. Of flvast sx-
tfnction through natural causes and the
geographic redistribution OF life. Dur.
ing this epoch man becomes the destroy
ing angel who nearly completes The hav-
oc which nature had begun. y
In the early and middle portions q the
period there was grand and moet va-
ried assemblage Of life IN North Amer
lcA. TT lacks the rhippeorutos Of. Ba-
Fope, but posDeseeu the mastodoaa, h
Addition to IN army Of eaepaant1 moge
varSsd and quite ~ ma3eet1c . those e
the Ola World. 0feat her1s of hr6s
Ianuss and cnmsls are iutsrsnppo1 W4kh
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