El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-04-27


Many new kinds OF dogs appear, some
short-faced and others lOng-&ced-
DiminUtiye horses Craze in herOs in
South Dakota and Nebraska The
browsing, sluggish animals diminish IN
mum bers everywhere, and are replaced
by grazing mammals swifter OF foot
Camels arrive on the scene in Amer
ica-sOme Of them small and delicate
Hmbed while others are huge and bull
ky. II Is serious question whether
the extinction of the tiatanotheres was
not brought about mainly by this
great multiplication of herbivores,
which ate their food and starved them
out.
We know that horses originated IN
America, later became extinct on this
continent, and were reintrOduced from
Europe by the Spaniards less than four
centuries ago 1t was much the same
way with Camels, which 100000 years
ago were the most conspicuous ana
numerous animals of the Great Plains,
browsing in countless herds over vast
areas destined in later times TO be Oc-
cupied by the buffalo. The very early
Camels. however were no bigger than
cottOntail rabbits; but. steadily gain
ing in size, the largest species came
greatly to exceed the modern camelS
in bulk and stature, one OF these, the
giraffe camel standing oyer u feet
high
The history Of the Development OF
the camel tribe in America may be
plainly read in the rocks, out Of which
its representatives in all stages of evO-
luton have been dug They started
with five toes on each foot each toe
terminating in a small, sharp hOOr- But
later on the toes were merged In one
soft. elastic pad for walking over
shifting sands Around the edge Of
small lake in Oregon are plent11ully
found the bones of four species of
camels. one of them about the size
Of a Firginian deer. And although
these creatures eventually became eN-
tinct on this continent, they left de-
scendants which still survive in
South America-the llama, the guam
AGO, the alpaca, and the vicuna-
1t was from America that the cam
els made their way to the Old world,
by way of the land bridge, which con-
nected this continent with Asia up TO
within comparatively recent times
Across the same bridge from the Op-
posite direction, came the buffalo
originally an Asiatic animal-to browse
on the grassy plains OF the interior Of
this country. The climate OF the re
gion Of what now is Boring Strait was
temperate in those times, and there
were many such interchanges OF
mammalian types between the New
World and the Old
Meanwhile there has developed
very extraordinary creature relaJeu
to modern whales which, originally
a land animal. has become wholly aqu-
attic. Destined to be known TO science
as the zeuglOdon,it attains length OF
65 feet, and IS frlghtfully carnivorous
and fierce We're It TO survive at the
present time the chase of il would
probably be regarded as the most perl
lOUs and exciting Of sports It's species
must have been exceeding numerous,
judging from the great quantities OF
its bones found in the South Atlantic
and Gulf states.
Africa Joins With Europe.
At length, thanks to a mighty geo
logic uplift, Africa is united with Eu-
rope, and the mastodons. originally de-
velOped in the Dark continent, extend
their range nOrthWard- Later on they
reach North America by the land
bridge already mentioned, over which
likewise come our first rhinOceroses-
One Of these rhinOcerOses, though very
short in the legs, is a great traveller,
and eventually extends its range as Iar
south as Florida COntempOraneously
the early ancestors of the deer tribe
appear in various parts Of the world,
and in Europe the first man-hke apes
CRATES in great number and var
iety arrive in the old WOrld-One type
resem bling the primitive and still sur
viving. Okapi of the Congo forests. The
ancestors Of modern sheep begin to
develop, and in Europe roam huge bear
like dogs. Again a little time passes
Tin geologic sense). and the CHM
panZee and arauE-Outang appear
though evidence OF the fact has not
been discovered as yet More impOr-
tant. however is the first trace OF
primitive man-represented by flint
implements. II there is no mistake on
this point the human race must have
made its first start on earth more Ihan
1000, 600 years ago
Indeed, this Is a very modest esti-
mate-unless it be supposed that some
pre-human animal, capable Of shaping
stone tools. arrived on the earth and
disappeared therefrOm at so ancient
an epoch. The presumption is that the
creature concerned was none other
than man. that he still preserved a not
distant likeness to his relatives, the
anthrOpOid apes, and that, like them,
he lived in trees Contemporary with
him were the mastOdOn tstiu surviv-
ing) and the mammoth The first true
cattle had by this time appeared, as
well as true horses HippOpotami