The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-07-26

in the Aptillean group there are only
few mammals, aside from bats, to DE en-
countered. The remarkable poverty of
this fauna has been the cause of much
comment among naturalists. Assemblages
of fossil mammals have been discovered
in Porto Rico and Cuba, indicating the
possibility that at one time the West In
dies had a much larger mammal inhabi
tation than today.
"These fossils, which are of ancient
types and strange ancestry, strongly sug-
gest, if not the existence of some mainland
connection far back in the geological age,
at least the union at some time of most
of the Greater Antilles into a large An
|tillean continent. This continent if it ex-
sted, must have lain in the Gulf of Mex
ico and the Caribbean Sea, with the longer
axis east and west, and must have been
an important land mass with large rivers
and nightly mountain ranges rising, per-
haps, as high as 10000 feet or more above
sea level.
Asked as to the probable extent of the
continent, Captain Anthony said: ITO
the eastward it took in the recently ac-
CURED Danish West Indies, while to the
westward its limits must have taken in
part of what is now Central America.
Because of the strategic position of Ja-
| maica in it's relation to the Central Amer
| lean mainland and to such hypothetical
| Antillean continent, it was highly import
ant that the fossil fauna of Jamaica be
| explored"
He was successful in conducting such
an exlopration, and was able to verify in
a most satisfactory manner his belief
that the island would be found to have &
fossil fauna. He secured several fossi
mammals new to science, which found il
| Pleistocene formations must date bacl
approximately 100000 years.
| Most of the material was secured in ex
| ploring the limestone cavea and the mann,
| NAL remains were found cemented in
very hard limestone breccia from which
they could be extracted only after hour
of slow and laborious quarrying. Th,
greater part of the collection was brought
back to the Museum on large blocks o
limestone, and much time aud work will
be necessary before the material can b,
satisfactorily identified and conclusion
drawn up. Enough has been exposed
however, to show that Jamaica wa
formerly the home of one or two giganti
rodents, larger thar any living to-day
animals of a heavy bodied, slow movin
type, whose closest ancestors lived ava
back on the Santa Cruz formation Of Pat
agonia. Fossil terrapins, tortoises am
crocodiles were also found
In addition to collecting fossil faun
the expedition obtained a large collet
tion of the living animal forms. Only on
land mammal is living on Jamaica to-da
the Indian coney (Geocapromys brow
neD-and even that had been thought t
! he practically extinct, for the introdu'
ton of the mongoose on the island, lat
in the last century, in an attempt to e,
terminate the rats, has resulted in the e.
/. tinction of many of the native animal
Fortunately it was discovered to be sti
!: living in a restricted area on the easter
end of the island, and fine series
!: skins and skeletons of the rare animi
were obtained.
Capt. Anthony brought back more tina
/: seven hundred specimens of bats. as we
as collections of reptiles and birds.
The expedition encountered a very il
; terested cooperation on the part of I'll
people of Jamaica, everywhere meetin
with ready assistance and unfailing cour
esv
Can't. Anthony reported that the ton
ist travel to Jamaica had been UNUSUAL
!, heavy this winter One of the burnir
topics of the day there-and by no NEAR
4 one-side questions Glow do Anne
: cans regard the possible acquisition
: Jamaica by the United States :"-Ex.