Tombstone epitaph., 1921-02-20
EXCAVATIONS AT CURTIS FLATS LEAD TO DISCOVERY OF BONES OF MANY PREHISTORIC ANIMALS S

pre- historic animals recently discover
 ed on the Curtis Flats. near Tomb
 stone is steadily progressing. undei
 the direction of Dr. Gidley. of the
 Smithsonian Institution at Washing
 ton. the latest discoveries being those
 of extinct species of camels. horse.
 and other small mammals.
 The presence of the bones of the
 animals was first known by Kirk Bry. , an. of the geological survey. when he discovered them while on tour of
 the surrounding country in the inter
 ests of his department last Novem- lher. The purpose of the excavation is more for geological study. in deter
 mining ground water" than for un-
 covering bones to erect for obserya-
 tiOn in the Smithsonian Institution.
 With knowledge of the animal life of thousands of years ago the water
 conditions and wherea bouts of wates.
 can he more easily ascertained. How
 ever. if enough of any one animal IS
 unearthed it will he assembled and
 mounted and placed in the Smi,hson.
 ion Institution.
 The bones of the animals were
 found exceptionally close to the sur face of the earth, the hole where the mastodon was excavated being not more than two and one-half feet deep and the hole where the latest bones have been removd. not more than s or inches in depth. The geologi- cal theory applied 10 the deposit of the bones in this certain locality. is that large body of water was at one time hemmed in between the hills by some upheaval of the earth and held there for consid- erable time. depositing silt and mud into the present formation. The pre. dominant theory of the finding of the kinds of animals in Curtis flats is that the country had at one time been water hole where the ami. 1 mals were accustomed to come 10 water. and that the animals in some probably sank into the mire I at times. and were held for centuries. i The formation of ground in which the , were found continues some ! distance from the scene Of excavation md belief is expressed that if it were 1. possible to dig down into the sur.
 oundins hills to level where the nastodon was found. innumerable ,thers finds would result.
 Ip to date good part of a masto- lon. part of Glyptadont. and par.s
 fl extinct species Of camels. horses wolves. hyena and gophers have been ocnd. All bones. aside from the mas odon and glyptodont have been found n one hole, about co fee, from the lace where the glyptodont was found nd about l5 feet lower in elevation ut as near the surface In this place everai more bones of a mastoton ave been found which may be added those previously unearthed. and al tough of another mastodon. will help reatly in completing the skeleton of ;
 mastOdon.
 The mastodon was a huge animal. is molars measuring about 1 inches luare, and his tusks about five feet om tip to tip. The spinal cord or ' ick bone. was approximately fl or s feet long. As yet the mastodon is 'y three legs. in addition to other z naller parts of a once powerful U anne s The glyptodont, the latest large T Iimals to be found is believed to al we lived in the Pliocene age, appro- o mately one and one half million '" ars ago. The tail. jaw, part of one ~ nd leg and foot, part of one fore o' 2 and foot and part of the shell of is animal has ben uncovered so r. An interesting feature of this o' imal is his huge tail. Tine sheil LII sembles the skin of crocodile, ha. III scales, each with small circle s' lines leading from the circle out. r' rd, on it. ot The party conducting the research m rk is composed of Dr. Gidley of the o' lithsonian Institution at Washing WI !. Kirk Bryant of the Geological oi rvey at Washington, E. D. Wilson eo c. Lausen. of the Bureau of 'o nes at Tucson. Unless something "'