Evening star., 1922-04-09

slider it to be that of an extinct bear
of the Pampean formation, Arcto-
therium. Again. there was a rem
nant of the femur of large extinct
rodent, while two we'll preserved
hoofs, some upper molar and some
other remains determined them as
those of an extinct Pampean horse
of the genus onchippidium. In this
connection l personally observed and
found bones belonging to the mod
ern Patagonia puma and guanaco
and the little ground rodent of the
Magellans, the ctenomys.
1 found also a dark brownish and
light yellowish coarse hair, some
times in matted Jumps, sometimes a
few isolated hairs in the dust and
gravel. but the greatest and most re-
markable find of all was one Of the
very first, a discovery made by DR..
Francisco Moreno. when on an ex-
ploration survey in those parts. The
story is strange. and shows how
sometimes an important scientific dis
covery hangs by slight thread of
fate or circumstances.
X y X =
1UST ten years before my reaching
J Last Hope Inlet DR.. Moreno, while
on the work mentioned. reached this
spot. On the limb of a tree by the
cabin of a lone adventurer living on
the coast the quick eye of the sci
enlist noted what looked like an old
1rin Iii
was informed that it was fragment
of a larger piece of skin discovered
two years before by some Argentine
officers in a cavern (the one l mem
toned existing in the neighboring
heights. DR.. Moreno fastened to the
spot and made a few hurried excaVa-
t;ons. which gave no further traces
of the discovery. The skin was res
cued by DR.. Moreno from further de-
struction, for it had been serving as
excellent kindling from time to time.
with which the lone adventurer III
his fire. finding 1t an excellent dried
tinder.
One piece Of this skin had original
,v been secured by DR.. Otto Norden-
skiold, while the main portion. II not
tho entire skin rescued by DR.. MO-
reno is now in the British Museum.
A fragment of Myledon skin' l. De-
lieye, also reposes in the famous La
Plata Museum in Argentina.
But there are some astonishingly
interesting things about this lone
niece of hide. First. it's remarkable
state of preservation. The skin is
approximately fourteen by twenty
inches. 1t varies in thickness from
o1m. to 0.O15m. The outer side OF the
skin is completely covered with a very
dense and rather coarse hair without
anv trace of under fur. still implanted
firmly in the skin. without any signs on
II of decay, and of light, yellowisn
brown color. The longest hairs measure
from 0.05m. to 0.065m. in length. The
hair is stiff and straight and remarkably
tough, and proved to be quite cylindrical
nv tranyerse sections taken under the
microscope. '
The strangest thing Of all is the
fact that the skin. on the inner side,
is permeatedS and covered with little
ossicles or, bones, this whole thing
having been taken by the pioneer ad-
yenturer as an old piece Of cowhide
incrusted with pebbles. Yet this
marvellous, strange creatures hide
was found to actually contain these
small, separate bones, varying from
little pyramidal to little roundish
and oblong shapes, anywhere from
the size Of a pea to half again as big
al ones thumb nail. and here is the
remarkable part-they formed every