Natural History 1905-01: Vol 5 Iss 1

1905 · Historical

Natural History 1905-01: Volume 5 , Issue 1. Digitized from IA1643518-04 . Previous issue: sim_natural-history_1905_5_contents . Next issue:…

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Volume V, Number 1 JANUARY, 1905

The

American Museum Journal

Fossil-Carnivore Number

Published quarterly by Tre AMERICAN MuseUM OF NATURAL HisTORY

American Museum of Natural History Seventy-seventh Street and Central Park West, New York City

OFFICERS President Morris K. Jesup First Vice-President Second Vice-President J. Przrront Morcan Pe Henry F. Ossporn

Charles Lanibr

Director Hermon C. Bumpus

Secretary and Assistant Treasurer Joun H. WInsER

Board Of Trustees

Morris K. Jesup William Rockefeller Adrian Iselin George G. Haven

J. Pierpont Morgan H. 0. Havemeyer Joseph H. Choate A. D. Juilliard

J. Hampden Robb Frederick E. Hyde Charles Lanier Percy R. Pyne

D. O. MILLS HENRY F. OSBORN ALBERT S. BICKMORE GEORGE S. BOWDOIN ARCHIBALD ROGERS JAMES H. HYDE GUSTAV E. KISSEL ARTHUR CURTISS JAMES ANSON W. HARD CORNELIUS C, CUYLER

Cleveland H. Dodge

Tue AMERICAN Museum or Natura History was established in 1869 to promote the Natural Sciences and to diffuse a general knowledge of them among the people, and it is in cordial coéperation with all similar institutions throughout the world. The Museum authorities are dependent upon private subscriptions and the dues from members for procuring needed additions to the collections and for carrying on explorations in America and other parts of the world.

The membership fees are,

Annual Members $ 10 PR etccnscduseosadess $ 500 Life Members 100 A et eS 1000

All money received from membership fees is used for increasing the collections, and for developing the educational work of the Museum.

The Museum is open free to the public on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Admittance is free to Members every day.

AHNIGHITO, OR THE TENT The largest of the Cape York meteorites. Removal from the Cob Dock, Brooklyn Navy Yard

The American Museum Journal

VOL. Vv. JANUARY, 1905. No. 1

The Cape York Meteorites.

INCE the time of Captain Ross's voyage to northern Greenland in 1818, the world has known that the Eskimo whom he found there were provided with knives and other utensils which were armed with iron. The source of this iron was a puzzle,

since the Eskimo did not then possess, nor do they now have,

the means for reducing any of the metals from their ores. The natives merely said that the metal came from the "Iron Mountain,' and they would give neither Ross, nor any of the succeeding explorers who have visited the region, exact information regarding its location, until Commander Robert E. Peary gained the esteem and confidence of the tribe to such an extent that the secret was revealed to him. On May 27, 1894, he and Hugh J. Lee, a member of his expedition, under the guidance of Tallakoteah, an Eskimo, were the first white men to behold any of the "Saviksue"' or Great Irons. Two hundred miles of terrible sledge travel, amid many and great dangers, had been necessary to attain this object."' On this trip was found the medium-sized mass known as the Woman, now on the fourth floor of the Museum, but the advent of stormy weather and the rapid approach of the breaking-up of the ice in the spring prevented visiting the largest mass, which was only six miles away on another small island. Tallakoteah picked up a boulder lying beside the Woman and illustrated the method used by his ancestors for getting material for their knives by pounding at an edge of the mass until a bit of the iron was loosened enough to be removed. Not since about the time of Ross's visit have the Eskimo resorted to

1 A thrilling account of this journey and a full description of the removal of the Saviksue to New York may be found in Commander Peary's book, "'Northward over the Great Ice."

4 The American Museum Journal

the Saviksue for iron, their wants being met by whalers and by trading with the natives farther south.

In 1895, Peary returned to Melville Bay and took his ship to Saviksoah Island to obtain the masses of iron. The Woman and a smaller meteorite, known as the Dog, from its size and shape, were successfully loaded on board the ship " Kite'' after much difficult and exciting work, an incident of which was the breaking-up of the cake of ice on which the Woman had been ferried from shore to ship, just as the mass was about to be hoisted aboard. Fortunately, there was enough tackle around the iron to prevent the loss of the object which had been so long and eagerly sought. Without further incident, the two masses of iron were transported to New York and deposited at the Museum. The great mass, called by the Eskimo " Ahnighito"' or the Tent, was visited by Commander Peary on this trip, but with the means at hand nothing could be accomplished toward moving the iron from the ledge on which it had rested for ages.

The following year, the indefatigable explorer made another voyage to the inhospitable shores of Melville Bay to bring Ahnighito away. Again was the project unsuccessful, by reason of inadequate apparatus and inclement weather. Once more, in 1897, Peary returned to the attack, this time with a one-hundredton and two thirty-ton jacks and ample supplies of railroad iron and great timbers, determined to win at all hazards. To transport a compact, rounded mass of iron of great weight down a rocky slope several hundred yards to the sea and to store it safely, with no dock or dock machinery, in the hold of a ship for a journey of three thousand miles would be difficult under any circumstances, but the problem of moving Ahnighito was vastly complicated by the ice, the fog, the winds and the other adverse conditions of the west coast of Greenland at latitude 76° N., and the task may well be compared with that which faced Lieutenant Gorringe in removing the obelisk from Egypt to Central Park. The ship "Hope," built expressly for Arctic exploration, was moored directly to a rocky promontory, where she lay at the mercy of any storm that might come up, while the last days of the anxious work were progressing. As the monster meteorite came aboard ship, the four-year-old daughter of Commander

The Cape York Meteorites 5

Peary, herself born near Cape York, broke a bottle of wine over the mass and christened it '' Ahnighito,'' her own musical name.

With the great mass secured within the hatchcombings, the prow of the Hope"' was turned away from Saviksoah Bay and full steam was crowded on to escape from the dangerous place, where the rapid forming of new ice, presaging winter, threatened the adventurous white men with long imprisonment. Great anxiety was felt by the intrepid Peary and his men while the ship was forcing her way out of Melville Bay, for it was several days before the great mass of iron could be lowered to the bed of stone ballast provided for it deep in the hold and be secured where it could not overturn the vessel or break through her sides during a storm.

Etched Surface Of Ahnighito, Showing Widmanstatten Lines

From the autumn of 1897, when the '' Hope'"' discharged her valuable load at the Cob Dock of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Ahnighito lay there in comparative obscurity until last September when the great mass was once more set in motion. Lifted by a great crane which makes child's play of handling a mogul locomotive, the meteorite was transferred to a lighter and towed around to the foot of Fiftieth Street, North River, where a massive iron truck, capable of carrying a 1oo-ton load, was in waiting for the last stage of the journey. Twenty-eight powerful horses, forming a line the length of an avenue block, were required to pull the truck and its load through the streets. On October 1, the great meteorite arrived at the Museum and ended its travels. Here it rests on a six-foot cube of solid concrete and rubble. The dimensions of the iron are, length 10 feet 10 inches, height 7 feet 2 inches, thickness 5 feet 6 inches.

In order to determine the exact nature of these great masses of iron, chemical analyses of all three have been made and slices

6 The American Museum Journal

have been cut from the Woman and Ahnighito, which have been carefully polished and etched in order to determine the presence and character of the Widmanstatten lines. The analyses ' show that the material is an alloy of iron and nickel, with a small amount of cobalt and minute percentages of other elements present. The etched surface shows that the iron is to be described as belonging in the octahedral division. The lamellz are rather broad (1. to 1.5 mm) and under Brezina's classification the iron would be called a '' Broad Octahedrite (Og).'' The character of the figures may be seen from the accompanying illustration. (See p. 5.) The lamella are rather long and straight and sometimes gather together in groups.

The nature of the surroundings amid which the masses were found precludes the idea of their being anything but meteorites. The country rock is gneissoid in character, according to Professor R. D. Salisbury, who visited the island in 1895 with Commander Peary, and neither in the bedrock nor in the glacial drift covering the region, so far as seen, is there any of the igneous rock which is the only telluric rock known to contain metallic iron. The position of the meteorites when found, half-buried in drift, seems to indicate that they fell on the ice at a time when a glacier covered the islands. The close similarity of the three in position, chemical composition and texture renders it most highly probable that they fell at the same time. The Eskimo preserve a tradition, the origin of which is lost in antiquity, that the

™ Results of chemical analyses of the Cape York meteorites made by J. Edward Whitfield of Philadelphia:

No. 1. The Dog. No. 2. The Woman. No. 3. Ahnighito,

or the Tent.

PR ckaseviccacwnnc MEE scxsos + QRS ..c..5. 91.476 % ME acasscctasxs Be" cesesn HEE Sle" Deiseteicssss QE cccserce GR" s.asn0. Ge eae O08 accawac Sarre 0.014 " POM co. ccc es CMB ™ .as BOR ches sun Teeeues Phosphorus are WE" oda . 202 " a eee O@16¢ .ccescscs COIO"™ .2 QO"

760.019 MH nn snes: 100.002 % 100.038 %

None of the samples contained silicon or manganese. A trace of chromium was found in the fine oxidized particles from the surface of No. 3, Ahnighito, indicating the former presence of a nodule of variable composition.

The Chinese Hall 7

Saviksue fell to the ground from the sky. Taken together they form the most interesting group of meteorites in any museum, not only on account of the unusual size of the largest mass, which is probably the heaviest meteorite known, but also on account of the struggle for existence maintained with their aid for untold generations by the most northern group of human beings on the globe. Epmunpb Otis Hovey.

The Chinese Hall.

West Gallery, containing extensive collections from China, was opened to the public. These collections are the results of an expedition to China the funds for which were generously furnished by Mr. Jacob H. Schiff of this city, Dr. Berthold Laufer being intrusted with the work. The collections are intended to show the entire culture of China of the present day and to illustrate the products of the country and the general every-day life of the people,—their customs and industries, their amusements and pastimes and their religion and art.

Opposite the entrance, just in front of the railing, are exhibited four ancient bronze drums and an altar set of stone carvings, the central piece of which represents an incense-burner. On either side of the incense burner is a large flower-vase in openwork carving and a candle-stick. In front of this set are five dishes containing various kinds of fruit all in stone.

In the wall-case to the right of the entrance is shown modern crockery made in Peking, in its simple burnt state and in glazes of green and brown and various other colors. In the wall-case on the other side of the entrance is to be found glazed pottery from Poshan in the Province of Shantung, and a large variety of gray flower-pots made in Peking. These are of various forms, and are tastfully decorated. Other cases just in front of these wall-cases contain specimens showing the process of manufacture of pottery in its various stages, and there is a fine display of

8 The American Museum Journal

porcelain illustrating the different types and colors employed in that branch of art. There are teapots in terra-cotta, polychromatic flower-vases from Canton and a group of clay lamps. The various metal industries of China are represented by objects of bronze, tin, pewter, copper, silver and iron.

Along the north wall are represented implements of copper and iron, glassware, agriculture, basketry and matting. Household articles, kitchen utensils, clothing, foot and head gear, fans, weapons and armor are fully represented. In one section the blacksmith's trade is illustrated, and in an adjoining section the carpenter's.

An entire section is given up to an elaborate display of all kinds of tobacco-pipes, the dry pipes as well as water-pipes, and opium-pipes. The various brands of tobaccos, snuffs and other smoking-materials also find place here. In one case are drugs and the apothecary's outfit, surgical instruments and needles used in acupuncture, the horse doctor's outfit and implements used in massage treatment. Other cases display carpets, bamboo, coir palm, chemical products, medicines, hygiene and cosmetics.

On the west side in one case are exhibited articles of food, and the implements of various industries,—butcher's, baker's, fruit-seller's, cake-seller's, stone-cutter's etc. Ina wall-case are lanterns of paper, pongee and horn and an altar set of papiermaché. An exhibit of dolls showing various styles of dress is also to be seen on this side of the hall. In the same case is exhibited quite a collection of pigeon whistles. These whistles are attached to the tails of pigeons by means of fine wires, and when the birds fly through the air a plaintive sound is produced by the wind striking the holes in the whistles. Besides these, money, weights and measures; harness; shows, games and toys, and actors' paraphernalia and masks are all represented.

A special flat case in the southwest corner contains objects fully illustrating the printer's art; and along the south side of the hall are exhibited religion; wood, ivory, and stone carving; cloisonné and carved lacquer work; ancient pottery; musical instruments; embroidery, decorative art, drawing and painting, and ancient bronzes.

Department Of Vertebrate Palzontology.

HE field work carried on by the Department of Vertebrate Plazontology in the Bridger Badlands in 1903 Was continued during the season of 1904 by another expedition under the charge of Mr. Walter Granger. Parts of the region not visited or but

slightly worked the previous year were carefully explored and

much valuable and important material was obtained.

The Bridger beds are a Middle Eocene deposit in the southwestern part of Wyoming and lie for the most part between the Union Pacific railroad and the Utah State line. They cover an area of about two thousand square miles and represent a total thickness of nearly two thousand feet. In many places throughout this area, especially along the streams, these beds are cut and weathered into rough, rugged and very picturesque badland bluffs and slopes which have yielded to collections a large variety of very interesting fossil mammals as well as remains of turtles, crocodiles, lizards, fishes and birds. The first mammals to be reported from these beds were described about 1870 by Dr. Leidy from specimens secured by the Hayden Survey and by people residing at Fort Bridger. Since that time the country has been searched over by various parties, notably those sent out by Yale and Princeton Universities, the American Museum and by Professors Cope and Leidy

The expedition from this Museum in 1893 which visited this locality and also the Washakie Beds, a nearly contemporaneous deposit lying some seventy-five miles to the westward, was fortunate in securing numerous skulls and some skeletal parts of Uintatherium, a large rhinoceros-like animal with three pairs of horns and a very large, flat, curved tusk or canine. This was by far the largest and most striking of the animals of this period. There was not sufficient material with which to compose a skeleton, however, and one of the chief objects of the expeditions of 1903 and 1904 was to secure the material necessary for a complete restoration of this beast, or better still a complete skeleton of one individual. The first season the party was working most of the time outside of the rather restricted area of the basin in which the uintatheres are found, but this year two important

(os

10 The American Museum Journal

specimens, fortunately of nearly equal size, were found, and a restoration of Uintatherium now seems assured. One of these skeletons was found in a very interesting and unusual position. The animal had evidently been mired in the clay in which the bones were found imbedded, and had died while the body was in an upright position. When excavated, the limbs were found extending straight down in a nearly natural pose, the hip was in place, but the skull, neck and most of the back had been weathered away.

Among the other specimens obtained during the past season were remains of rodents, carnivores, insectivores, monkeys and the primitive Horse Orolippus. The collections of the past two seasons are especially rich in specimens of these smaller forms and supplement admirably the material obtained from the same beds by the earlier expeditions.

Mr. Albert Thomsen spent about four months collecting in the Big Badlands of South Dakota. This is the fourth expedition sent by the Museum to the famous Oligocene deposit. The locality has probably been more productive of fossil mammal remains than any other equal area in the world, and notwithstanding the numerous collections made there, the area appears not to have been exhausted. The expedition of 1904 secured a collection comprising nearly one hundred specimens and included at least two new genera and several new species. The new genera are a small ruminant and a rodent, intermediate in skull structure between the beaver and the squirrels. The collection also included two fine skulls of the large Titanotherium, and several fine skulls and jaws of the smaller rhinoceroses, as well as two turtles new to science, one a dermatemyd, the other a species of Testudo.

Mr. Barnum Brown conducted four expeditions during the summer of 1904. The first explored the Fort Pierre beds of South Dakota near Edgemont, where a unique collection of plesiosaur remains were obtained which will enable the Museum to place on exhibition the restored skeleton of this interesting sea serpent. There are two skulls with jaws in this collection and one specimen includes the skull, jaws and about 15 feet of neck, one paddle and part of body.

Museum Notes Ii

The second expedition, in Montana, obtained considerable material from the Judith River beds, including the greater part of a Trachodon skeleton. From the Fort Benton formation on the Crow Indian Reservation, several new forms of crocodiles were obtained.

The third expedition, in New Mexico, explored a hitherto unnoted deposit of Laramie Cretaceous, finding a large Diclonius skull and jaws. The most notable find, however, was made in the fourth expedition in the Pleistocene Crevasse of Northern Arkansas from which were secured several thousand skulls, jaws and limb bones representing about fifty species, many of which are living, while not a few are extinct forms. The collection is now being worked up and will prove of great interest in showing the range and distribution of many forms.

Museum Notes.

HERE is an increasing demand from teachers for the circulating collections which the Museum loans to public schools. More than a hundred of the schools of the city are using them at the present time. They have been studied by more

than 30,000 children since the schools opened in September. The sets of birds and insects are most popular. This plan of supplying small nature study collections to the elementary schools has attracted considerable attention outside 'the city. Professor A. C. Haddon of the Horniman Museum, London, who, during a recent visit to the Museum, showed great interest in our work and made a careful study of our methods of supplying this material, has written for circulars, labels and other literature relating to this work, in order that he may present the project to the London County Council and persuade it to provide similar collections for the public schools of London.

THE International Congress of Arts and Sciences, at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in September, 1904, brought to this country an unusual number of eminent scientific men, many of whom stopped at the Museum on their way to or from St. Louis.

rr 1s

12 The American Museum Journal

Among the delegates to the Congress who have visited the Museum since September may be mentioned Sir William Ramsay, Sir John Murray, Dr. H. R. Mill, Major A. St. H. Gibbons and Professor Oldham of England and Scotland; Professors Cordier, Grandidier and Thoulet of France; the Graf von Pfeil and Professors Hugo Erdmann and Verworn of Germany; Professors Albrecht Penck and Eugen Oberhummer of Austria; Dr. Bela Er6édi of Hungary; M. de Claparéde of Switzerland; Professor Sraute Arrhenius of Sweden; Commissioner Maldanago of Chili; Dr. Garland of Peru; Colonel Pefia of Mexico; Dr. Arpiazu of Spain, and Professor Kakichi Mitsukuri of Tokyo.

ON the evening of September 13, there was given a joint lecture by Dr. William Hunter Workman and Mrs. Fanny Bullock Workman on " Explorations among the Himalayas," under the auspices of the American Geographical Society and the Museum. The lecture was complimentary to the International Geographic Congress then in session.

OcToOBER 3 Professor Hugo de Vries, the eminent Dutch botanist, was the guest of the Museum.

THE most important accession to the Library during the year has been the gift of the private scientific library of Professor H. C. Bumpus, amounting to more than three hundred volumes and twenty-seven hundred pamphlets. This collection is especially rich in works in comparative anatomy and brings to the Library many valuable works and rare reprints not heretofore owned by the Museum.

THE Department of Geology has recently received a remarkable series of fossils from the beds of Hudson River age near Cincinnati, Ohio. All the specimens are in beautiful condition and many rare forms, especially of Echinoderms, are represented by several specimens.

On December 2, the New York Academy of Sciences held a special meeting at the Museum for the purpose of hearing a lecture by Professor Albrecht Penck of the Imperial University of

Museum Notes 13

Vienna. Professor Penck, who is an Honorary Member of the Academy, chose for his topic '' The Glacial Surface Features of the Alps,'' a subject in which he is an eminent authority on account of the twenty years of almost continuous study that he has given to the valleys of these mountains.

DECEMBER 5, Prince Fushimi of Japan and his staff visited the Museum, spending most of their time in the recently opened Chinese Hall. A reception was tendered the prince by President Jesup and the Trustees of the Museum.

AFTER Mr. Chapman's lecture on '"' The Home Life of Flamingos,'' December 8, the Members of the Museum and their friends had a preliminary view of the Flamingo group and the San Joaquin Valley group which are in course of preparation at the north end of the Hall of North American Birds. These groups are the most elaborate bird groups thus far attempted at the Museum. Like the Cobb's Island group, a large part of the effectiveness of the scene depends upon the painted background which is introduced. The San Joaquin Valley group represents the broad, flat river valley with the Coast Range Mts. in the distance and illustrates the effects of irrigation in an arid country, not only upon the agriculture, but also upon the birds which the ample supply of food has induced to take up their residence in a region otherwise hostile to them. The Flamingo group represents a scene on an uninhabited island in the Bahamas, and has been developed from photographs, birds and accessories which were obtained there by Mr. F. M. Chapman, Associate Curator of Ornithology, last May and June, upon an expedition a summary account of which was given in the October, 1904, number of the JournaL. Mr. Chapman is the first naturalist to behold the flamingos in their home and to observe their nesting habits.

THERE has been installed in the new foyer, a representation of a part of the solar system, which is attracting considerable attention from visitors on account of its unique and instructive character. The sun is represented by an illuminated globe, six inches in diameter, and several of the planets are shown by means of lights of the proper comparative size placed at distances from

14 The American Museum Journal

the globe representing the sun which correspond to the radii of their orbits. With a sun of the diameter chosen, it is possible to get only Mercury, Venus and the Earth into the foyer, which is 112 feet across. Mars is in the West Corridor and Jupiter is at the extreme end of the Wood Hall, 233 feet distant. The orbits of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are so great that they cannot be gotten into the building on the scale selected for the sun. The light for Saturn would have to be placed out in the avenue, while that for Uranus would be twice as far away and that for Neptune would be more than a quarter of a mile from

the sun's globe in the foyer, or nearly half-way across Central Park.

ACTING upon the request made by the New York City Teachers' Association, the Museum arranged a series of informal lectures for school children, which have been given by members of the scientific staff of the Museum on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons during October, November and December. The subjects were selected by the Committee on Children's Interests of the Association, with the purpose of supplementing the regular class-room work. There were twelve lectures in all, each of which was given three times, covering topics in geography, history, astronomy and physiology, and they were given according to the schedule to be found on a succeeding page. At first it was believed that one of our small assembly rooms would be sufficient to accommodate the classes, but this proved entirely inadequate, and the lectures were adjourned to the large auditorium. The lectures have proved so popular that the auditorium has been filled to overflowing, and, in order to accommodate all the pupils who wished to attend the course, the Museum has given extra lectures on some of the topics. The children attend in classes, accompanied by their teachers. From twenty to thirty schools have been represented at each lecture, with from ten to two hundred pupils present from each. Classes have attended from schools from upper Manhattan and the Bronx, the lower East Side, Long Island City, Brooklyn and Staten Island. From October 1 to December 1, more than 20,000 children attended the lectures. The teachers have been warm

Museum Notes 15

in their praise of this effort of the Museum to assist them, and many requests have been received that the course be continued in the spring. One teacher writes: "It is a great event for the little 'East Cide' children to be taken to these lectures, and they always make special preparation days ahead. They heard the lecture on the American Indians October 28, and they have not ceased to talk about it. Every child has written a composition on the lecture."'

Messrs. G. H. Goss and H. D. Dodge of Waterbury, Connecticut, have given the Museum a choice lot of about 250 specimens of beetles collected by themselves on Mt. Kinabalu, British North Borneo.

Mr. J. RuINELANDER DILLon has presented a fine nest of a wild honey-bee (Apis mellifera) built on the branch of a wild cherry tree.

SoME excellent wasps' nests from Brazil have recently been placed on exhibition.

A COLLECTION of butterflies and moths from the province of Yakutsk, Siberia, has been added to the collection.

THE exhibition collection of galls produced by insects has been rearranged and labeled in conformity with Guide Leaflet No. 16 on "The Insect Galls of the Vicinity of New York City."'

Durinc the past year the study collection of the Department of Entomology has been undergoing a complete rearrangement. The various collections which have been kept separate heretofore are being united so as to form a uniform series.

Amonc the instructive models which have been added to the series on exhibition in the Synoptic Hall, 107, are those of several Polyzoa and a huge Synapta. Several sponges have been mounted and tinted with the color of the living specimens as observed on the reefs of the Bahamas.

16 The American Museum Journal

THE Department of Entomology recently received through the generosity of Mr. Samuel V. Hoffman a collection of about 3600 specimens of moths, principally from North America. This valuable addition contains many species new to our collection, as well as many other rare and desirable species.

THROUGH the kindness of Mrs. Edwin J. Benson of New York City, the Museum has obtained a series of 180 photographs from excellent negatives made by her during a particularly interesting trip in South America.

THE fine weather of Thanksgiving Day brought an unusually large number of visitors to the Museum, the total attendance that day being 7127. Much interest was manifested in the special exhibit of game birds appropriate to the day which was temporarily installed in the Main Hall on the second floor, and the auditorium was crowded to listen to a lecture by Dr. E. O. Hovey on "' Russia—The Land and the People."

THE free lecture to the people on Christmas, Monday, December 26, was on '' A Christmas Trip to the Tropics,"' and was delivered by Mr. F. M. Chapman to an audience which crowded the auditorium.

Lectures. Members' Course.

Thursday evenings at 8:15 o'clock.

The following programme was offered for the first part of the season 1904-1905:

November 17, 1904.—Dr. EpmMunp Otis Hovey, " Russia— The Land and the People."'

December 1, 1904.—Dr. WILLIAM Morton WHEELER, "Shore and Island Life of the Bahamas."'

December 8, 1904.—Mr. Frank M. Cuapman, "The Home- Life of Flamingos."'

December 15, 1904.—Prof. BAsHrorD DEan, "The Japanese —Their Social Life and Characteristics."

Lectures 17

January 5, 1905.—Mr. Louis P. Gratacap, " Mines, Quarries and 'Steel Construction.'"'

January 12, 1905.—Prof. ALBERT S. Bickmore, " Western Holland—Middleburg to Helder."

January 19, 1905.—Prof. ALBERT S. Bickmore, " Eastern Holland— Utrecht to Groningen."

The second course for the season will begin in February.

Teachers' Course.

The following lectures were given on Saturday mornings at

10:30 o'clock. October 22.—Mr. Frank M. CHApMAN, " The Birds of Autumn

and their Habits."

October 29.—Mr. FRANK M. CuHapMAn, " The most Profitable Methods of Bird Study for Teachers, Pupils and Bird Lovers."'

November 5.—Dr. EpMunp Oris Hovey, "The Building of a Continent."'

November 12.—-Dr. EpMuNp Otis Hovey, Features of North America and their Origin."'

November 19.—Mr. Louis P. Gratacap, ' How the Parks, Highways and Buildings of our City may be Used as Material for Nature Study."'

November 26.—Mr. Louis P. Gratacap, '"' The Industries of the Sea."

A second Course for Teachers will be given during the winter.

ce

The Physical

People'S Course.

The following lectures were delivered Tuesday and Saturday evenings at 8 o'clock, in co-operation with the Department of Education of the City of New York.

Tuesdays:

October 25.—Dr. WILLIAM E. Grirris, " Life in Korea."

November 1.—Mr. L. G. Leary, " Syria and Palestine."

November 8.—Dr. WiLiiAM E. Grirris, "Street and Outdoor Life in the Mikado's Empire."

November 15.—Mr. FREDERICK A. Nortu, "Siberia,"

18 The American Museum Journal

November 22.—Dr. Tuomas P. HuGueEs, " India."'

November 29.—Mr. D. W. C. Snypkr, '"' How the People Live in Congo Land."'

December 6.—Mr. GERHARDT C. Mars, "Cairo."

December 13.—Mr. FREDERICK E. PartincTon, ' Morocco and Southern Spain."'

Saturdays:

October 29.—Mr. ERNEst INGERSOLL, "Home and Society in Animal Life."

November 5.—Dr. LivINGSToN FARRAND, " Primitive Culture and Types of Primitive Man."

November 12.—Dr. Livincston FARRAND, "Primitive Family Life and Organization."

November 19.—Dr. LIVINGSTON FARRAND, "Industrial Life: Hunting and Fishing."

November 26.—Dr. LIvINGSTON FARRAND, "Industrial Life: Fire-making, Pottery, Weaving."'

December 3.—Dr. LIvINGSTON FARRAND, " Primitive Art."

December 10.—Dr. LIvINGSTON FARRAND, "Primitive Religions and Ceremonials."'

The Free Lectures to the People will be resumed in January, 1905, according to the following programme: Tuesday evenings at 8 o'clock:

January 3.—Prof. WALTER S. Perry, "India: Life, Religion and Art of the Hindus."'

January 10.—Prof. WaLTER S. Perry, "India under the great Mohammedan Conquerors: The Taj Mahal."

January 17.—Prof. WALTER S. Perry, "Spain of To-day, and the Alhambra, the Fairy Palace of Moorish Art."

January 24.—Prof. WALTER S. Perry, "Ceylon, 'The Pearl of India'; and Chinese Cities."

January 31.—Prof. WALTER S. Perry, " Japan: The Life and Customs of Her Remarkable People."

February 7.—Dr. Joun B. Devins, 'Korea and Manchuria: The Land of the Morning Calm and the Gibraltar of China."'

February 14.—Mr. ARTHUR STANLEY Ric6s, "The Real Filipino."

Lectures 19

February 21.—Mr. RoLanp S. Dawson, " Hawaii." February 28.—Mr. L. G. Leary, "Around the Historic Mediterranean."'

Saturday evenings at & o'clock.

A course of eight lectures on Electricity by Professor CHARLES L. HARRINGTON.

January 7.—'' Magnetism."

7 14.—'' Statical Electricity." ™ 21.—'Statical Electricity." - 28.—'' Dynamical Electricity."

February 4.—'' Dynamical Electricity."

" 11.—' Dynamical Electricity." 18.—'' Wireless Telegraphy."' 25.—''Rontgen Rays: Becquerel Rays."'

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Pupils' Course.

The lectures to the pupils of the public schools were given according to the following schedule. The lecturers were Messrs. L. P. GratacaPp, R. W. Tower, E. O. Hovey, H. 1. Smitu and G. H. SHERwoop of the scientific staff of the Museum.

Oct. Mon. 3 31 28 A Little Journey in South America. Nov. Wed. 2 30 Physical Geography from Pictures. Dec. Fri. 7 4 2 Industries of the United States. Mon. 10 7 5 New York City—Past and Present.

Wed. 9 7 Scenes in the Western Hemisphere. Fri. 14 11 g Methods of Transportation—Past and Present. Mon. 17 14 12 The Planets.

Wed. 19 16 14. The Islands of the Sea. 'ri. 21 18 16 Our Wonderful Bodies. Mon. 24 21 19 Distant Asia and Africa. Wed. 26 23 21 A Trip through Europe. Fri. 28 25 The American Indian.

20 The American Museum Journal

Meetings Of Societies.

The meetings of the various societies that make the Museum their home will be continued throughout the quarter. Papers on technical and general scientific subjects are read before these societies. These papers are often of popular character and are always of considerable general interest. The public is invited to attend the meetings, and members of the Museum, on making request of the Director, will be provided with programmes of the meetings as they are published.

The New York Academy of Sciences will hold its meetings as follows, at 8:15 P.M.: First Mondays.—Business meeting and Section of Astronomy, Physics and Chemistry. Second Mondays.—Section of Biology. Third Mondays.—Section of Geology and Mineralogy. Fourth Mondays.—Section of Anthropology and Psychology

On Tuesday evenings on varying dates meetings will be held by the New York Linnean Society, the New York Mineralogical Club and the New York Entomological Society.

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Fossil Carnivores, Marsupials And Small Mammals

In The

American Museum Of Natural History.!

By W. D. Matruew, Pu.D.

Associate Curator of Vertebrate Palzontology. I. CARNIVORA.

THE Carnivora live principally on the flesh of other animals and have teeth and claws adapted to such food. Most of them, however, eke out their proper food, in times of scarcity, or for mere variety, with berries, nuts, bulbs and roots or even with grass, and some, at certain seasons, find little else available. Carnivores have large canine teeth adapted for cutting or for cutting and chewing, but never for grinding. All of them have claws, and they use their feet in a more varied way than do the Herbivora, for seizing and striking as well as for running and jumping. They walk either upon the entire sole of the foot (bears) or upon the under surface of the toes (dogs, cats etc.), never upon the tips of the toes as do the hoofed animals

There are three divisions:

A, CREODONTA, OR PRIMITIVE CARNIVORA. — Extinct land Carnivora with various primitive characters. None now extant.

B, FISSIPEDIA, OR TRUE CARNIVORA. Toes separate; terrestrial or amphibious; preying on land animals. Modern beasts of prey.

C, PINNIPEDIA, OR MARINE CARNIVORA. Web-footed, marine, fish-eating. Seals and Walruses.

Fossil land Carnivora are more numerous and varied than modern kinds. More than 250 fossil species have been described from the United States alone, while but 94 living species are recognized in this country. The majority of the fossil species

1This article forms No. 17 of the Museum series of GuiIDE LEAFLETS and may be obtained in separate form.

24 The American Museum Journal

fall into one or another of the living families and are more or less directly ancestral to the modern beasts of prey. The remainder belong to several extinct branches, not ancestral to any of the modern families, and are combined in the rather heterogeneous group of Creodonta. Seals and Walruses have not been found fossil, except in the most recent deposits, and nothing is known of their evolution.

A. CREODONTA, OR PRIMITIVE CARNIVORA. In all modern Carnivora one tooth in the upper and one in the lower jaw are enlarged and especially adapted to the cutting of flesh. Each consists mainly of a high strong crest, or ridge,

FIG. 2, UPPER AND LOWER TEETH OF THE WOLF Shows the carnassials or flesh-cutting teeth (the fourth premolar in the upper jaw, the first true molar in the lower)

and the two crests, or '' blades,'' work against each other like the blades of a pair of scissors. These teeth are called the "carnassials,'' or flesh-teeth. In all the modern Carnivora the fourth (last) upper premolar and the first lower true molar are the carnassial teeth. The fossil species show the gradual evolution of this specialized tooth in the various families of Carnivores. In the Creodonta, on the other hand, there is either no carnassial tooth, or it is developed from other teeth of the series,—in one group the first upper and second lower true molars, in another the second upper and third lower molars. (Compare Figures 2, 3, 4and 5.)

Fig. 3. Upper And Lower Teeth Of The Lion

Shows the carnassials corresponding to those in the Wolf

Fig. 4. Upper And Lower Teeth Of Hyanodon

Shows the carnassial teeth (second upper and third lower molar)

FIG. 5. UPPER AND LOWER TEETH OF OXYANA Shows the carnassial teeth (first upper and second lower molar)

26 The American Museum Journal

Another characteristic of all modern Carnivora is the union of two bones of the wrist, the scaphoid and lunar, which are distinct in most other animals. This gives additional strength to the thumb side of the very flexible wrist. In the Creodonts, these two bones were separate, and it is probable that they were separate in the earliest ancestors of the true Carnivores. Many

Fig. 6. Fore-Foot Of The Wolf Fig. 7. Fore-Foot Of Hyazanodon

Shows the compact, slender foot, and the Shows the shorter and less compact foot, and the scaphoid and lunar bones of the wrist separate scaphoid, centrale and lunar bones in the united (sc- Zz) as in all true Carnivora wrist (sca, ce, Zum) asin all Creodonta

Creodonts also preserve a small extra bone, the '' centrale,"' which is found now only in monkeys and in certain Insectivora and other small mammals. This bone seems to have been generally present in the ancient mammals.

The most ancient Creodonts are of especial interest to students, because they are thought to represent more nearly than any other fossils known, the central stock from which most modern mammals have descended. They appear already numerous

Fossil Carnivora 27

and varied, at the dawn of the Age of Mammals, and the different kinds become more and more specialized throughout the Eocene epoch. Meanwhile the true Carnivores appear in increasing numbers and gradually crowd out the Creodonts until the last of them has disappeared by the end of the Oligocene epoch. In their evolution the different Creodont groups specialized on much the same lines of development as those the true Carnivores took

. ; Quaternaryor Tertiary, or Age of Mammals tne ff Mon Eoc ene Oligocene\ Miocene Pliocene \""e!sto- Recent Basal Lower Middle Upper secon

tH; LY

Diagram showing how the true Carnivora crowded out the

Crodunta or Primitive Carnivora during the Tertiary Period. WS Creadonta. ZA True Carnivora.

Fig. 8

afterwards. They were more or less wolf-like, weasel-like, catlike or bear-like, according to the nature of their food and the manner of attacking their prey.

Fossil remains of flesh-eating animals are by no means as common as those of Herbivora, and the remains of Creodonts are especially rare, and mostly fragmentary. The great majority have been found in the Eocene fossil fields of the Western United States. This Museum is peculiarly rich in these rare and interesting fossils. Out of the 113 American species it possesses all the known specimens of 50 and the types or other good

28 The American Museum Journal

specimens of 48 others (including three complete mounted skeletons), while only 15 species are not represented.

Fig. 9. Upper And Lower Teeth Of Tricentes

Represents the most primitive type of teeth of the Carnivora, with no specialized carnassials, Natural size

Oxyclanidz.

Types: Chriacus, Tricentes, Deltatheritum. Upper and lower jaws.

Small primitive animals with unspecialized teeth resembling those of lemurs. Only fragmentary specimens have been found, and but little is known about them. They are the most ancient group of the Creodonts and appear to have been nearest to the central stock from which the other Creodonts and Carnivores are descended. They are found only in the Basal Eocene.

Arctocyonida.

Types: Arctocyon, skull (cast) ; Clenodon, jaws and feet; Anacodon, jaws.

Bear-like omnivorous Creodonts with sharp canine teeth and the crowns of the molars flattened and wrinkled on the surface. The animal walked on the entire sole of the foot, and had large sharp claws like the modern bears. As in all these ancient mammals the brain was very small, as can be seen in the skull of Arctocyon.

Palaonictida.

Paleonictis, front of skull and jaws.

This rare and primitive group of Creodonts is thought by some authors to be the remote ancestor of the Cat family. It is found only in the Lower Eocene.

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Fossil Carnivora 31 Oxy Anid.

Types: Oxyena and Patriofelis, skeletons.

Somewhat resembling the larger Mustelines, such as the Otter and the Wolverine, with short heavy jaws adapted to seize and hold their prey, with long body and with short powerful limbs adapted for leaping, climbing or swimming, but not for swift running. The tail was extraordinarily long, and was larger than in any of the modern Carnivora. The teeth were adapted for flesh-eating, the first upper and second lower molar being enlarged and specialized for cutting the flesh. (See Fig. 5.)

Oxyena, from the Lower Eocene, was about as large as a Wolverine. The head is disproportionately large, and the tail as long as the entire body and head. The brain-case is very small, and the space for jaw-muscles very large, the whole organization much inferior to that of modern flesh-eaters. Powerful and savage it no doubt was, but far from having the keen intelligence, speed and endurance of the Carnivora of to-day.

The mounted skeleton of this rare animal is due to a fortunate accident. In the Cope Collection there was an incomplete and fragmentary skeleton collected in 1881 in Northern Wyoming by Dr. J. L. Wortman. In 1891 Dr. Wortman, while collecting for this Museum in the same region, discovered another fragmentary skeleton, also incomplete. After the purchase of the Cope Collection by the Museum, these two specimens were compared and found to be parts of the same individual, together constituting a nearly complete skeleton, which has been mounted and placed on exhibition, with the missing parts restored in tinted plaster.

In Oxyena the last upper molar has disappeared, and the second possesses a large shearing blade placed transversely to that of the first molar. In Patriofelis of the Middle Eocene the second molar has become very small, and all the flesh-cutting is done by the first molar, shearing against the second lower molar. The teeth are therefore a stage farther advanced in specialization.

The Patriofelts skeleton is composed of two individuals of the same species which were found at the same horizon and locality. The animal was about as large as a jaguar, and massively pro-

32 The American Museum Journal

portioned, with short heavy limbs and broad blunt-clawed feet. It has been thought that Patriofelis was of aquatic habits, and more or less nearly ancestral to the Seals; but it was more probably terrestrial, as its teeth indicate adap'ation to flesh food, not to fish eating. The limbs and face most nearly resemble those of the short-legged Mustelines, otter, mink etc., among modern animals, and some of these are aquatic or semi-aquatic; but this resemblance may be merely because in both animals the limbs are short and heavy.

Hy 2NODONTID2.

Types: Sinopa, skull and other parts; Hyenodon, skeleton and skulls.

Two groups of animals are included in this family, one represented by Sznopa, small long-bodied weasel-like animals with teeth little specialized, suggesting those of the Opossum, the other by Hyenodon, which was larger, proportioned more like the Tasmanian Wolf, with teeth highly specialized for flesh-cutting. The first group was probably arboreal, the second terrestrial in habit.

In Sinopa, which was characteristic of the Eocene, the crowns of the molars are triangular and each has a longitudinal shearing edge ia front and one transverse. In Hyenodon of the Oligocene the transverse shear has disappeared completely, the longitudinal shear is concentrated especially on the third lower and second upper molar, the third upper molar has disappeared, and the teeth are as highly specialized for flesh-cutting as those of the living Cats. (See Fig. 3.)

Hyenodon lived during the Oligocene epoch and was the last survivor of the Creodonts. In proportions it singularly resembles the Thylacine, or Tasmanian Wolf, of the rough bush-land of Tasmania. The head is of very large size, with long jaws and large teeth, adapted to snapping rather than seizing and holding on to the prey. The feet had large, rather blunt claws, not retractile, and the animal appears to have walked on the toes, like the dogs and cats, not resting the sole on the ground as do the bears. (See Fig. 6.) A finely preserved skeleton and several skulls from the Big Badlands of South Dakota are mounted in the collection. The largest skull is nearly a foot long.

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Fossil Carnivora

os) ul

MESONYCHID2. Type: Mesonyx, skull etc, Wali-case No. 6.

These animals had the limbs and feet specialized for swift running, and the feet tipped with flat hoof-like claws. The teeth are quite peculiar, they have no shearing edges, and the crown is composed of three rather high blunt-topped conical cusps. In

Fig. 12. Skull Of Mesonyx

Upper Eocene of Utah. After Osborn

the upper jaw these are in a triangle, one cusp inside, two outside; in the lower jaw they are in series, the central one being much the highest.

The Mesonychidz are found in all the Eocene strata from the oldest to the youngest, and show a series illustrating the gradual evolution of their peculiar type of tooth. The massive bluntcusped teeth, generally very much worn, suggest that they were used for crushing bones or other hard food, and that the animal fed upon carrion, like the modern hyzna. (See Fig. 1.)

36 The American Museum Journal

B. Fissipedia, Or True Carnivora.

There are seven ' families of living Carnivora, four of which are cosmopolitan, being found in all the continents except Australia, while one (the Raccoons) is peculiar to America, and two (the Civets and the Hyznas) are peculiar to the Old World. The families are:

1. Ursip&, or Bears (Black Bear, Grizzly, Polar Bear etc.). 2. Procyonip&, or Raccoons (Raccoon and some rarer animals).

3. Canip&, or Dogs (Wolves, Foxes, Jackals).

4. VIVERRIDA, or Civets (Civet, Mongoose etc.).

5. MusTELip&, or Mustelines (Weasel, Otter, Badger, Skunk etc. ).

6. FerLip&, or Cats (Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Puma, Lynx etc.).

7. HyYANIDA&, or Hyzenas.

The predaceous animals of Australia and the islands near to it are all Marsupials, or Pouched Mammals, except a wild Dog which was probably introduced by man. The range of the families of true Carnivora in former geological epochs was the same as now, except that South America had no true Carnivores until the Pliocene epoch, their place being taken by carnivorous Marsupials related to those which still inhabit Australia. In general the fossil true Carnivores are placed without difficulty in one or another of the families still surviving; but the earliest known ancestors of all these families were so much alike that it is hardly possible to say in which family they should be placed, and they are conveniently grouped together under the name of VIVERRAVIDA, or Ancient Civets, as the Civets among all the modern Carnivores are least altered from the primitive stock. As time went on these primitive Carnivora became more clearly differentiated, so that in the Miocene epoch all the modern families are easily distinguishable. (See Fig. 8.)

™ Besides these seven families there are a few rare and peculiar Carnivora which are placed in families by themselves, but these are of no geological importance and need not be considered here.

Mbbs Ls

FOSSIL CARNIVORA 37 UrsID&, OR BEARS.

The Ursidz, or Bears, are the largest living Carnivora, and are not exceeded in size by any one of the extinct forms. They are less strictly carnivorous than most of the others, since they live in large part upon berries, nuts, roots and other vegetable food. The Polar Bear is an exception, feeding entirely upon animal food, fish and seals. Skulls of two extinct bears are shown in the collection, the Californian and European Cave-Bears.

FIG. 13. TOP VIEW OF SKULL OF PHLAOCYON A link between raccoons and primitive dogs. Lower Miocene of Colorado. Natural size

These -get their name from the fact that their remains are chiefly found in caves, where they hibernated, probably, during the cold season, as do modern bears.

Procyonida, Or Raccoons.

The Procyonidz are found only in North and South America, with the exception of the Panda of India, which is doubtfully referred to this family. Fossil raccoons very much like the living species are found in the Pleistocene strata of various parts of the United States, and in cave deposits. In the Oligocene and Miocene epochs lived two more primitive genera which

aaa

38 The American Museum Journal

illustrate the evolution of these animals from the primitive civet-like Carnivora of the Eocene epoch. The Miocene stage, Leptarctus, is very little known; only a lower jaw and an upper tooth have been found. Of the Oligocene stage, Phlaocyon, a nearly complete skeleton was found in 1898, of which the skull, jaws, limbs and feet are on exhibition. This unique specimen is one of the best preserved fossil Carnivores in the collection. It is intermediate between the civet-like ancestors of the dogs (Daphenus and Cynodictts) and the modern raccoons. The

Fig. 14. Under Side Of Skull Of Phlaocyon

A link between raccoons and primitive dogs. Lower Miocene of Colorado. Natural size

shape of the skull is raccoon-like, but the number of teeth is the same as in the dogs, while their form is intermediate between the two types. The limbs and feet are also intermediate. It is probable, therefore, that the Dogs and Raccoons are derived from a common ancestral stock. Specimens found in Europe indicate that the Bears are likewise derived from this common stock, and that the three families have diverged, the Dogs becoming terrestrial flesh-eaters, living largely in open country, the Bears omnivorous and living in the woods, the Raccoons omnivorous and arboreal.

FOSSIL CARNIVORA 39 CANIDA, OR Docs.

The living species of Canidze—Wolves, Coyotes, Foxes—are found only in the most recent deposits (Pleistocene). A great variety of extinct species is known, some of which are the ancestors of modern forms, while others belong to side branches which have not survived. Most remarkable of these side branches were the Amphicyons or Bear-like Dogs, some of which were of huge size, equalling the modern Polar Bear—see skull and backbone of Dinocyon in wall-case No. 8. A large series of skulls of vari-

FIG. 15. SKULL OF DINOCYON A gigantic extinct dog from the Upper Miocene of Texas. One-fourth natural size

ous extinct Dogs of the Oligocene and Miocene epochs is shown in the table-case. These indicate the evolution of the modern species from animals much more like the Civets in proportions and in the character of their teeth. It has been possible to trace out the probable direct lineage of at least two of the modern dogs, the Dhole of India, and certain South American foxes, through these North American fossil species. Other fossil species belong to races of Canids now extinct.

The increase in brain capacity from ancient to modern animals is well shown in this series of skulls. All ancient Dogs had small brains of inferior organization tc their modern descendants.

40 The American Museum Journal Viverravid.

Type: Viverravus, skull etc. Table-case.

The Viverravide resemble the modern Civets more nearly than any other modern Carnivora. They differ from them in fact in various primitive characters not very noticeable. The brain-case is much smaller in proportion; the scaphoid and lunar bones are sometimes not united; but the form and number of the teeth and proportions of the body were not different from those of modern Civets, except that the skull was large: and the limbs were shorter. They were probably the ancestors of the modern Carnivora, except the Cat family. (See Fig 8.)

Viverrida, Or Civets.

A few specimens of fossil Civets from Europe are shown in the collection. They are not found fossil in America, but it is probable that they are descended, without much change in character, from the Viverravide shown in the opposite side of the same table-case.

MUuUSTELID&, OR MUSTELINES. Types: Bunelurus, Plesictis, Mustela, Conepatus, skulls.

The Mustelines are mostly small or of medium size, savage and blood-thirsty, solitary and forest-loving or aquatic. The Otters are aquatic and live mainly on fish; the Badgers are burrowing animals, and live mainly on burrowing rodents etc.; the Martens, Ferrets and Skunks are arboreal and terrestrial.

These different kinds of Mustelines seem to have separated as early as the Oligocene epoch, for even then we find Martens, Skunks and Otters distinguishable. But they were much more alike then than now, and all of them have many characters linking them with the Civets, indicating that the two families had a common origin. Compare the difference in teeth between Bunelurus and Potamotherium with the difference between their modern

descendants the Marten and the Otter; also compare the Bunelurus teeth and skull with those of a civet. Note also the comparatively small brains of the Oligocene Mustelines as Bunelurus and Plesictis. Their Miocene descendants (e. g., Mustela ogygia

Fossil Carnivora 41

skull) had larger brain capacity, and the modern forms still larger and better-developed brains. This indicates that slow but steady

Fig. 16. Skull Of The Primit:Ve Musteline Bunalurus

Oligocene of Colorado. Three-halves natural size. Viewed from the under side to show the teeth

increase in intelligence which has occurred in almost all the lines of evolution among quadrupeds. Superiority of brain is the final test by which, in the long run, the persistence of a race is decided.

on elle emt

Fig. 17. Skull Of Mustela Ogygcia

An extinct species of marten, from the Middle Miocene of Colorado. Side view, natural size

FELIDA, OR CATs.

(Sabre-Tooth Tigers)

Types: the mounted skeletons of Smilodon and Hoplophoneus, skeleton of Dinictis in block, skulls of Hoplophoneus, Dinictis, Archelurus.

42 The American Museum Journal

Almost all the fossil Cats belong to a division now extinct, in which the upper canine teeth were enlarged into great curving, flattened, sharp-edged tusks, sometimes seven inches long.

Smilodon of the Pleistocene epoch was as large as a polar bear, and exceedingly muscular, especially in the great massive fore-limbs. The claws in the mounted skeleton (upright case) are larger than the largest lion claws. One of the great tusks is complete, the other was broken off during the lifetime of the

F.G. 18. THE GREAT SARBE-TOOTH TIGER, SMILODON Pleistocene of South America. Restoration by Wolff. Courtesy of Dr. Elliott

animal, for the stump shows evidence of considerable wear after it was broken. This skeleton was found near Buenos Aires in Argentina along with the remains of gigantic ground-sloths (\egatherium) and tortoise-armadillos (Glyptodon) which may well have been the prey of this most terrible of all the Carnivora. But the Smilodons ranged all over the New World, and like the nearly allied AJ/acherodus, which was distributed over all the northern continents, were contemporaries of primitive man. Whether our palzolithic ancestors ventured to contend with this gigantic foe, we do not know, but the structure of its skeleton indicates that, although more powerful than the lion and the

Fossil Carnivora 43

tiger, it was not nearly so active and intelligent, and that it was fitted to prey upon the slow-moving giant pachyderms of the Quaternary rather than upon active, alert and intelligent animals, least of all perhaps upon man. In the extinction of the Sabre-Tooth Tiger we may rather regret the passing away of a singular and magnificent type of the beasts of prey than rejoice over the disappearance of a dangerous enemy to the human race.

The ancestral Sabre-Tooth Tigers of the older geological epochs were smaller and less specialized. The skeleton of Hop-

FIG. 19. SKULL AND LOWER JAW OF DINICTIS Primitive Sabre-Tooth Tiger from the Oligocene of Colorado. One-half natural size

lophoneus illustrates their general character and size. This is the most perfect specimen in the collection, every bone being present, and all, with a few unimportant exceptions, complete and perfectly preserved. Hoplophoneus was proportioned somewhat like a leopard, but with shorter smaller limbs and very short spreading feet. Dzinictis had longer limbs, but the teeth were less specialized. Archelurus and Nimravus were more primitive types, linking the Sabre-Tooth with the ancestors of the true Cats.

Habits of the Sabre-Tooth Tigers. The modern great Cats kill their prey usually by biting it in the neck so as to break the spinal column. They pursue as a rule the long-necked, thin-skinned

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44 The American Museum Journal

ruminants, which are the most abundant herbivores of to-day, seldom molesting the short-necked, thick-skinned pachyderms such as the rhinoceros and the elephant. The Sabre - Tooth appears to have used his great canine fangs in a quite different method of attack; the whole structure of the animal indicates that he struck them forcibly into the side of his prey, the mouth gaping wide meanwhile, and then presumably withdrew them with a ripping, tearing stroke, leaving a great gash whereby a

FIG. 20. THE HEAD OF SMILODON. OUTLINE RESTORATION To show the widely gaping jaw. By Chas. R. Knight

large animal would soon bleed to death. By this method he would be peculiarly fitted to attack the great pachyderms, with which his exceptional muscular strength especially fitted him to cope while his lack of speed and agility would render him much less dangerous to the swift-footed ruminants and horses of the time. We may infer therefore that, while the true Cats were evolved to prey upon the larger swift running quadrupeds and developed speed and agility to catch their prey, the Sabre-Tooth was evolved to prey upon the powerful and massive contingent of the Herbivora, and developed enormous muscular strength and peculiar weapons of attack to cope with these animals.

The true Cats are not common as fossils, and our collections

Fossil Chiroptera 45

contain only a few fragmentary specimens. They can be traced back as far as the Oligocene epoch, without any great change in character, but their earlier history is a blank. It appears probable that they are derived along with the Sabre-Tooth Tigers from some undiscovered group of Creodonts more nearly related to Pale@onictis than to any other known fossil type.

Hy ANIDA, oR Hy4NAs.

Fossil Hyznas are common in the cave deposits of the Old World, but none have been found in this country. In the older formations of Europe there has been found a series of extinct forms which appear to connect the Hyenas with primitive Civets (/ctitherium, Palhyena). These are not represented in our collections.

C. Pinnipedia, Or Seals.

This group of Carnivora is exclusively adapted to marine life. They are found fossil in sediments of marine origin, but are very rare, and. nothing is known of their evolution. They are almost unrepresented in our collections. An incomplete skull of an extinct species of Walrus found near Atlantic City, N. J., shows that the range of this animal formerly extended much farther south than now.

Ii. Chiroptera, Or Bats.

The Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight, although there are certain kinds of squirrels, marsupials and the so-called '' flying lemurs,'' which can extend portions of the skin into a sort of parachute to.assist them in taking long leaps from bough to bough. The wings of Bats are chiefly an extension of the skin membrane between the fingers, which are greatly elongated; those of birds on the contrary are chiefly composed of feathers which grow from the whole length of the arm and hand, although mainly from the second digit of the hand.

Fossil remains of Bats are exceedingly rare except in cave deposits, and do not teach us much about the evolution of this singular group of mammals. They resemble the Insectivora more than any other

46 The American Museum Journal

order in teeth and skull, but we know practically nothing of when or how the great wing-membranes were developed, except that they must have been of very ancient origin, for in the Oligocene epoch this feature was as fully formed as now. A few fragmentary jaws and wing bones are shown in the collection.

Ill. INSECTIVORA. Hedgehogs, Moles, Shrews etc. Table-case.

Small mammals of rather inferior organization with claws on the toes five digits on each foot, simple teeth with sharp cusps on the crowns and no gnawing teeth.

The Insectivora are an order of animals defeated and disappearing in the struggle for existence, owing to the superior

FIG. 21. SKULL OF THE HEDGEHOG. A surviving type of the insectivora. Natural size

intelligence or better adaptation of their competitors. To escape utter destruction they have been forced into one or another peculiar mode of existence or method of defense, or have been driven to take refuge in the remoter corners of continents or in oceanic islands, where competition is less severe. The Hedgehogs have survived by virtue of their stout and efficient prickly coat, which deters almost any carnivorous animal from meddling with them. The Moles have taken refuge in the earth, where their rivals are few, and they are out of reach of most enemies. The Shrews are partly protected by their unpleasant odor, partly by their small size, nocturnal habits and burrowing or otherwise

Fossil Insectivora 47

concealing themselves. The other Insectivora are inhabitants of the larger tropical islands—Cuba, Madagascar and some East Indian islands—or of South Africa, but have disappeared from the great northern continents, Europe, Asia and North America, where the struggle for existence has been most severe and where all the higher types of mammals have been evolved.

The Insectivora are a very ancient order of mammals, and in past geological periods they were of more importance than now; in fact they have been considered by many scientists as representing more nearly than any other living order the primitive central group from which all other mammals have descended. Through the "'Age of Mammals"' they progressed less than most other orders and several families of them became extinct during that time, while the Moles and Shrews diverged from nearly similar habits to their present peculiarities, and the Hedgehogs, probably, acquired their coat of spines.

FIG. 22. ICTOPS ACUTIDENS Upper and lower teeth, showing the " tritubercular" molars. Oligocene Epoch, Montana. Twice natural size

LEPTICTID2, OR PRIMITIVE HEDGEHOGS. Extinct.

Tritubercular molar teeth. Two incisors in upper dentition. Premolars unreduced, the last one molariform. Tibia and fibula fused, ulna and radius separate. Size and proportions like the modern

48 The American Museum Journal

Hedgehog, skull long and pointed. Eocene and Oligocene epochs, North America.

A series of skulls of 'these little animals is shown in the table case. They differ from the true Hedgehogs in many archaic characters and there is no reason to suppose that they wore a prickly coat. The "'tritubercular'' teeth are a primitive characteristic.

ERINACEIDA, OR HEDGEHOGs. Living.

Quadritubercular molar teeth. Three incisors in upper dentition. Premolars often small, sometimes reduced in number, the last one molariform. Tibia and fibula united, ulna and radius separate. Skull rather short in the Hedgehog, long and pointed in certain allied East Indian animals. Oligocene to Recent epochs, Europe and America.

Part of the skull of a true Hedgehog of an extinct genus, Proterix, from the Oligocene of South Dakota, is shown in the table case, besides jaws of the Miocene genus Galerix from Europe.

Tupajidz, Or Tree-Shrews.

Living. Borneo.

Macroscelid2, Or Jumping-Shrews.

Living. Africa. SORICID2, OR SHREWS.

Living. Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America.

Incisors and premolars reduced in number, the incisors forming a pair of sharp-pointed pincers, molars quadritubercular. No zygomatic arch. Oligocene to Recent. Europe and North America.

More than half of the species of living Insectivora come under this family, but all are of small size, mostly nocturnal, hiding in burrows or beneath leaves or roots during the day. They feed on insects, for which purpose the pincer-like incisors and the sharp little cusps of the molar teeth are well adapted. Fossil Shrews are found in the Oligocene and later formations of both Europe and North America, but only fragmentary remains have been discovered. A few are on exhibition.

FOSSIL INSECTIVORA 49 TALPIDA, OR MOLEs.

Living. Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. Eocene to Recent in Europe and North America.

Completely subterranean; fossorial or burrowing. Incisors not pincer-like. A zygomatic arch present. Fore-limb very short and powerful, specialized for digging.

A small skull of a primitive Mole, Proscalops, from the Miocene of Colorado is on exhibition. It is Shrew-like in several respects, showing an approach between the now distinct families of Moles and Shrews. Other fragmentary remains of Moles are shown.

Potamogalid2.

Living. Madagascar and West Africa. Aquatic animals with long eel-like tails. SOLENODONTID.

Living. Cuba and Hayti. CENTETIDA.

Living. Madagascar. Fossil species supposed to be related to these animals are found in the Eocene (Centetodon) and Lower Oligocene (Microp-

FIG. 23. MICROPTERNODUS BOREALIS A small and primitive extinct insectivore. Lower jaw, inner and outer view, twice natural size. Oligocene Epoch, Montana

ternodus) of North America. This and the following family are more primitive than any other mammalia in the construction of their teeth.

i ae

50 The American Museum Journal

Chrysochlorida.

Living. South Africa.

These are known as Cape Golden Moles and take the place of the true Moles in South Africa. A fossil species has been found in the Miocene of Patagonia, indicating that they formerly inhabited both southern continents.

Adapisoricida.

Extinct. Lower Eocene. France. Imperfectly known. DIMYLID2.

Extinct. Lower Miocene. Europe.

Only two molars in upper and lower jaw, the second quite small. Premolars reduced, no canine. Jaws are exhibited in the table-case.

IV. RODENTIA, OR GNAWERS. Mice, Squirrels, Beavers, Hares, Porcupines etc. Small mammals with claws on the toes, five digits on each foot,

the teeth reduced in number, a pair of upper and lower incisors specialized for gnawing. The gnawing teeth grow continually from per-

FIG. 24. SKULL OF THE RAT The most familiar type of the rodentia. Natural size

sistent pulps, during the lifetime of the animal. They have enamel only on the anterior surface and wear to a chisel-like edge which is continually renewed by the more rapid wear of the dentine behind the enamel.

The Rodents are the most numerous group of mammals, but they are almost allsmail. There are probably now more different

Fossil Rodentia 51

species of rodents than of all the other mammals put together, and they are found in all sorts of places; some are terrestrial, others arboreal, others fossorial or subterranean, others amphibious. They live chiefly on vegetable food, such as grasses, fruit and nuts.

During the Tertiary period Rodents were probably equally numerous; but their remains are so small that they are apt to escape the attention of collectors. Even so they are among the most common of fossil mammals. Most of them belong to families still living.

Murip&. Rats, Mice, Muskrats, Meadow-mice etc.

This is the largest group of the Rodents; there are more than 170 recognized species in North America alone. Several species have been found rather abundant in the American Badland formations. In the White River beds, Eumys, allied to the White-footed Mouse, is common; Paciculus, allied to the Wood- Rat, is found in the John Day beds; Muskrats and Meadow-mice occur in the Pleistocene.

GEoMYID&. Pocket Gophers.

Found only in North America. Fossil Pocket Gophers occur in the John Day and later formations in the Western States.

HETEROMYID2. Pocket Mice.

Found only in North America. Fossil Pocket Mice are rather common in the White River and John Day formations.

SCIURID2. Squirrels, Prairie Dogs, Woodchucks etc.

Fossil Squirrels, not easily distinguishable from the modern forms, are found in the Oligocene and later formations of the United States. Prairie-Dogs occur in the Pleistocene.

HAPLODONTIIDZ, OR SEWELLELS. Oligocene to Recent.

The Sewellel, or Mountain Beaver, is a peculiar little burrowing Rodent found only in the western Coast Region of North

Eee

52 The American Museum Journal

America. A tiny fossil Rodent, Meniscomys of the Oligocene epoch, is thought to be ancestral to it.

FIG. 25 THE HORNED RODENT, CERATOGAULUS Skull and lower jaw. Middle Miocene of Colorado. Natural size

MYLAGAULID2. Extinct. Miocene.

Curious little Rodents with digging claws on the fore-feet, very wide short head and peculiar teeth. One skull in the case, the Ceratogaulus, or Horned Rodent, shows a large boss indicating a horn on the nose, which gives it an odd likeness to a rhinoceros skull. They are very rare fossils, found only in North America.

CASTORID&. Beavers. Oligocene to Recent.

Fossil Beavers of small size have been found in the Tertiary beds of both America and Europe and several skulls are shown in the collection. In the Quaternary beds are found remains of Beavers scarcely to be distinguished from the living species.

ee

Po PrN

mn cnn mene Maes emma nn

Fossil Rodentia 53

Extinct. Eocene and Oligocene.

These were Rodents with teeth more or less like Squirrels, but with skulls more like those of Porcupines and Beavers. They are more ancient than any living rodent families, for they were common in the Lower and Middle Eocene, while no other rodents appear until the Upper Eocene. Several skulls and parts of skeletons of /schyromys, Paramys etc. are on exhibition.

Castoroidida.

Extinct. Pleistocene.

Intermediate between beavers and hystricomorphs, but of very large size. Castor ohioensits equalled a black bear in size. A skull and jaw of this rare animal are shown in wall case No. 8. Its remains are usually found in bogs, along with those of the mastodon.

SoutH AMERICAN RODENTS.

All the extinct and most of the living Rodents of South America belong to a division more nearly related to the porcupine than to anything else. Some of the living ones, as the Paca and Capybara are of quite large size.

A series of skulls and jaws of extinct rodents from the Miocene of South America is exhibited in the table-case.

There are certain extinct European Rodent families which are thought to be more nearly related to the South American Rodents than to any others, and the remains of several of these forms are exhibited in the case for comparison beside them.

Leporidz. Hares And Rabbits.

In the White River Badlands remains of fossil Hares are very abundant. They are more primitive than the modern species in the construction of the teeth, and are placed in the genus Paleolagus (''Ancient Hare''). In the later formations of America the rabbits belong to the modern genus Lepus.

54 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL LAGOMYID. Picas, or Tailless Hares.

These are little animals looking like small Rabbits, but have fewer teeth. They are found in high mountain regions in the Old World and likewise in western North America. They have

Fig. 26. Skull Of Palzaolagus

An ancestor of the hares. Oligocene of Colorado. Natural size

been found fossil in Europe, but in America occur only in the latest geological epoch; in the Old World they seem to have taken the place of the true Hares, which were limited to the New World until the end of the Tertiary period.

V. Marsupialia.

All the living marsupials are inhabitants of Australia and the adjacent islands, except the Opossums and a rare genus of Rat-

FIG. 27. SKULL OF THE OPOSSUM Shows the peculiar dentition of the marsupials. Half natural size

Kangaroos from South America. In Australasia they take the place of the mammals of the other continents, none of which occurs

a

Fossil Rodentia 55

there.' Fossil marsupials related to the existing ones of the same region are found in Australia; one gigantic extinct Wombat, Diprotodon, is shown in case 6. In South America in the Miocene strata are found remains of various carnivorous marsupials and also of Rat-Kangaroos; a skull and other materials are shown in the collection. In the Eocene and Oligocene of Europe and North America, are found small jaws scarcely to be separated from those of the Opossum except by size. The primitive trituberculates of the Cretaceous period, in the tablecase, may also have been marsupials.

Vi. Multituberculates.

This ancient group of mammals lived during the Age of Reptiles, and became extinct at the beginning of the Age of Mammals. Only jaws, teeth and other fragmentary remains have been found, and it is quite uncertain whether the group is related to the Marsupials or to the Monotremes (Ornithorlynchus etc.). Some resemble the Marsupial Rat-Kangaroos, others mimic the Rodents in form. The largest and best known is Polymastodon of the basal Eocene; the oldest shown in the case is the tiny Ctenacodon of the Jurassic period. Chtrox and Ptilodus of the Cretaceous and basal Eocene are most like the Rat- Kangaroos.

Vii. Mesozoic Trituberculates.

A number of very small and fragmentary jaws and teeth of Trituberculates from strata of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of the Age of Reptiles are exhibited here. They are interesting because they are the most ancient of mammals and show the method of their evolution from reptilian ancestors. Some are thought to be related to the Marsupials, others more nearly to the Insectivores, but until more perfect specimens are found, little can really be stated with certainty about them. Enlarged models of three of these specimens are shown in the case, besides casts and original specimens of many more.

™ The only exceptions are the dingo, or wild dog, which was probably introduced by man and a few small rodents and bats.

56 The American Museum Journal

The Dromatherium and Microconodon casts and models represent two little jaws which are' the oldest mammals known. They were found in the Triassic coal-beds of North Carolina, and have a type of teeth intermediate between the primitive three-cusped form of mammals and the simple one-cusped tooth of Reptiles.

The Origin Of Mammals.

The several groups of small and mostly primitive mammals which we have gone over in this guide-leaflet furnish a great deal of evidence, direct and indirect, as to the characters and appearance of the ancestral group or groups from which all mammals are supposed to be descended.

The most ancient mammals, the Multituberculates and Mesozoic Trituberculates of the Age of Reptiles, are known only from rare and very fragmentary remains and many more or less contradictory hypotheses have been advocated as to the relations of these little known groups to the Tertiary mammals which succeeded them and to the lower vertebrates (reptiles and amphibians) which preceded them in geological history. The consensus of present opinion is that mammals in general evolved from an unknown stock of reptiles most nearly related to the Theriodontia: which flourished at the end of the Palaeozoic era; that they soon split into two branches, one of which (Monotremes) survives without very great change in the egg-laying mammals of Australia. The other more progressive branch again split, one division giving rise to the Marsupials, the other to the Placentals, the latter including all the remaining groups of mammals. The Multituberculates represent a side branch, but whether of Marsupials or of Monotremes is uncertain. The Trituberculates of the Mesozoic era were more nearly in the direct line; some appear to be in the Marsupial branch, others more doubtfully in the Placental branch. But all these conclusions are largely hypothetical.

When we come to the Tertiary mammals, we can speak much more certainly, as these are far more completely known. All the modern races of mammals, as we trace them back towards their

1 Exhibited in the Hall of Fossil Reptiles, south side.

:

Origin Of Mammalia 57

beginnings, approximate more and more towards a central type which is most nearly represented among known fossils by the earliest Creodonta (Oxyclzenidz) of the dawn of the Tertiary. The Insectivora and Rodentia are also groups of mammals which in most respects have not departed very far from this primitive type. Its general characters are, (1) Small size; (2) Small brain of low organization; (3) Forty-four teeth of simple construction, with sharp cusps, the molars, premolars, canines and incisors of different form, the molars having the "tritubercular'' pattern; (4) Limbs and neck flexible and of moderate length, tail very long and powerful, probably prehensile; (5) Feet with five digits on each foot, claws on the toes, the thumb more or less opposable.

These characters appear to indicate an arboreal mode of life rather than any other, and we may suppose that during the Age of Reptiles the ancestors of the mammals were tree-living animals, feeding chiefly upon insects. They were insignificant in size and unimportant in numbers, quite overshadowed by the great and numerous reptilian fauna which flourished during that long era. They possessed, however, the two most important elements of final success in the evolutionary struggle; a brain which, though inferior to that of their descendants, was superior to the brain of all other contemporary vertebrates, and a construction of the joints of limbs and feet more mechanically perfect than in any other animals. By the further improvement and elaboration of these factors of success, they were enabled to displace all their rivals, and become dominant upon land and to some extent upon the sea. Their invasion of the aérial province, already occupied by the highly developed and specialized birds, has been less successful, but of the once dominant reptile fauna of the land, almost nothing remains. The triumphant mammals have branched and re-branched, diverged into countless specializations in adaptation to peculiar modes of life, some of which have survived, while others have become extinct, but always the prime factors of success in the long run have been those which gave them their original advantage over their reptile competitors. Finally the truth that the supremacy in intelligence is first in importance, is best illustrated by the present dominance of man over the whole terrestrial world.

The American Museum Journal

Bibliography.

This Guide is based principally upon the various scientific studies of specimens in this collection, carried on mostly by members of the staff of this department, which have been published in the Bulletin and Memoirs of the Museum. Upon request, copies of these publications will be loaned to students and others interested in the subject of fossil mammals.

The following books are recommended for collateral reading:

1. Popular descriptions of living animals.

Stone and Cram. American Animals. Doubleday, Page & Co. New York, 1902.

Hornaday. American Natural History. Chas. Scribner's Sons. New York, 1904.

Flower and Lydekker. Mammals Living and Extinct. A. & C. Black. London, 1891.

Lydekker. The New Natural History. Merrilland Baker. New

York, 1902. Lydekker. Mostly Mammals. Dodd, Mead & Co., New York,

Beddard. Mammalia. Cambridge Nat. Hist. Series, Vol. X. The Macmillan Co.

2. Anatomy and classification.

Flower. Introduction to the Osteology of the Mammalia. Macmillan & Co. London, 188s.

Mivart. The Cat, an Introduction to Mammalian Anatomy. Chas. Scribner's Sons. New York, 1892.

Jayne. Mammalian Anatomy—The Skeleton of the Cat. J. B. Lippincott Co. Philadelphia, 1898.

Weber. Die Saugethiere. Gustav Fischer. Jena, 1904.

Elliott. Synopsis of the Mammals of North America. Field Columbian Museum Publications. Chicago, 1901.

3. Popular descriptions of extinct animals. Lucas. Animals of the Past. McClure, Phillips & Co. New York, root. Lucas. Animals before Man in North America. D. Appleton & Co. New York, 1902. Hutchinson. Extinct Monsters. D. Appleton & Co. New York, 1892. ,

Bibliography 59

Hutchinson. Creatures of Other Days. D. Appleton & Co. New York, 1894.

4. Paleontology and geographical distribution. Smith-Woodward. Vertebrate Paleontology. Cambridge Natural Science Manuals, University Press. 1808. Zittel. Handbuch der Palzontologie. Vol. 1I., Pt. IV. Mammalia. R.Oldenbourg. Munchen & Leipzig, 1894. Lydekker. Geographical History of Mammals. Cambridge University Press. 1896.

5. Geology. Scott. Introduction to Geology. The Macmillan Co. New York, 1897. Leconte. Elements of Geology. D. Appleton & Co. New York,

Dana. Manual of Geology. Fourth Edition. American Book Co. New York, 1895.

Scientific Staff

DIRECTOR Hermon C. Bumpus, Ph.D.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION Prof. ALBERT S. Bickmore, Curator

DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AND INVERTEBRATE PALAONTOLOGY Prof. R. P. WuitFiELp, Curator Epmunp Oris Hovey, Ph.D., Associate Curator

DEPARTMENT OF MAMMALOGY AND ORNITHOLOGY Prof. J. A. ALLEN, Curator Frank M. Cuapman, Associate Curator

DEPARTMENT OF VERTEBRATE PALAZONTOLOGY Prof. HENRY FAIRFIELD OsBorn, Curator W. D. Mattuew, Ph.D., Associate Curator O. P. Hay, Ph.D., Associate Curator of Chelonia Prof. BasHrorp Dean, Honorary Curator of Fishes

DEPARTMENT OF ETHNOLOGY Prof. Franz Boas, Curator Prof. Livincston FARRAND, Assistant Curator Ciark Wiss er, Ph.D., Assistant

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAOLOGY Prof. M. H. Savitie, Curator of Mexican-Central American Archeology Haran I. Situ, Assistant Curator Georce H. Pepper, Assistant in Archzology of the Southwest

DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY Wiiiram BEUTENMOLLER, Curator

DEPARTMENTS OF MINERALOGY AND CONCHOLOGY L. P. Gratacap, A.M., Curator Gerorce F. Kunz, Ph.D., Honorary Curator of Gems

DEPARTMENT OF INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY Prof. WiLL1amM Morton WHEELER, Curator Gerorce H. SHerwoop, A.M., Assistant Curator Prof. J. E. Dutrpen, Honorary Curator of Coelenterates

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY Prof. Ratpu W. Tower, Curator

DEPARTMENT OF PREPARATION AND INSTALLATION B. E. Dautcren, D.M.D., Curator

DEPARTMENT OF BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS Prof. Ratpu W. Tower, Curator

DEPARTMENT OF MAPS AND CHARTS A. Woopwarp, Ph.D., Curator

The American Museum Journal

Epmunp Otis Hovey, Edéior Frank M. CHAPMAN,

Louis P. Gratacap, Adnsory Board Wituiam K, Grecory,

Subscription, One Dollar per year. Twenty-five Cents per copy.

A subscription to the JourNAL is included in the membership fees of all classes of Members of the Museum,

Subscriptions should be addressed to The American Museum Journal, New Rochelle, N. Y., or 77th St. and Central Park West, New York City.

Entered May 10, 1904, as second-class matter in the Post-office at New Rochelle, N. Y. Act of Congress, July 16, 1894.

CONTENTS, VOL. V, No. 1

Page

Ir

THE CAPE YORK METEORITES. By Epmunp Oris Hovey (Illustrated) . THE CHINESE HALL . ; . : : :

Department Of Vertebrate Palzontology

Museum Notes

Lectures , ;

MEETINGS OF SOCIETIES ' - i : n ' ° ' FOSSIL CARNIVORES, MARSUPIALS, AND SMALL MAMMALS IN

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. By W. D. MATTHEW (Jilustrated). Guide Leaflet No. 17