FLORISSANT; A MIOCENE POMPEII 



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Fossil Soapberry Tree {Sapindua stellaricefolius). 



few fragmentary remains, without a skull. There is no doubt that 

 mammals of many kinds abounded in the vicinity of the lake, and it is 

 very likely that some of them were entombed, their bones waiting to 

 be exhumed by eome fortunate paleontologist of the future. 



Feathers are occasionally found, and two fairly complete birds have 

 been discovered, one a plover, the other apparently a finch. The fishes 

 already mentioned number eight species. Of molluscs, we know two 

 terrestrial species and four or five fresh-water ones. Thirty different 

 spiders have been described by Scudder, and we have found others. 

 The harvest spiders or phalangids, and the millipedes, are each repre- 

 sented by a single kind. It is for the insects, of course, that Florissant 

 is most famous, surpassing even (Eningen. 



Mr. Scudder wrote: 



The insects preserved in the Florissant basin are wonderfully numerous, 

 this one locality having yielded in a single summer more than double the 

 number of specimens which the famous localities at CEningen furnished Heer 



