328 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxhi. 



Mr. Sohuchert has kindly prepared the foUowino- ln-ief aceount of 

 his two visits to Alabama, which shows the conditions under which 

 remains of Zeuglodon occur: 



The wonderful stories as to the abundance of Basilosaurus ( =Zcvglodnn) bonei* in 

 the Gulf States, particularly in the region of Clarke County, Alabama, and the com- 

 plete absence of specimens in the United States National Museum led the writer to 

 investigate their occurrence. In this he received the hearty support of the late Dr. 

 G. Brown Goode and Dr. George P. Merrill. The first trip was made in November, 

 1894, and the second in October and November, 1896. Large portions of three skele- 

 tons were secured which, together, gave a nearly complete understanding of the 

 osseous structure of BaKilosannts. In addition other bones and invertebrate fossils 

 were secured which will be mentioned l)eyoud. 



In the pioneer days of southern Alabama settlers found most of the territory wooded, 

 but here and there were found small treeless areas which they called "prairies." 

 These prairies in Choctaw County, Alabama, are unlike those of Illinois in that they 

 are always situated on more or less gullied land; in fact are miniature " bad lands." 

 They are usually a few acres in extent, but in the region of Cocoa and between Isney 

 and Fail are several miles in length. These open places were the first to be culti- 

 vated, and l)eing of a marly nature were easily tilled and more easily gullied by tlie 

 rains. Many of these spots are now "worn-out" plantations with no jiarticular 

 value other than grazing land. 



The collector of Basilosaurus remains remembering the statement as to the abun- 

 dance of these bones described in text-books and elsewhere, that stone walls are built 

 of them, will be surprised to find their abundance for economic purposes restricted 

 to an occasional large dorsal vertebra supporting the corner of a " corn-crib." One 

 rarely finds these bones around the habitations or fences, but badly weathered centra 

 are often scattered over the " plantations." 



The bones may occur isolated and scattered, in which case the majority are the 

 centra of dorsal or caudal vertebnie, or more or less of a skeleton may l)e found in 

 position and undisturbed or in a confused interlocking heap. Undou])tedly the then 

 sea bottom was not a soft one since the verteV)r;e have generally undergone consider- 

 able disintegration, and occasionally there are marks of teeth, and sliglit incrustation 

 by worm tubes and oysters. Good skulls are rarely seen; in fact Init one is known, 

 collected by Dr. Albert Koch, near Fail, and now in a German museum. The nasal 

 region is always ruined, and if a part is present it is usually the thick back region. 

 The teeth and ear bones or a ramus of a jaw are more apt to be present. The pT-es- 

 ervation of these animals in a normal marine deposit may be accounted for in the 

 complete absence of regular Echinoids which as scavengers are known to giiiid witli 

 their jaws the bones for food. 



Associated with Basilosaurus and about as common is the little cetacean Dorudon, 

 occasionally vertebne of a large aquatic snake {Ptn-osphemus schucherti Lut-as) , or the 

 shell of the large fresh-water turtle {Hadrianus sclmcherti Ilay) . Vertelme of fishes 

 of three species and an occasional spine or shark's tooth are also met with. But the 

 most abundant fossil in the region of Cocoa are an irregular Qchmoxd .{Heviiastrr) , 

 Terebraiulina, and OstreafaJco Dall. These are the guiding fossils to the upper limit 

 of the "Zeuglodon bed," and but a single find of bones was made immediately above 

 this zone. The lower limit of the "Zeuglodon bed" is marked by a great abundance 

 of Peden pcrplamts INIorton. 



The "Zeuglodon bed" in the region examined has a very limited thickness (never 

 exceeding 10 feet and generally is restricted to about 5 feet), but apparently is of 

 great geographical extent, since Basilosaurus l)ones are reported from Florida to 

 Arkansas. In Choctaw County the strata are buff to whitish marl, with some green 

 glauconitic sand. Around the bones the marl is often indurated and hardened so 



