A NEW PALEOCENE MAMMAL FROM A DEEP WELL IN 



LOUISIANA 



By George Gayl,ord Simpson 

 American Mitseum of Natural History, Netv York City 



The discovery here described is one of the most remarkable in the 

 history of vertebrate paleontology. A core was unintentionally 

 taken in an oil vrell in Louisiana at a depth of 2,460 feet, and appar- 

 ently from this core came the fairly well-preserved facial and palatal 

 part of a small skull. As if this in itself were not sufficiently im- 

 probable, the skull, although supposed to be of Cretaceous age, 

 proves to be that of a Paleocene mammal of a genus hitherto known 

 only from very limited areas in New Mexico and Montana. This 

 noteworthy specimen has been assigned to me for study through the 

 kindness of C. W. Gilmore. 



The circumstances of the discovery are given as follows by W. C. 

 Spooner in a letter to Dr. ^Y. C. Mendenhall dated March 14, 1931 : 



In replj' to your letter of March 3d concerniug core from the Junior Oil Com- 

 pany Beard No. 1, Caddo Parish, Louisiana. 



The condition of the v\'ell, at the time the sample containing the specimen 

 was obtained, v.-as such that I am unable to state positively that it came from 

 the depth reported. Surface casing was set through the Wilcox formation 

 into the Midway Clay with open hole below the depth from which the specimen 

 was obtained. Tlie drill-stem had parted at a depth of 2,460 feet and the 

 drillers were running an overshot-fishing-tool, attempting to pick up the drill- 

 stem. The overshot was a piece of pipe shaped as shown in the sketch. 



The drill was leaning against the wall of the hole and when the overshot 

 was lowered it hit the drill-stem on the side, deflecting it into the wall of the 

 hole opposite the side against which the pipe leaned, so that when the over- 

 shot was rotated it cored into the wall of the hole at the depth reported. 

 Inasmuch as they failed to place the overshot over the drill-pipe, it was 

 pulled out of the hole and the material cored from the wall was removed. 

 This material was definitely the same material as shown in the cores from 

 this depth and, according to the drillers and the drilling-superintendent, who 

 was on the well at the time, the concretions were imbedded in the shale, 

 which vvas a core although taken under unusual circumstances. Unfortunately, 

 the core was broken before I had an opportunity to examine it and am unable 

 to state whether the men at the well are correct in their assumption that the 

 specimen belonged in the material cored. 



It is possible that it may have come from the Midway above, although 

 under the existing conditions it is rather difficult to see how it could have 

 lodged in the position from which it was obtained. It would be much more 

 reasonable to assume that if it had come from higher in the hole it would have 



No. 2943.— Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 82, Art. 2 



129573—32 1 



