PLEISTOCENE YEKTEBRATES FROM CUMBERLAND CAVE 7 



of water is e^^dellt fi'om the presence of fisher, mink, otter, beaver, 

 bog-lemmings, and muskrat, as well as of the crocotiylid. The greater 

 part of the fauna is not unsuited to humid conditions and an abun- 

 dance of vegetation. However, the horse, coyote, badger, and hare 

 are suggestive of a more open terrane, perhaps bordering a wooded 

 area. It should be noted, moreover, that coyotes and perhaps 

 badgers are commoner in arid regions. 



AGE AND RELATIONSHIPS OF THE FAUNA 



A Pleistocene age seems clearly indicated by the assemblage, but a 

 more critical recognition of the stage represented in the absence of 

 stratigraphic evidence is not entirely satisfactorj'. Our knowledge of 

 the sequence of mammalian forms during Pleistocene time is very in- 

 complete, and it is only through direct correlation of fossil occurrences 

 with known glacial and interglacial deposits that the succession of 

 faunas can be determined. The appearance of new migrants and the 

 extinction of old ty])es appear as valuable criteria in recognizing 

 various stages, but in any case the absence of forms can never be 

 regarded n,s more than negative eviilonce. 



The number of extinct forms recognized in the fauna and the diffi- 

 culties encountered hi identifying as modern several of the species so 

 classified do not favor a very late stage at Cumberland Cave. Many 

 typical Pleistocene forms, however, as saber-toothed cats, sloth, 

 camel, elephant, and extinct species of bison and musk-ox, are not 

 inchuled in the assemblage. Here agaui the absence of types is not 

 positive evidence. It is a noteworthy fact that remains of animals 

 larger than a black bear are exceedingly scarce in the collection, 

 probably owing to the mode of accumulation and possibly in part to 

 regional environment. 



Gidley (1913b, p. 95) regarded the assemblage as pre- Wisconsin in 

 age and possibly as old as that from Port Kennedy (Cope, 1899) in 

 Pennsylvania. A comparison of the Cumberland Cave fannal list 

 with that of the Port Kennedy fauna, and with the list of mammals 

 from the Conard Fissure in Arkansas (Bro%\Ti, 1908), follows. 



