SCIENTIFIC LABORS OF ED WARD LARTET. 173 



tlicy had found accidentally, and sncli fossil bones as had attracted their 

 attention.* One of these gifts, the tooth of a mastodon, seems to have 

 determined his true vocation, and led to one of the most important dis- 

 coveries in geology, that of the contents of the marl-pit of Sansan. He 

 soon gave himself up entirely to the study of geology and comparative 

 anatomy. He made several underground explorations, and then, hav- 

 ing entered into cooimunicatiou with some of the savans of Paris — Blain- 

 ville, Arago, Flourens, Geoftroy St. Hilaire, Michelin, Desnoyers, &c., 

 commenced the publication of his researches. From 1834 to 1870 he la- 

 bored unceasingly in the development of new and interesting results; but 

 in order to appreciate his investigations, it is, I think, necessary to group 

 them under three principal heads, and to examiue in succession the pub- 

 lications relating to the fauna of Sansan, to tertiary i^aleontology, and 

 to the quaternary period. 



I. — INVESTIGATIONS RELATIVE TO THE MARL-BEDS OP SANSAN. 



The existence of fossil bones at Simorre, in the department of Gers, 

 had been noticed in 1715 by Eeaumur, but no one had described this de- 

 posit or studied its fauna. M. Lartet, who resided at a short distance 

 from Simorre, and who had discovered marl-beds much richer at Sansan, 

 was surprised to find that important differences existed between the re- 

 mains of vertebrata of these two localities. The fauna of Sansan pre- 

 sented a large number of new species of mammals, and was termiuated 

 by the existence of a stratum containing numerous terrestrial and tluvial 

 molluscs. M. Lartet described the strata of Sansan in a letter ad- 

 dressed to Geoffroy Saint Hillaire in 1831. Encouraged by his dis- 

 coveries, he undertook a series of methodical researches, which were soon 

 to render famous the locality of Sansan as well as the name of the natu- 

 ralist who explored it. In 1837 the work was sufficiently advanced to 

 establish the general characteristics of the two fauna of Simorre and 

 Sansan. While at Simorre the dominant species were reduced to two 

 dinotheria, five mastodons, three rhinoceroses, one pachyderm resembling 

 the wild boar, one small stag, and one large ruminant; at Sansan the 

 dinotheria appeared to be wanting; the rhinoceroses were different — had 

 four fingers upon the fore feet. Among other mammalia was observable 

 one paleotherium resembling that of Orleans, one anoplotherium, one 

 animal similar to the anthracothcrium, several stags, one antelope, one 

 small ruminant, one gigantic carnivore, its teeth indicating affinity with 

 the cat and the dog, one dog, one large cat, several rodents, «&:c. But 

 the two most remarkable specimens of the fauna of Sansan were un- 

 doubtedly a large edentate and a veritable monkey. The edentate 

 seemed to M. Lartet very similar to the gigantic pangolin of Cuvier, 

 but as its teeth were molars it could not be classed in the same family 

 as the pangolin. As to the monkey, the lower jaw and its dentition 



*The peasants sux^pose these specimens were the creations of the devil, who imitated 

 in the bowels of the earth the works of the Deity. 



