1 8 THE COLLECTION OF FOSSIL VERTEBRATES 



tlie liberality of Air. \Vm. C. Whitney. The Evolution of the 

 South Horse is illustrated by a series of '"eet and skulls, and 



Alcove 3. of complete skeletons, from the little Four-Toed Horse 

 Horses. q£ ^j^g Lower Eocene to the different varieties of the 

 modern animal. The construction of the modern Horse, structure 

 of the bones, the way in which the teeth grow, characters of the 

 different races of domestic Horse and of the different wild species 

 are shown in the end case (Case 15). 



NORTH (LEFT) SIDE. 



First come the Amblypods and Condylarths. These groups 

 of Primitive Hoofed Mammals are first found in the lowest Eocene 

 North strata, at the very beginning of the Age of Mammals 



Alcove I. and they became extinct before the end of the Eocene 

 Amblypods, epoch. Like so many other races the Amblypods begin 

 ^*'^' with small hornless animals (Pantolainbda) and finally 



develop into huge elephantine beasts {Uintatherium) with six 

 horns on the skull, and great sabre-like tusks. The Condylarths 

 were more slender types, fitted for running. The best known 

 among them is Phenacodus, which is considered to represent 

 very nearly the prototype of the hoofed mammals, although it 

 was not the direct ancestor of the later groups. 



The second alcove is devoted to Rodents, Insectivores, Bats, 

 Marsupials and other groups of small mammals, among which 

 „ j^ are the ancestors of the Monkeys and Lemurs and col- 



Alcove 2. lateral ancestors of Man. Most of these remains are 

 Small small and incomplete. Here are also some very frag- 



amma s. j^gj-j^^j-y remains of ancient and primitive mammals 

 which represent all that we know of the evolution of the mam- 

 malia during the Age of Reptiles, before the Age of Mammals 

 began. These teeth and jaws are of interest because they arc 

 the oldest of mammals, from some of which are probably de- 

 scended all the later mammal groups. 



In the third alcove are the Carnivorous Mammals, on one side 

 North the Creodonts or Primitive Carnivora, on the other the 



Alcove 3. True Carnivora (Dogs, Cats, Bears. Martens etc.), rep- 

 Carnivora. j-esented liy a number of finely preserved mounted skele- 

 tons, and a large series of skulls, together with other specimens. 



