Animals Before Man 



mild, and the now barren plains abounded in 

 streams and lakes. The waters teemed with 

 fish, turtles related to our long-necked ^^soft- 

 shelled " species were numerous, and crocodiles 

 common. 



One deposit of fishes deserves special men- 

 tion, that of the Green River shales, for it is 

 probably better represented in public museums 

 and private collections than any other locality 

 in the world. These shales crop out at various 

 points on the Union Pacific Railroad, but the 

 most famous deposit is at the little town of 

 Kemmerer, west of Green River Station. From 

 this spot thousands of specimens have been 

 taken, and while series of them may be found 

 in any museum, the bulk of them have been 

 sold to tourists and scattered far and wide over 

 the world. The fishes are in a beautiful state 

 of preservation, and represent several species, 

 some of which are related to the shad and 

 herring. 



Another deposit that should not go unmen- 

 tioned is the shales of Florissant, Colo., which 

 consist mainly of light volcanic ashes thrown 



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