1902.] Mattheiv, Pleistocene Fauna from Hay Springs. 3^9 



This unexpected addition to the short Hst of Ruminants of 

 the American Pleistocene is rather interesting despite its 

 fragmentary character. It is, much more certainly than xin- 

 tilocapra, descended from the little group of antelopine deer of 

 the American Miocene, of which Blastomeryx, Cosoryx, and 

 Merycodns are the known forms. This group is characterized 

 by the combination of antlers approaching those of the deer 

 and teeth approaching those of the antelopes. The antlers 

 are forked or several times branched, provided usually (if not 

 always) with a burr, — hence, in Professor Cope's opinion, 

 deciduous; smooth surfaced, — hence probably covered per- 

 manently with 'velvet.' The teeth are more hypsodont 

 than in any of the deer, less so than in Antilocapra, and the 

 premolars have preserved somewhat of that primitive, long, 

 trenchant character seen among modern genera only in Trag- 

 ulns, but generally present among the older Tertiary seleno- 

 donts. Blastomeryx {B. gemmijer) is the oldest, smallest, and 

 most brachydont genus; Mcrycodus is more hypsodont. 

 Cosoryx has a simple forked antler, just above the eyes, like 

 the horn of Antilocapra, with a burr at base, and quite hypso- 

 dont teeth. 



Blastomeryx has antlers like those of the Virginia deer, but 

 I have not seen more than four tines ; the face is very short and 

 the antlers more nearly over the eyes than in modern deer, 

 less so than in Antilocapra. The position of Merycodus is un- 

 certain; present evidence indicates that it may be distinct 

 from Cosoryx. The large, completely brachydont species re- 

 ferred by Cope and Scott provisionally to Blastomeryx and by 

 Douglas to Palccomeryx are distinct from any of these antelo- 

 pine deer (and from any European genus as well), forming a 

 transition between them and the contemporary and later true 

 deer of Europe and America. The new genus, Capromeryx, 

 may, when better known, prove to be a transition between 

 the antelopine deer and Antilocapra. 



The above list is obviously a plains fauna. Horses and 

 camels are the most abundant. There are antelopes, but no 

 deer; Canidae are found, but few if any Felidae. Platygonus 



