224 GEOLOGY. 



mense masses of conglomerate, with occasional layers of tabular 

 limestone. Then come coarse-grained sandstone, often loose and 

 friable, and sometimes compact and heavy bedded. A limestone 

 layer, followed several miles, often changes into a silicate of lime, 

 then sandstone, and then conglomerate, and the opposite. The 

 sections published by Meek, Hayden and Leidy correspond, in the 

 main, to the above.* 



BAD LANDS. 



A portion of this old Miocene lake bed, on and north of the 

 White Earth River, as already stated, now constitutes the Bad 

 Lands. This is one of the most wonderful regions on the globe. 

 Here, at present, there is very little, and in some places formerly 

 there was no vegetation. Water fit to drink is exceedingly rare. 

 This region is worn into labyrinthine canyons that wind around in 

 in every conceivable direction. Occasionally only isolated, some- 

 times almost perpendicular, portions of the original beds remain, 

 producing the appearance of abandoned human habitations, or old. 

 desolated, forsaken oriental cities. Climbing some of the heights, 

 far as the eye can reach, there seems to be an interminable array of 

 towers, spires, cathedrils, obelisks, pyramids and monuments. "Not 

 urifrequently the rising or setting sun will light up these grand old 

 ruins with a wild, strange beauty, reminding one of a city illum- 

 inated in the night, when seen from some high point." The harder 

 layers project from the sides of the canyons, or mimicked architect- 

 ural forms, with such regularity that they appear like seats, one abve 

 the other, of some vast weird amphitheater. It is here among these 

 strange, grotesque ruins, that the remains of the unique animals, 

 described farther on, are found." (Hayden). To the geologist, no 

 region is so inspiring, though in summer time he will often find 

 the heat almost insupportable, as the sun heats up these bare walls 

 like an oven. I have been among these ruins when the thermome- 

 ter ranged from 108 to 115. So great, however, is the interest 

 that is inspired by this page in the earth's history, that the natur- 

 alist gladly braves the hardships of travel among these desola- 

 tions. 



As can be inferred from the preceding, during the Miocene epoch 

 the greater part of the eastern portion of Nebraska was a land sur- 

 face. 



*See Leidy 'a Extinct Fauna of Dakota and Nebraska, page 16. 



