EMBARKATION 15 



They found a wealth of specimens of the earlier typical 

 South American kinds, enriched greatly our knowledge of 

 this fauna, and established the fact that the age of the 

 containing beds was Miocene, which is about a million 

 years later than the date first assigned to them by Ame- 

 ghino. These explorations while of great value left un- 

 touched the lower beds, somewhat further to the north, 

 in which the answer to the sources of the South American 

 animals is buried; so the interest remained unabated, or 

 was rather intensified because the wealth of animal life 

 was further emphasized, and the skepticism as to the ages 

 originally given the various beds was increased. 



In the early part of 191 1 when the Class of '96, Amherst 

 College, was planning their fifteenth reunion, having taken 

 a previous interest in geological exploration in western 

 United States, they decided to extend their field and take 

 a hand in solving the problems connected with the Pata- 

 gonian deposits. To this end they organized and equipped 

 the expedition of which the following pages give a narrative 

 for the purpose of studying the geology, and collecting the 

 fossils (especially vertebrate) of Patagonia, in order to get 

 as many data as possible for answering the above questions. 



Mr. Frederic B. Loomis of the Biological Department 

 was made chief and directed to prepare plans, select assist- 

 ants, and get the necessary equipment. Mr. Waldo Shum- 

 way was chosen from the Senior and Mr. Philip L. Turner 

 from the Junior Class to represent the undergraduates; 

 and Mr. William Stein of St. Joe, Wyoming, was added to 

 the party to have charge of the horses and cooking ; making 

 a party of four ; which number, experience has shown, was 

 as many as could conveniently travel with one wagon. 

 Before starting we purchased a 2 3/4-inch standard wagon 

 with 3-inch wheels, a 10 by 12-foot wall tent, a double 

 harness, four saddles, a camera, and excavating tools, so 

 as to have such an outfit as we were accustomed to while 

 working in western United States. 



