l6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 76 



perience in this field, together with the assistance of Mr. Norman H. 

 Boss of the Museum's paleontological force, who joined the expe- 

 dition on June 5, were largely responsihle for the successful outcome 

 of the o])erations. 



The work of quarrying these often fragile hones from the ledge of 

 rock without doing irreparahle damage is a slow and tedious operation, 

 involving the skill of both the stone cutter and the miner. Further 

 difficulty is encountered in handling by primitive methods the immense 

 blocks of rock enclosing the bones, with the subsequent arduous work 

 of boxing and transportation. The largest block quarried, containing 

 the sacrum with attached hip bones, weighed nearly 6,000 pounds 

 when ready for shipment. The transportation of the boxes to the rail- 

 road involved a haul by teams of 150 miles across country and over a 

 range of mountains 9,100 feet above sea level. However, 34 large 

 boxes having a combined weight of over 25 tons were safely 

 transported. 



The expedition resulted in the acquisition of sufficient material for 

 a good skeletal movmt of Diplodocus which, it is estimated, will 

 exceed 80 feet in length with a height at the hips of 14 feet. 



COLLECTING FOSSIL FOOTPRINTS IN VIRGINIA 



In September Mr. Charles W. Gilmore, curator of vertebrate pale- 

 ontology, United States National Museum, visited the farm of 

 Mr. F. C. Littleton, near Aldie. Loudoun County, Virginia, for the 

 purpose of investigating the reported discovery of fossil footprints. 

 In excavations made by ]\Ir. Littleton in the red Triassic shale in 

 quest of flagstone, numerous footprints were to be observed. These 

 occur in four distinct horizons in a vertical distance of perhaps 100 

 feet. In two instances at least prints were found in successive layers. 

 Three-toed imprints predominate though they vary in size from a 

 length of three to fourteen inches. A few tracks were noticed having 

 four toes, evidently terminated with wide, flat unguals. All of these are 

 l)robably of dinosaurian origin, but a few small 4- or 5-toed tracks 

 with traces of shar]) claws perhaps pertain to some other grouj). 



While as a whole the tracks bear a striking similarity to those from 

 the Trias of the Connecticut Valley, a critical study and comparison 

 of them would be most interesting. They are of further interest as 

 being the first footprints to have been found in the State of Virginia. 



Through the courtesy of Mr. Littleton. Mr. Gilmore again visited 

 the locality and with the assistance of Mr. N. H. Boss collected a fine 

 slab, two by twelve feet, on which were the imprints of a 3-toed 



