196 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXIX. No. 735 



Cleveland shale, and remarked upon its rarity and 

 interest. The striation of the muscular fiber could 

 be clearly observed. In one specimen the form and 

 structure of the kidneys of both sides were shown. 



The next paper was by Dr. Matthew, on a skull 

 of Apternodus and skeleton of a new Artiodactyl 

 from the lower Oligocene of Wyoming. The speci- 

 mens in question were obtained for the University 

 of Wyoming by Mr. W. H. Reed, to whose courtesy 

 and to the good offices of Dr. Williston the author 

 owed the privilege of description. The Apter- 

 nodus is an Insectivore of the rare and primitive 

 Zalambdodont division; it is the third and most 

 complete fossil skull referable to this group. The 

 structure is peculiar in several respects, but its 

 nearest relationships appear to be with the Cente- 

 tidse of Madagascar. It affords some interesting 

 data bearing upon the hypotheses regarding the 

 origin of the tritubercular molar of mammalia. 

 The second specimen represents a new stage of the 

 Camel phylum, intermediate in most respects be- 

 tween Protylopus of the upper Eocene and Para- 

 tylopus and Poebrotherium of the middle Oligo- 

 cene, but nearer to the former genus. The lateral 

 digits of the fore feet are complete but slender; 

 those of the hind feet are reduced to nodular rudi- 

 ments. The proportions of the limbs, feet, skull 

 and neck are as in Protylopus, lacking the elon- 

 gate proportions of all the later camels; the 

 tympanic bulla is of camelid type. The molar 

 teeth are very short crowned and the upper molars 

 peculiar in the development of a strong additional 

 crest on the anterior wing of the posterior inner 

 crescent. This crest is feebly developed in certain 

 Giraflfidae, not known in other artiodactyla. Ex- 

 cept in this peculiar feature the new genus repre- 

 sents very satisfactorily the lower Oligocene stage 

 in the evolution of the Camelidse. 



The next paper was by Dr. Loomis upon the 

 " Camels of the Lower Miocene." The author 

 recognized two aberrant lines of camels, one rep- 

 resented by Stenomylus, the other by Oxydactylus, 

 besides the more direct line of descent, imperfectly 

 known at this stage of its evolution. A new spe- 

 cies of Stenomylus was indicated by the series of 

 complete skeletons found at the Amherst quarry, 

 in which the premolars are further reduced than 

 in the type of the genus. The author also showed 

 drawings of a new species of peccary from this 

 horizon. 



The paper was discussed by Messrs. Cook, Mat- 

 thew and Riggs. 



Dr. E. S. Riggs then presented the results of 

 his observations upon the Loup Fork beds of east- 



ern Wyoming. The author had adopted in general 

 the classification given by Mr. Hatcher. The Mon- 

 roe Creek beds he had found hardly distinguish- 

 able from the Harrison and generally very barren. 

 The Harrison beds are fossiliferous. The correla- 

 tion between certain types of sediment and certain 

 faunal groups of animals was noted. The strata 

 were probably deposited by rivers in an open 

 plains country. (A list of the principal fossils was 

 given, and the origin of the Daemonelix beds was 

 discussed at some length. The author had found 

 remains of five different species of animals asso- 

 ciated with the Daemonelix spirals, vin., skulls and 

 skeletons of Steneofiber, skeletons of two genera 

 of carnivora, a jaw of Meryehyus, and parts of 

 the skeleton of Oxydactylus. The last was partly 

 without and partly within the spirals and the 

 parts within had apparently been absorbed or eaten 

 away. The other fossils lay completely within the 

 spirals. Photographs of one of the carnivore 

 skeletons were shown; the animal appeared to be 

 coiled up in a natural position, as though resting 

 upon a bed of sand within the cavity. It was 

 concluded that at some stage of their formation 

 these spirals had been open holes, but their mode 

 of origin was still obscure. If they originated as 

 burrows their formation must be ascribed to one 

 only of the several animals found in them. In 

 connection with a possible vegetable origin atten- 

 tion was drawn to the spirally coiled lianas com- 

 mon in tropical forests. These if buried in sand 

 might decay and leave an open hole. 



The paper was discussed by Messrs. Cook, 

 Loomis and Matthew with regard to the correla- 

 tion of the Harrison beds and the origin of Dae- 

 monelix. 



After which the meeting adjourned to 3 : IS p.m. 



The first paper of the afternoon session was by 

 Dr. D. Matthew and Harold Cook, on a " Pliocene 

 Fauna from Western Nebraska." The fossils de- 

 scribed were from deposits lying just south of the 

 divide between the Niobrara and North Platte 

 Rivers in Sioux County, Nebraska, a new locality 

 discovered by the authors last summer while pros- 

 pecting in the interests of the American Museum 

 of Natural History. The formation appeared to 

 be a marginal phase of the Ogalalla formation, 

 and had been largely removed by seolian action, 

 leaving in places only a residuum of gravels and 

 coarser deposits of old channel beds, mantling the 

 eroded surface of the Miocene beds. At other 

 points the upper formation was more or less in- 

 tact, and easily distinguished by the prevalence of 

 true quartz sands and gravels of metamorphie and 

 crystalline rocks. With the residual gravels of 



