﻿280 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  Over 
  a 
  considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Pliocene 
  no 
  fossils 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen; 
  |j 
  

   but 
  at 
  other 
  points 
  they 
  are 
  somewhat 
  abundant. 
  They 
  are 
  of 
  modern 
  ' 
  ■ 
  

   type, 
  represented 
  by 
  bones 
  of 
  deer, 
  beaver, 
  a 
  large 
  animal 
  of 
  the 
  ox 
  

   kind, 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  horse, 
  less 
  in 
  size 
  than 
  small 
  Indian 
  ponies, 
  a 
  i 
  

   wolf, 
  ivory 
  from 
  the 
  elephant 
  or 
  mastodon, 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  rhinoceros 
  and 
  

   camel, 
  and 
  also 
  remains 
  of 
  undetermined 
  character. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  

   these 
  mammalia, 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  bones 
  and 
  carapace 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  fresh-water 
  

   turtle 
  5 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  beside 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  a 
  smaller 
  size. 
  Also 
  a 
  

   few 
  species 
  of 
  Mollusca 
  of 
  fresh 
  and 
  brackish-water 
  types. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  bones 
  are 
  firmly 
  fossilized, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  changed 
  to 
  a 
  

   hard, 
  compact 
  silica. 
  The 
  most 
  interesting 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  the 
  ivory. 
  In 
  ■ 
  

   the 
  process 
  of 
  petrifaction, 
  the 
  tusk 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  softened 
  as 
  to 
  

   admit 
  the 
  intermixture 
  of 
  black 
  oxide 
  of 
  manganese 
  in 
  solution, 
  which 
  

   then 
  crystallized 
  in 
  delicate 
  sprigs. 
  The 
  ivory 
  was 
  next 
  silicified 
  into 
  

   nearly 
  pure 
  quartz, 
  with 
  the 
  usual 
  hardness 
  of 
  that 
  substance. 
  Thus 
  

   we 
  have 
  the 
  ivory 
  converted 
  into 
  the 
  so-called 
  moss 
  agate. 
  Some 
  frag- 
  

   ments 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  detected, 
  by 
  the 
  ordinary 
  observer, 
  from 
  the 
  usual 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  that 
  gem. 
  

  

  This 
  ivory 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  fragments 
  in 
  the 
  extreme 
  upper 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   deposit, 
  and 
  we 
  were 
  at 
  first 
  inclined 
  to 
  call 
  it 
  Post-Tertiary 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  

   peculiar 
  fossilizatiou, 
  similar 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  bones, 
  induces 
  me 
  to 
  

   think 
  that 
  it 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  Pliocene. 
  ' 
  

  

  The 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  horse 
  are 
  apparently 
  the 
  most 
  common, 
  the 
  teeth 
  

   and 
  jaws 
  being 
  found 
  from 
  Smith 
  County 
  to 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Ellis, 
  in 
  

   Ellis 
  County. 
  One 
  is 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  celebrated 
  three-toed 
  horse 
  hav- 
  

   ing 
  three 
  hoofs 
  coming 
  to 
  the 
  ground. 
  In 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  Ellis 
  

   County, 
  our 
  party, 
  in 
  1875, 
  found 
  the 
  feet, 
  with 
  the 
  three 
  toes 
  in 
  excel- 
  

   lent 
  preservation. 
  In 
  most 
  cases 
  the 
  bones 
  are 
  badly 
  broken, 
  and 
  much 
  

   of 
  the 
  skeleton 
  missing. 
  The 
  mastodon 
  bones 
  were 
  rather 
  frequent. 
  

   My 
  attention 
  was 
  recently 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  fragment 
  of 
  one, 
  on 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  

   Mr. 
  S. 
  Decker, 
  near 
  Spring 
  City, 
  Norton 
  County, 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  associ- 
  

   ated 
  with 
  the 
  vertebrates 
  above 
  named 
  and 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  brackish- 
  

   water 
  shells. 
  On 
  searching 
  the 
  outcrops 
  within 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  I 
  found 
  the 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  three 
  other 
  individuals, 
  represented 
  by 
  ribs, 
  vertebra, 
  

   teeth, 
  and 
  tusks. 
  All 
  these 
  were 
  geologically 
  in 
  the 
  lowest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   Pliocene, 
  and 
  within 
  40 
  vertical 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  limestone. 
  In 
  

   Trego 
  County, 
  in 
  the 
  Saline 
  Yalley, 
  I 
  obtained 
  a 
  few 
  bones 
  from 
  two 
  

   other 
  mastodons, 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  geological 
  horizon, 
  and 
  within 
  less 
  than 
  

   20 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  Cretaceous. 
  These 
  were 
  all 
  so 
  low 
  that, 
  if 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  

   proved 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  Miocene 
  in 
  Kansas, 
  they 
  must 
  be 
  credited 
  to 
  

   that 
  epoch. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  six 
  specimens 
  were 
  so 
  fragmentary 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  difficult 
  to 
  de- 
  

   cide 
  the 
  species. 
  But 
  one 
  femur 
  was 
  nearly 
  entire 
  and 
  was 
  strongly 
  

   like 
  Mastodon 
  giganteus. 
  Had 
  I 
  found 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  alluvium, 
  I 
  should 
  have 
  

   had 
  no 
  hesitancy 
  in 
  assigning 
  it 
  to 
  that 
  species. 
  Its 
  great 
  age, 
  however, 
  

   induces 
  us 
  to 
  expect 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  different 
  species. 
  These 
  bones 
  were 
  

   fossilized 
  with 
  lime 
  and 
  consequently 
  not 
  nearly 
  as 
  hard 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   later 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Pliocene, 
  near 
  the 
  moss-agate 
  beds. 
  

  

  A 
  full 
  and 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  Pliocene 
  of 
  Kansas 
  will 
  un- 
  

   doubtedly 
  furnish 
  some 
  valuable 
  fossils, 
  illustrating 
  the 
  mammalia 
  of 
  

   the 
  period, 
  and 
  give 
  to 
  science 
  some 
  new 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  Eocene 
  and 
  Miocene 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  discovered 
  in 
  Kansas, 
  

   unless 
  the 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  three-toed 
  horse, 
  found 
  in 
  Ellis 
  County, 
  

   should 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  Anchitherium 
  of 
  the 
  Miocene. 
  It 
  was 
  imbedded 
  

   in 
  the 
  lowest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  deposit, 
  within 
  10 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  Niobrara 
  lime- 
  

   stone. 
  Further 
  examination 
  of 
  this 
  formation 
  is 
  desirable. 
  

  

  