﻿458 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  difference 
  of 
  note 
  consists 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  different 
  manner 
  of 
  the 
  wearing 
  

   of 
  the 
  molar 
  teeth. 
  In 
  the 
  recent 
  bison 
  of 
  the 
  Plains, 
  the 
  crowns 
  of 
  the 
  

   teeth 
  present 
  a 
  nearly 
  even 
  surface, 
  every 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  tooth 
  being 
  worn 
  

   to 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  level. 
  In 
  the 
  remains 
  from 
  Big-bone 
  Lick, 
  however, 
  

   the 
  crown 
  surface 
  wears 
  into 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  deep 
  transverse 
  serrations, 
  the 
  

   ridges 
  of 
  which 
  often 
  rise 
  a 
  fourth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  above 
  the 
  interven- 
  

   ing 
  hollows. 
  The 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  is 
  strik- 
  

   ingly 
  great, 
  and 
  evidently 
  relates 
  to 
  the 
  different 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  

   food 
  obtainable 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  districts. 
  The 
  bison 
  of 
  the 
  Plains 
  necessarily 
  

   feeds 
  wholly 
  upon 
  short, 
  fine 
  grasses, 
  which 
  rarely 
  attain 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  

   more 
  than 
  a 
  few 
  inches, 
  and 
  are 
  consequently 
  at 
  times 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   sprinkled 
  with 
  sand 
  and 
  dnst. 
  The 
  Ohio 
  Valley, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  is 
  a 
  

   region 
  of 
  rank 
  herbage, 
  and 
  tall, 
  succulent 
  grasses. 
  The 
  Plains 
  bison 
  

   must 
  take 
  with 
  its 
  food 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  gritty 
  material,* 
  which 
  tends 
  not 
  

   only 
  to 
  wear 
  the 
  teeth 
  down 
  evenly, 
  but 
  far 
  more 
  rapidly 
  than 
  was 
  the 
  

   case 
  in 
  the 
  Ohio 
  Valley, 
  the 
  teeth 
  in 
  the 
  Plains 
  bisons 
  generally 
  being 
  

   very 
  much 
  worn, 
  even 
  in 
  middle-aged 
  animals, 
  while 
  in 
  very 
  old 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  the 
  teeth 
  are 
  often 
  worn 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  fangs. 
  Even 
  the 
  temporary 
  

   set 
  become 
  wholly 
  worn 
  out 
  before 
  they 
  give 
  place 
  to 
  the 
  permanent 
  

   series. 
  Nothing 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  in 
  specimens 
  from 
  Big- 
  

   bone 
  Lick, 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  oldest 
  individuals. 
  

  

  [tj 
  "0?i 
  the 
  Age 
  of 
  the 
  Bison 
  in 
  the 
  Ohio 
  Valley. 
  — 
  By 
  N. 
  8. 
  Shaler. 
  — 
  

   In 
  the 
  original 
  Memoir 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Allen, 
  allusion 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  certain 
  re- 
  

   searches 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  me 
  in 
  Big 
  Bone 
  Lick 
  in 
  Kentucky, 
  which 
  have 
  

   some 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  Buffalo 
  in 
  the 
  Ohio 
  

   Valley. 
  These 
  investigations, 
  beguu 
  in 
  1868 
  and 
  continued 
  in 
  1869, 
  

   have 
  only 
  been 
  sufilcieut 
  to 
  point 
  the 
  way, 
  to 
  further 
  studies 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  

   in 
  the 
  i^lan 
  of 
  the 
  Kentucky 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  to 
  prosecute, 
  but 
  which 
  

   it 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  in 
  its 
  power 
  to 
  undertake 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  to 
  come. 
  I 
  

   therefore 
  give 
  a 
  short 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  evidence 
  collected 
  at 
  Big 
  Bone 
  

   Lick 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  showing 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  observations 
  that 
  have 
  

   been 
  made 
  there. 
  

  

  "The 
  springs 
  at 
  Big 
  Bone 
  Lick, 
  as 
  at 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  licks 
  of 
  Kentucky, 
  

   are 
  sources 
  of 
  saline 
  waters 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  older 
  Palceozoic 
  rocks. 
  

   These 
  saline 
  materials, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  suggested 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Sterry 
  Hunt, 
  have 
  

   their 
  origin 
  in 
  the 
  imprisoned 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  seas, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  salts 
  

   derived 
  therefrom, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  locked 
  in 
  the 
  depths 
  of 
  the 
  strata 
  

   below 
  the 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  leaching 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  water. 
  Whenever 
  

   the 
  rocks 
  lie 
  above 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  drainage, 
  these 
  salts 
  have 
  been 
  leached 
  

   away. 
  As 
  we 
  go 
  below 
  the 
  surface 
  they 
  increase 
  in 
  quantity 
  until 
  we 
  

   reach 
  the 
  level, 
  where 
  these 
  waters 
  remain 
  saturated 
  with 
  thti 
  materials 
  

   which 
  existed 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  sea-waters. 
  The 
  displacement 
  of 
  these 
  old 
  

   imprisoned 
  waters 
  is 
  brought 
  about 
  by 
  the 
  sinking 
  down 
  of 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  

   highlands 
  through 
  the 
  vertical 
  interstices 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  rock, 
  and 
  the 
  

   consequent 
  tendency 
  of 
  the 
  w 
  ater 
  below 
  the 
  surface 
  to 
  restore 
  the 
  hydro- 
  

   static 
  balance. 
  This 
  action 
  is 
  particularly 
  likely 
  to 
  occur 
  when 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  above 
  the 
  drainage 
  are 
  limestones 
  or 
  shales 
  ; 
  while 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  rock 
  

   at 
  some 
  distance 
  below 
  the 
  drainage 
  is 
  of 
  sandstone 
  and 
  permeable 
  to 
  

   water. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  at 
  Big 
  Bone 
  Lick, 
  where 
  at 
  about 
  two 
  hundred 
  

   feet 
  below 
  the 
  surface 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  calciferous 
  sandstone 
  with 
  a 
  struc- 
  

   ture 
  opeu 
  enough 
  to 
  admit 
  the 
  free 
  passage 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  a 
  horizontal 
  

   direction. 
  That 
  some 
  such 
  process 
  is 
  at 
  work 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

  

  * 
  It) 
  the 
  teeth 
  ofspeciiueu-s 
  from 
  the 
  Plaius 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  sharp, 
  angular 
  particles 
  of 
  

   quartz 
  wedged 
  into 
  the 
  cavities 
  of 
  the 
  teeth. 
  

  

  [tTIie 
  matter 
  here 
  iuterpohited 
  iu' 
  quotation-marks 
  constitutes 
  Apj). 
  II 
  of 
  the 
  origi- 
  

   nal. 
  — 
  Ed.] 
  

  

  