THE GREAT CEMETERY IN COLORADO. 479 



Miocene harvest: The first is the discovery of monkey remains; the 

 discovery of snakes and lizards in American Miocene, and related to 

 the corresponding genera of the Eocene of Wyoming Territory ; the 

 settlement of the correct relations of five species, of which three spe- 

 cies and one genus, Hypertragulus, were new, the relation being to 

 Moschidce, or the musk-deer family ; the determination of the genus 

 jSymborodon, as allied to the rhinoceros on the one side, and to Eoba- 

 sileics on the other ; the discovery of numerous insectivora, allied to 

 the mole. Such is an epitome of the results of the summer's work in 

 Colorado. 



In Wyoming Territory occurred the fact so highly important to 

 strategraphical geology — the discovery of the Bridger strata of fossils 

 just above the coal at Evanston. This fixed the age of the deposit 

 geologically, a fact of primary importance to the geologist ; the dis- 

 covery of the new genus, Anchcenodon, an animal near to the swine 

 animals of the genus Elotherium, also allied to Anthracotherium of 

 Europe ; the discovery of the large animal A. insolens ; also of long 

 canine tusks of JBathmodon. 



In Kansas numerous fishes and reptiles were discovered. One of 

 these was the saurodont (lizard-toothed) fish, JPortheus gladius. This 

 creature was terrible. He had a pectoral spine which he could elevate 

 at pleasure, and it was four feet long. 



Thus we have for a summer's work, by Prof. Cope, not less than 

 150 species of vertebrate animals alone, of which 100 are new. This 

 makes no account of the collections of the invertebrates. " There is 

 a view generally entertained by naturalists and geologists, that genera 

 and species of animals and plants are greatly more numerous at the 

 present age of the world than in any previous geological period. This 

 seems to me an entire misconception of the character and diversity of 

 the fossils which have been discovered in the different geological for- 

 mations." So wrote the lamented Agassiz just twenty years ago. 

 Surely there can be no uncertain opinion on that subject now. "Prof. 

 Cope has obtained from the ancient sea and lake deposits of Kansas, 

 Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, etc., about 350 species of vertebrated ani- 

 mals, of which he has made known to science for the first time more 

 than 200 species ! " 



Profoundly and alike wonderful, then, to philosopher and natural- 

 ist is this story of the irrevocable extinction of entire races of animals. 

 And the same earth-area of that wellnigh fabulous land has seen even 

 greater things than these ; for, both before and since the historic age 

 began, it has beheld the passing away, into the darkest dimness of 

 tradition, whole tribes and languages of men. 



