70 THE WHITE RIVER BADLANDS 



THE COLLECTING AND MOUNTING OF FOSSIL 



BONES 



In the earliest explorations in the Badlands little care- 

 ful effort was made to secure complete skeletons, the ex- 

 plorer apparently contenting himself with securing only 

 the better heads or other fragments lying on or near the 

 surface. Later extensive digging was resorted to, but for 

 some years this was done in a crude way. The bones are 

 generally more or less broken and disarticulated and when 

 once the fragments become separated the proper assembling 

 of the pieces again becomes a difficult task. In course of 

 time a method of bandaging developed. Now the fragments 



Figure 20 — Group of three Promerycochoerus carrikeri skeletons in 

 position as found. Showing the disturbed conditions of the 

 specimens even when the bones are well preserved and the skele- 

 tons fairly complete. Peterson, 1914. 



while being excavated are kept together by laying on with 

 flour paste strips of muslin or burlap or other coarse, loose- 

 woven cloth. Plaster of paris may also be used especially 

 where heavy pieces are involved or where extreme care is 

 necessary. Soft bones are treated with some preparation 

 of shellac or gum to harden them for transportation- Exact 

 location of the skeleton and the relative position of every 

 bone in the skeleton is of the greatest importance. Sketches 

 and photographs are made as the work progresses and all 

 pieces removed are carefully labelled. A knowledge of the 

 stratigraphical horizon is essential to determining much of 

 the relationship and life history of the animal and the 

 proper location of each bone with reference to neighboring 

 bones of the same excavation may serve greatly in the 



