526 The American Naturalist. [June, 
spread out and conformed to the shape and size of the bones 
exactly as though it had been some growth which encased 
them. It was accordingly suggested that possibly the small 
rodent had been enclosed likewise. 
Touching this point Dr. Fuchs writes “ In my examination I 
am further strengthened by finding on closer reading that the 
author had, at one time, found the complete skeleton of a 
rodent within a so-called root-stalk at its anterior extremity. 
The author finds it entirely inexplicable how a rodent could 
occur within a root-stalk and undertakes to decide the case by 
declaring that the rodent was submerged and that the plant 
had settled down and completely grown around its skeleton. 
I believe, however, that the author had at hand the builder of 
Daemonelix.” 
Possibly this may be so. Certainly the author conceived of 
the idea months before it was published that there was such a 
fossil in existence. But in all justice, Dr. Fuchs should have 
mentioned the larger skeleton also. The smaller skeleton was 
enclosed within Daemonelix, so was the larger. Whatever is. 
proof in case of one ought to hold with the other, or at the 
least ought to have some weight. 
But this much is certain that no 100 centimeter Artiodac- 
tyle Ungulate can burrow in a 20 centimeter hole. That is to 
say the mere fact of finding bones thus encased is not in itself 
unconditional proof of a burrow. 
Some may raise the objection that possibly the bones of this 
large Artiodactyle were deposited in the sand long before the 
gopher dug his burrow, and that it is merely an accident that 
the gopher’s hole passed through, or in the vicinity of, the 
skeleton deposited there. Granting that this is so, then we 
have to face this condition ; the gopher in digging his burrow, 
dug straight through this large skeleton, through vertebre 
and limb-bones alike, and yet they are not disarticulated. 
The joints, to the metatarsals, are in place and the zygapophy- 
ses of the vertebra are locked in their original position. 
Now can any one conceive of the possibility of a gopher 
digging a 20 centimeter hole straight through such a skeleton 
yet leaving it entirely articulate. Atthe least it is improbable, 
