FOREST AND STREAM. 



123 



of this general law, and its value in geology, will readily sug- 

 tselves, 



Tbe evidence offered by fossil remains is, in the, light of this 

 law, conclusive, that the line, if line there be, separating our 

 Cretaceous from the Tertiary, must at present be drown 

 where the Dinosaurs and other Mesozoie vertebrates disap- 

 pear, and are replaced by the Mammals, henceforth the domi- 

 nant I j 



The Tertiary of Western America comprises the most ex- 

 tensive series of deposits of this age known to geologists, and 

 important breaks in both the rocks and the fossils separate it 

 into three well-marked divisions. These natural divisions are 

 not the exact equivalents of the Eocene, Miocene and Plio- 

 cene of Europe, although usually so considered, and known 

 by the same names ; but, in general, the fauna of each ap- 

 pears to be older than that of its corresponding representative 

 in the other hemisphere; an important fact not hitherto re- 

 cognized. This partial resemblance of our extinct faunas to 

 others in regions widely separated, where the formations are 

 doubtless somewhat different in geological age, is precisely 

 what we might expect, if, as was probable, the main migra- 

 tions took place from this Continent. It is better at once to 

 recognize this principle, rather than attempt to bring into ex- 

 act parallelism, formations that were not strictly contempo- 

 raneous. 



The fresh- water Eocene deposits of our Western Territories, 

 which are in the same region at least two miles in vertical 

 thickness, may lie separated into three distinct subdivisions. 

 The lowest of these, resting uneonformably on the Creta- 

 ceous, has been termed the Vermilion Creek or Wahsatch 

 Group. It contains a well-marked mammalian fauna, the 

 largest and most characteristic genus of which is the ungulate 

 Coryplwdon, and hence f have called these deposits the Cory- 

 phodon Beds. The middle Eocene strata, which have been 

 termed the Green Biver and Bridger Series, may be desig- 

 nated as the Dinoceras Beds, as the gigantic animals of this 

 order are only found here. The uppermost Eocene, or the 

 Oitttah Group, is especially well characterized by large mam- 

 mals of tbe genus IMplaot/don, and hence may be termed the 

 Diplacodon Beds. The fauna of each of these three subdi- 

 visions was essentially distinct, and the fossil remains of efich 

 were entombed in different aud successive ancient lakes, it 

 is important to remember that these. Eocene lake-basins all lie 

 between the Rooky Mountains on the east and the Wahsatch 

 Range on the west, or along the high central plateau of the 

 Continent. As these mountain chains were elevated, the en- 

 closed Cretaceous sea, cut off from the ocean, gradually 

 freshened, and formed these extensive lakes, while the sur- 

 rounding land was covered with a luxuriant tropical vegeta- 

 tion, and with many strange forms of animal life. As the 

 upward movement of this region continued, these lake-basins, 

 which for ages had been rifling up, preserving in their sedi- 

 ments a faithful record of Eocene life history, were slowly 

 drained by the constant deepening of the outflowing rivers, 

 and have since remained dry land. 



The Miocene lake-basins are on the flanks of this region, 

 -where only land had been since the close of the Cretaceous. 

 These basins contain three faunas, nearly or quite distinct. 

 The lowest Miocene, which is only found east of the Rocky 

 Mountains, alone contains the peculiar mammals known as 

 the BroutotJieridM, and these deposits may be called the Bron- 

 tolherium Beds. The strata next above, which represent the 

 middle Miocene, have as their most characteristic fossil the 

 genus Oreodon, and are known as the Oreodon Beds. The 

 upper Miocene, which occurs in Oregon, is of great thickness, 

 and from one of its most important fossils, Mwhippua, may be 

 designated as the Miohippus Series. The climate here during 

 this period was warm temperate. 



Above the Miocene, east of the Rocky Mountains and on 

 the Pacific Coast, the Pliocene is well developed, and is rich 

 in vertebrate remains. The strata rest unconformably on the 

 Miocene, and there is a well-marked faunal change at this 

 point, modern types now first making their appearance. For 

 these reasons we are justified in separating the Miocene from 

 the Pliocene at this break;' although in Europe, where no 

 marked break exists, the line seems to have been drawn at a 

 somewhat higher horizon. Our Pliocene forms essentially a 

 continuous series, although the upper beds may he distin- 

 guished from the lower by the presence of a true JEquus, and 

 some other existing genera. The Pliocene climate was simi- 

 lar to that of the Miocene. The Post-Pliocene beds contain 

 many extinct mammals, and may thus be separated from re- 

 cent deposits. 



Returning now to our subject from this geological digres- 

 sion—which will hardly be deemed unprofitable, since I have 

 given you in few words the results of a great deal of hard 

 mountain work — let us consider the Tertiary Mammals, as we 

 know them from the remains already discovered, and attempt 

 to trace the history of each order down to the present time. 

 We have seen that a single small Marsupial, from the Trias, 

 is the only mammal found in all the American rocks below 

 the Eocene; and yet in beds of this age, immediately 

 over the Chalk, fossil mammals of many different kinds 

 abound. 



The Marsupials, strange to say, are here few in number, 

 and diminutive in size ; and have as yet been identified only 

 by fragmentary specimens, and most of them too imperfect 

 for accurate description. In the higher Eocene deposits, this 

 group is more abundant, but still represented by small ani- 

 mals, most of them insectivorous or carnivorous in habit, like 

 the existing Opossum, From the Miocene and Pliocene, no 

 remains of Marsupials have been described. From the Post- 

 Tertiary, only specimens nearly allied to those now living are 

 known, and most of these were found in the caves of South 

 America. 



The Edentate Mammals are evidently an American type, 

 and on this continent attained a great development in num- 

 bers and size. No Eocene Edentates have been fouud here, 

 and although their discovery in this formation has been an- 

 nounced, the identification proves to have been erroneous. 

 In the Miocene of the Pacific Coast, a few fossils have been 

 discovered which belong to auimals of this group, and to the 

 genus Moropus. There are two species, one about as large as 

 a Tapir, and the other nearly twice that size. This genus is 

 the type of a distinct family, the Moropodidm. In the lower 

 Pliocene above, well preserved remains of Edentates of very 

 large size have been found at several widely separated locali- 

 ties in Idaho and California. These belong to the genus 

 Morotherium, of which two species are known. East of the 

 Rocky Mountains, in the lower Pliocene of Nebraska, a large 

 species apparently of the genus Moropus has been discovered. 

 The horizon of these later fossils corresponds nearly with beds 

 in Europe that have been called Miocene. In the PostPlio- 

 cene of North America, gigantic Edentates were very numer- 

 ous and widely distributed, but all disappeared with tbe close 

 of that period. These forms were essentially huge Sloths, 

 and the more important genera were Megatherium, Mylodon 



and M(>cjaloni/.r. The genera Megalocntti and Myomorplms 

 have been fouud only in Cuba. 



in South America during the Pliocene or Post-Pliocene, 

 enormous Edentates were still more abundant, and their re- 

 mains arc usually in such perfect preservation as to suggest a 

 very recent period for their extinction. The Sloth tribe is 

 represented by the huge Mylodon, Megatherium, Megalonyx, 

 Owlodon, Oolwtherium, GnatJwpin, Lestodon, Scetidot/ierium, 

 and SpJusnodori ; and among the Armadilloes were Ghlnmy- 

 dotherium, hJurydmi, Glyptodon, Heterodox, Pachytherium aud 

 ,S<-Jn'gtoplt:i/ru-m.. Glossot/ieriwm, another extinct genus, is sup- 

 posed to be allied to the Ant-cat ers. 



It is frequently asserted, and very generally believed, that 

 the large number of huge Edentata which lived in North 

 America during the Post- Pliocene, were the results of an ex- 

 tensive migration from South America soon after the eleva- 

 tion of the Isthmus of Panama, near the close of the Tertiary. 

 No conclusive proof of such migration has been offered, and 

 the evidence, it seems to me, so far as we now have it, is di- 

 rectly opposed to this view. No undoubted Tertiary Edentates 

 have yet been discovered in South America, while we have at 

 least two species in our Miocene, and during the deposition of 

 our lower Pliocene, large individuals of this group were not 

 uncommon as far north as the forty-third parallel of latitude, 

 on both sides of the Rocky Mountains. In view of these 

 facts, and others which I shall lay before you, it seems more 

 natural to conclude from our present knowledge, that the mi- 

 gration, which no doubt took place, was from north to south. 

 The EdentaXes finding thus in South America a congenial 

 home flourished greatly for a time, and although the larger 

 forms are now all extinct, diminutive representatives of the 

 group still inhabit the same region. 



The Cet-eoea first appear in the Eocene, as in Europe, and 

 are comparatively abundant in deposits of this age on the 

 Atlantic Coast. The most interesting remains of this order, 

 yet found, belong to the Zeuglodontidm, which are carnivorous 

 whales, and the only animals of the order with teeth implanted 

 by two roots. The principal genera of this family are 

 Ze-uglodon and Sgualodon, the former genus being represented 

 by gigantic forms, some of which were seventy feet in length. 

 The genus Saurooetes, which includes some small animals of 

 this group, has been found in South America. The Dolphin 

 family (Belpkinidm) are well represented in the Miocene, both 

 on the Atlantic and Pacific Coast. The best known genus is 

 Priscodeipldnus, of which several species have been described. 

 Several other generic names which have been applied to frag- 

 ments need not here be enumerated. In none of the Tertiary 

 species of this family were the cervical vertebra! anchylosed. 

 The Sperm Whales (Catodontidm) were also abundant through- 

 out the Tertiary, and with them in the earlier beds, various 

 Ziphioid forms have been found. The toothless Balamidai 

 are only known with certainty as fossils from the later Tertiary 

 and more recent deposits. 



The Sirenians, which appear first in the Eocene of the Old 

 World, occur in the Miocene of our Eastern Coast, and 

 throughout the later Tertiary. The specimens described have 

 all been referred to the genus Manat/as, and seem closely re- 

 lated to our living species. In the Tertiary of Jamaica, a skull 

 has been found which indicates a new genus, ProrasU/mus, 

 also allied to the existing Manatee. The genus Rhytvna, 

 once abundant on our Northwest Coast, has recently become 

 extinct. 



(To be continued.) 



THE RAINY SEASON IN SOUTH 

 FLORIDA. 



MANY, I doubt not, in looking at this caption will bring 

 to mind impressions of tropical rainy seasons received 

 from a perusal in the happy days of childhood, of that stand- 

 ard work, " Robinson Crusoe," or in later years, perhaps, from 

 a like story by Charles Reade, though more romantic, by rea- 

 son of a lady, under the title of "Foul Play," picturing to 

 themselves a dreary succession of rainy days when the leaden 

 skies drip dreary drops incessantly, and never a ray of sun- 

 shine brightens and warms the sodden earth. To such I 

 would say : We have a better way of doing these things in 

 Florida, and though we get the water, deluges, oceans, floods 

 of it, it comes in such a happy sort of a fashion as never to 

 cast the gloom consequent upon a rainy day over our mercu- 

 rial temperaments, but with such dashes of sunshine and 

 shade as to make the rainy season a pleasant one to the Flor- 

 idian. From the middle of June to the last of August or pos- 

 sibly September 15, the greater half and often three quarters 

 of the entire annual rain fall is precipitated on this part of the 

 State, making of that term, literally, a rainy season. At its 

 commencement the thrifty farmer begins putting his potato- 

 patch in order for planting his new crop, and the unthrifty 

 planter begins to inquire : " Who's got potato vines to spare ?" 

 To all it is the potato planting season, for to the sweet potato 

 or " Hity yam" patch our cracker friend looks for the quarter 

 part of his daily bread. "Hity," you understand, represents 

 in cracker parlance, Hayti. Cuttings from the old sweet po- 

 tato vines from twelve to eighteen inches long are at this sea- 

 son carelessly stuck into the loosely prepared earth, where 

 they quickly root and grow, so thoroughly saturated is the 

 ground with moisture and warmth. 



Days, and sometimes weeks, before the regular rains reach 

 the Gulf Coast, their presence is indicated miles east and in- 

 land by heavy banks of cumulus clouds whose lower edge is 

 apparently cut square away parallel with the horizon, while 

 beneath this straight edge down the tops of the pines that 

 everywhere mark that horizon is a filling of that deep dark 

 blue shade that is sometimes assumed by the Atlantic under a 

 stormy sky ; the back country is flooded, and the rivers that 

 during the winter months are mere brooks in their beds, now 

 come seething, boiling and surging along down to the bays 

 which are discolored by this rain water often out to the Gulf. 

 With this fresh water comes down occasionally an alligator 

 seeking pastures new, only to return later in the season when 

 the freshet has run out. Mr, 'Gator makes up his mind he 

 will not live in brine,- brackish water might do — but brine, 

 never 1 ^He will be pickled first." So packing his trunk 



with mullet, pine knots, etc. (the latter as aids to digestion), 

 he takes the back track, drifting up with the flood tides. 



The average annual rain fall in this part of the State is fifty- 

 three inches, and as has been before remarked, about three 

 fourths of it tumbles during three months. The astonishing 

 part of the business is the small part of this period actually 

 occupied with this fall. After having seen one of the rain 

 squalls, however, the wonder is that more than one is needed 

 to accomplish it, for really it seems that the entire bottom 

 must have dropped out of the Celestial water tanks, and that 

 they were immense. These heavy showers are not uncom- 

 monly accompanied with fierce winds, that to the yachtsman 

 are a source of pleasure or vexation according to the course he 

 or they may be voyaging. It is not wise for him to leave much 

 canvas set upon the chance of catching fair wind, for nothing 

 on earth can be more uncertain in direction and velocity than 

 these squall winds. Coming sometimes with a force that 

 tempts the sailor to set everything, they Increase in a minute 

 to the irresistible strength and velocity of the hurricane, cov- 

 ering the water with a sheet of foam and sweeping everything, 

 thus woe to the boat that is carrying sail. The cautious navi- 

 gator seeing the black line of the squall wind approaching on 

 the water, lowers everything, stops up his sail, and upon get- 

 ting the full force of the breeze, again sets such sail as his 

 craft can carry. Years ago while laboring under the mistaken 

 impression that it paid to " drag sail," we took several of these 

 "teasers" running under the jib. Once our boat went 

 "hatches to," and a parting jib sheet saved her from a cap- 

 size, and again with a light jib stripped clean out of the bolt 

 rope, we concluded that it wasn't wise to take any chances in 

 these squalls. Seventeen days of terrible suffering from hun- 

 ger and thirst in an open boat would have been avoided by the 

 captain and crew of a lumber-loaded bark last summer had 

 the captain came to that same conclusion in time. Caught by 

 the squall with everything set, the good vessel rolled over and 

 was found months after in the Gulf Stream keel up, while the 

 crew with part of a barrel of water that washed off the deck, 

 and nothing to eat, worked for the shore in the yawl boat. 



Late in the afternoon, or " evening," as it is more generally 

 termed down South here, is the time usually chosen by the 

 showers, and they are so soon over that the sunsets are almost 

 always clear and bright. Up to this time the sunshine is as 

 bright and hot as it seems to be nowhere else, roasting the 

 toiler in the field, while under the shade of the live oak or hi 

 the breezy corner of the porch the fortunate individual who 

 has nothing to do may be as " cool as a cucumber," The 

 breezy corner is always to be found, for in the ever changing 

 and varying temperature of our sandy land and sunny sea is 

 found a famous bellows, now sucking in the cool air from the 

 Gulf, and vice versa, "to restore the equihbrium," as some- 

 body's Natural Philosophy used to tell us when we went to 

 school. 



To the artist who desires studies of gorgeous sunsets we 

 would say, that in America's Italy at this season, above a set- 

 ting sun, he may see all that nature can produce in the way of 

 cloud painting in the western sky ; and to the lover of nature 

 who would realize in its full force the majesty of the gods, 

 might watch one night squall from the deck of some vessel in 

 the bay, when the lightning silvers the rushing " white caps,", 

 and the drifting sheets of rain with its constant flashes and 

 heaven's artillery, the whole park unites in grand discharges 

 that shake everything to the centre. Language is inadequate 

 to the description of such a scene. 



To the new settler from the northland whose orange trees 

 (in the grove he is hopefully calculating will some day secure 

 his fortune) have perhaps been wilting and dying under the 

 hot suns and drying winds of the months that precede these 

 rains, this season is one of encouragement. Stimulated by the 

 abundant moisture in earth and air, all vegetation springs into 

 surprising activity. The young orange tree doubles its size 

 in the season, and weeds— well, the place Is yet to be heard 

 from where they don't grow pretty well. If perchance the 

 above-mentioned settler has brought with him his fine Scott 

 or Tolley gun, he speedily finds that to keep that gun clean 

 and free from rust is to assume a task that will make his fife a 

 burden to him. The stock will gather mold m two days, and 

 rust will gather in about the same number of hours. Well, 

 all this wetness disappears by the middle of September, and 

 leaves us a climate that is as near perfection for the hunter, 

 fisherman, camper, or indeed any who would enjoy out-door 

 life, as could be desired. For the rest of the year a blanket 

 and shelter-tent afford ample protection from the weather, and 

 even these can on occasion be dispensed with without much 

 discomfort. For years we have known an old hermit hunter 

 to whom shelter or blankets are unknown luxuries. Abso- 

 lutely refusing the proffered hospitalities of old acquaintances, 

 with the beach sand for a mattress the old fellow lies down at 

 night in his rags, with his dogs beside him, and " sleeps the 

 sleep of the just." Seventy years old, with an iron constitu- 

 tion, he has led this life for a score of years on this coast, and 

 promises to hunt a score more. Many a winter night has the 

 writer, tired with fire hunting miles up the wind from the 

 camp on the beach, laid down in the pine straw, beside the 

 deer in some instances that had stopped at the request of his 

 good Winchester, and slept comfortably without even a coat 

 to keep off the dew, confident no rain would fall to disturb 

 the good sleep one earns by a dark tramp in the woods, for 

 don't you see it all fell during the "rainy season." 



Manatee, Fla., Aug. 27, 1877. W. S. Wabnbk. 

 «_^»^^. 



— A time ball is dropped from the flag pole on the Western 

 Union building, New York City, at noon by signal from the 

 National Observatory. 



