178 General Notes. [ February, 
Tue Eocene Fauna oF Paraconra.—lIn a recent issue of the 
Revue Scientifique M. Trouessart gives an account of the Eocene 
fauna of Southern Patagonia. The great discoverer in this direc- 
tion has been Señor F. P. Moreno, of the Buenos Ayres Museum, 
who, with five persons and a canoe drawn by horses, ascended the 
Santa Cruz river beyond the point reached by Darwin, and dis- 
covered lakes Argentine, Viedma and San Martin, all fed by the 
glaciers of the Andes. The middle course of the river, though 
desolate as the lower, is grander, and the outlines of the hills at once 
reminded Sr. Moreno of the Mauvaises Terres of Nebraska and 
New Mexico. The upper course traverses the great forest of beeches 
that has replaced the palms of the Tertiary epoch, and the rich- 
ness of the flora contrasts greatly with the aridity of the lower 
regions. Ina little cavern was found the mummified body of à 
man, wrapped in feathers of the rhea and painted like the mum- 
mies of Arizona. This mummy marks the previous existence of 
a people less barbarous than the scattered tribes that now inhabit 
the country. 
On the left bank of the middle course, at a point passed but 
not noticed by Darwin, was discovered the rich fossiliferous beds, 
the treasures of which now enrich the Museum of Buenos 
Ayres. The current is so rapid and the stream so narrow 
passage of this formation, the beds of which are almost veri 
that it is no wonder that Darwin’s attention was otherwise ocet 
pied when passing. These difficulties caused the collections 
made by Sr. Moreno to be far smaller than they would otherwis¢ 
have been. 
One of the principal remains is a large skull, incomp 
riorly; this skull was described under the name of Astra, et 
ium patagonicum by Burmeister. According to Señor Mor 
the upper surface is convex ; there are no horns, an 
mous canines are present, there are but three or fo 
premolars on each side of the upper jaw. It presents ee ig | 
eralized characters, its only molar is marsupial, while the form 
the skull approaches that of the carnivores, so that it may = 
supposed to be a great transitional marsupial of aquatic ae 
The brain is very much reduced. Another species is 4 true 
supial which Sr. Moreno has described under the nam 
mandible of Owen’s Nesodon imbricatus, and two molars © 
_ stitute a complete transition between the toxodonts an while 
ustralis, 
_ Tembotherium holmbergi is a true rodent from t^e ~ sr 
beds: M. Lista, in his voyage to the sources of the Rive 
lete ante — 
e of ree | 
tenthes arate. The same locality has furnished a portion f Tie 
