Fig. 46.: Badlands on the Red Deer River in Alberta. This region is the richest known collecting ground for cretacic dinosaurs.Fig. 46.—Badlands on the Red Deer River in Alberta. This region is the richest known collecting ground for cretacic dinosaurs.
Fig. 46.—Badlands on the Red Deer River in Alberta. This region is the richest known collecting ground for cretacic dinosaurs.
There is an entirely different class of explanations, however, to be considered, which are consistent both with the continued fitness of structure of the giant dinosaurs themselves and with the survival of their especial food; such, for example, as the introduction of anew enemymore deadly even than the great carnivorous dinosaurs. Among such theories the mostingenious is that of the late Professor Cope, who suggested that some of the small, inoffensive, and inconspicuous forms of Jurassic mammals, of the size of the shrew and the hedgehog, contracted the habit of seeking out the nests of these dinosaurs, gnawing through the shells of their eggs, and thus destroying the young. The appearance, or evolution, of any egg-destroying animals, whether reptiles or mammals, which could attack this great race at such a defenseless point would be rapidly followed by its extinction. We must accordingly be on the alert for all possible theories of extinction; and these theories themselves will fall under the universal principle of the survival of the fittest until we approximate or actually hit upon the truth.
By Barnum Brown.
"How do you know where to look for fossils?" is a common question. In general it may be answered that the surface of North America has been pretty well explored by government surveys and scientific expeditions and the geologic age of the larger areas determined. Most important in determining the geologic sequence of the earth's strata are the fossil remains of animal and plant life. A grouping of distinct species of fossils correlated with stratigraphic characters in the rocks determines these subdivisions. When a collection of fossils is desired to represent a certain period, exploringparties are sent to these known areas. Sometimes however, chance information leads up to most important discoveries, such as resulted from the work of the past two seasons in Alberta, Canada.
A visitor to the Museum, Mr. J.L. Wagner, while examining our mineral collections saw the large bones in the Reptile Hall and remarked to the Curator of Mineralogy that he had seen many similar bones near his ranch in the Red Deer Cañon of Alberta. After talking some time an invitation was extended to the writer to visit his home and prospect the cañon. Accordingly in the fall of 1909 a preliminary trip was made to the locality.
From Didsbury, a little town north of Calgary, the writer drove eastward ninety miles to the Red Deer River through a portion of the newly opened grain belt of Alberta, destined in the near future to produce a large part of the world's bread. Near the railroad the land is mostly under cultivation and comfortable homes and bountiful grain fields testify to the rich nature of the soil. A few miles eastward the brushland gives way to a level expanse of grass-covered prairie dotted here and there by large and small lakes probably of glacial origin. Mile after mile the road follows section lines and one is rarely out of sight of the house of some "homesteader." It is through this level farm land that the Red Deer River wends its way flowing through a cañon far below the surface. Near Wagner's ranch the cañon was prospected and so many bones found thatit appeared most desirable to do extended searching along the river.
Usually fossils are found in "bad lands," where extensive areas are denuded of grass and the surface eroded into hills and ravines. A camp is located near some spring or stream and collectors ride or walk over miles of these exposures in each direction till the region is thoroughly explored. Quite different are conditions on the Red Deer River. Cutting through the prairie land the river had formed a cañon two to five hundred feet deep and rarely more than a mile wide at the top. In places the walls are nearly perpendicular and the river winds in its narrow valley, touching one side then crossing to the other so that it is impossible to follow up or down its course any great distance even on horseback.
It was evident that the most feasible way to work these banks was from a boat; consequently in the summer of 1910 our party proceeded to the town of Red Deer, where the Calgary-Edmonton railroad crosses the river. There a flatboat, twelve by thirty feet in dimension, was constructed on lines similar to a western ferry boat, having a carrying capacity of eight tons with a twenty-two foot oar at each end to direct its course. The rapid current averaging about four miles per hour precluded any thought of going up stream in a large boat, so it was constructed on lines sufficiently generous to form a living boat as well as to carry the season's collection of fossils.
Supplied with a season's provisions, lumber for boxes, and plaster for encasing bones, we began our fossil cruise down a cañon which once echoed songs of theBois brulé, for this was at one time the fur territory of the great Hudson Bay Company.
Fig. 47.: American Museum Expedition on the Red Deer River. Fossils secured along the banks were packed and loaded aboard the large scow and floated down the river to the railway station.Fig. 47.—American Museum Expedition on the Red Deer River. Fossils secured along the banks were packed and loaded aboard the large scow and floated down the river to the railway station.
Fig. 47.—American Museum Expedition on the Red Deer River. Fossils secured along the banks were packed and loaded aboard the large scow and floated down the river to the railway station.
No more interesting or instructive journey has ever been taken by the writer. High up on the plateau, buildings and haystacks proclaim a well-settled country, but habitations are rarely seen from the river and for miles we floated through picturesque solitude unbroken save by the roar of the rapids.
Especially characteristic of this cañon are the slides where the current setting against the bank has undermined it until a mountain of earth slips into the river,in some cases almost choking its course. A continual sorting thus goes on, the finer material being carried away while the boulders are left as barriers forming slow moving reaches of calm water and stretches of rapids difficult to navigate during low water. In one of these slides we found several small mammal jaws and teeth not known before from Canada, associated with fossil clam shells of Eocene age.
The long midsummer days in latitude 52° gave many working hours, but with frequent stops to prospect the banks we rarely floated more than twenty miles per day. An occasional flock of ducks and geese were disturbed as our boat approached and bank beaver houses were frequently passed, but few of the animals were seen during the daytime. Tying the boat to a tree at night we would go ashore to camp among the trees where after dinner pipes were smoked in the glow of a great camp fire. Only a fossil hunter or a desert traveler can fully appreciate the luxury of abundant wood and running water. In the stillness of the night the underworld was alive and many little feet rustled the leaves where daylight disclosed no sound. Then the beaver and muskrat swam up to investigate this new intruder, while from the tree-tops came the constant query, "Who! Who!"
For seventy miles the country is thickly wooded with pine and poplar, the stately spruce trees silhouetted against the sky adding a charm to the ever changing scene. Nature has also been kind to the treelessregions beyond, for underneath the fertile prairie, veins of good lignite coal of varying thickness are successively cut by the river. In many places these are worked in the river banks during winter. One vein of excellent quality is eighteen feet thick, although usually they are much thinner. The government right has been taken to mine most of this coal outcropping along the river.
Fig. 48.: Locality of Ankylosaurus skull in Edmonton formation in Red Deer River. The skull is in the rock just above the pick, about the center of the photograph.Fig. 48.—Locality of Ankylosaurus skull in Edmonton formation in Red Deer River. The skull is in the rock just above the pick, about the center of the photograph.
Fig. 48.—Locality of Ankylosaurus skull in Edmonton formation in Red Deer River. The skull is in the rock just above the pick, about the center of the photograph.
Along the upper portion of the stream are banks of Eocene age, from which shells and mammal jaws were secured, but near the town of Content where the river bends southward, a new series of rocks appeared and in these our search was rewarded by finding dinosaurbones similar to those seen at Wagner's ranch. Specimens were found in increasing numbers as we continued our journey, and progress down the river was necessarily much slower. Frequently the boat would be tied up a week or more at one camp while we searched the banks, examining the cliffs layer by layer that no fossil might escape observation. With the little dingey the opposite side of the river was reached so that both sides were covered at the same time from one camp. As soon as a mile or more had been prospected or a new specimen secured, the boat was dropped down to a new convenient anchorage. Box after box was added to the collection till scarcely a cubit's space remained unoccupied on board our fossil ark.
Where prairie badlands are eroded in innumerable buttes and ravines it is always doubtful if one has seen all exposures, so there was peculiar satisfaction in making a thorough search of these river banks knowing that few if any fossils had escaped observation. On account of the heavy rainfall and frequent sliding of banks new fossils are exposed every season so that in a few years these same banks can again be explored profitably. This river will become as classic hunting ground for reptile remains as the Badlands of South Dakota are for mammals.
Although the summer days are long in this latitude the season is short and thousands of geese flying southward foretell the early winter. Where the temperature is not infrequently forty to sixty degrees below zero inwinter, it is difficult to think of a time when a warm climate could have prevailed, yet such condition is indicated by the fossil plants.
When the weather became too cold to work with plaster, the fossils were shipped from a branch railroad forty-five miles distant, the camp material was stored for the winter and with block and tackle the big boat was hauled up on shore above the reach of high water.
In the summer of 1911 the boat was recalked and again launched when we continued our search from the point at which work closed the previous year. During the summer we were visited by the Museum's President, Prof. Henry Fairfield Osborn, and one of the Trustees, Mr. Madison Grant. A canoeing trip, one of great interest and pleasure, was taken with our visitors covering two hundred and fifty miles down the river from the town of Red Deer, during which valuable material was added to the collection and important geological data secured.
As a result of the Canadian work the Museum is enriched by a magnificent collection of Cretaceous fossils some of which are new to science.
[19]Transactions Kansas Academy of Science, p. 43.
[19]Transactions Kansas Academy of Science, p. 43.
[20]From Fossil Wonders of the West. Century Magazine 1904, vol. lxviii, pp. 680-694. Reprinted by permission.
[20]From Fossil Wonders of the West. Century Magazine 1904, vol. lxviii, pp. 680-694. Reprinted by permission.
[21]At this time the Union Pacific Railroad directly passed the bluffs; in the recent improvement of the grade the main line has been moved to the south.—H.F.O.
[21]At this time the Union Pacific Railroad directly passed the bluffs; in the recent improvement of the grade the main line has been moved to the south.—H.F.O.
[22]A different interpretation of this contraction is given upon p. 68.
[22]A different interpretation of this contraction is given upon p. 68.
The published literature on this subject consists chiefly of technical descriptions and researches scattered through the files of numerous scientific journals in Europe and America. Only the more important titles are cited in this list. I have also listed the recently published text books which give the most authoritative treatment of the dinosaurs, and two or three popular books dealing with fossil vertebrates. Students consulting these authorities should remember that great additions to scientific knowledge of dinosaurs have been made during the last two decades, and much of the new evidence is as yet unpublished or undigested. The views and conclusions presented in this handbook are based upon the study of the American Museum collections as well as upon the authorities cited below.
Abel, Othenius, 1912.Palaeobiologie der Wirbelthiere.Schweitzer-bart'sche Verlagsbuchh., Stuttgart.Branca u. Janensch, 1914.Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Tendaguru Expedition.Archiv. f. Biontologie, iii Bd, i Heft.Brown, Barnum, 1902-1914. Articles in Bulletin of Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., descriptive of new Cretaceous Dinosaurs.Chamberlin & Salisbury, 1905-7.Geology, vol. i-iii. (Henry Holt & Co. pub.)Cope, E.D., 1868-1895. Articles in Hayden Survey Reports, American Naturalist, Proceedings and Transactions of American Philosophical Society and elsewhere, descriptive of various new or little known dinosaurs.Dollo, L.,Sauriens de Bernissart, etc. Numerous articles chiefly in Bulletin Museum Royale Hist. Nat. Belg.Gilmore, C.W., 1914.Osteology of the Armored Dinosauria in the U.S. National Museum with Special Reference to the Genus Stegosaurus.U.S. National Museum, Bulletin No. 89, pp. 1-136, pll. i-xxxvii.Gilmore, C.W., 1909.Osteology of the Jurassic Reptile Camptosaurusetc. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., vol. xxxvi, pp. 197-332, pl. vi-xx.Hatcher, J.B., 1901.Diplodocus (Marsh) its Osteology, etc. Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum, vol. i, pp. 1-63, pll. i-xiii.Hatcher, J.B., 1903.Osteology of Haplocanthosaurus.Mem. Carn. Mus., vol. ii, pp. 1-75, pll. i-vi.Hatcher, Marsh & Lull, 1907.The Ceratopsia.U.S. Geol. Survey Monographs, vol. xlix, pp. i-xxx and 1-300, pll. i-li.Hay, O.P., 1902.Bibliography of North American Fossil Vertebrata.U.S. Geol. Sur. Bull. No. 179, pp. 1-868.Hennig, E., 1912.Am Tendaguru.Holland, W.J., 1906.Osteology of Diplodocus.Mem. Carn. Mus., vol. ii, pp. 225-264, pl. xxiii-xxx.Huene, F. von, 1905-6.Ueber die Dinosaurier der aussereuropäischen Trias.Koken's Geol. u. Pal. Abh. N. F., B'd. viii, s. 99-154.Huene, F. von, 1907-8.Die Dinosaurier der Europäischen Triasformation.Geol. u. Pal. Abh. Supplem. Bd. pll. i-cxi.Huene, F. von, 1914.Beiträge zur Geschichte der Archosaurier.Geol. u. Pal. Abh. N. F., B'd. xiii, pp. 1-53, pll. i-vii.Huene, F. von, 1903-1914. Numerous minor contributions in Anatom. Anzeig. Neues Jahrb. f. min., Geol. Centralbl. and other scientific journals.Hutchinson, Rev. F.N., 1910.Extinct Monsters and Creatures of Other Days.Chapman & Hall, London.Huxley, T.H., 1859-1870. Articles, chiefly in Quarterly Journal Geol. Soc. and Geol. Magazine. Discussing the osteology and systematic relationships of various Dinosaurs.Jaekel, O., 1913-14.Ueber die Wirbelthiere in den oberen Trias von Halberstadt.Palæont. Zeitschr. B'd. i, s. 155-215, taf. iii-iv.Knipe, H.R., 1912.Evolution in the Past.Herbert & Daniel, London.Lambe, Lawrence, 1902, with H.F. Osborn. See Osborn & Lambe.Lambe, Lawrence, 1913-4. Articles in Ottawa Naturalist descriptive of new Cretacic Dinosaurs.Lucas, F.A., 1901.Extinct Animals.Republished by the American Museum, Price 35c.Lucas, F.A., 1901. The Restoration of Extinct Animals, Smithsonian Report for 1900, pp. 479-492, pll. i-viii.Lull, R.S., 1904.Fossil Footprints of the Jura-Trias.Mem. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. v, pp. 461-558.Lull, R.S., 1910.Dinosaurian Distribution.Am. Journ. Sci., vol. xxix, pp. 1-39;The Armor of Stegosaurus, ibid., pp. 201-210;Stegosaurus ungulatus, ibid., vol. xxx, pp. 361-377.Marsh, O.C., 1877-1896. Numerous articles in the American Journal of Science descriptive of new Dinosaurs or announcing results of his studies on these fossils.Marsh, O.C., 1896.The Dinosaurs of North America.U.S. Geol. Survey, 16th Ann. Rep., pt. i, pp. 133-414, pll. i-lxxxv.Nopsca, 1899, 1902, 1904.Dinosaurierreste aus Siebenburgen (Telmatosaurus, etc.). Denkschr. math.-naturwiss. Kl. Kais. Akad. Wiss. Wien, b'd. lxviii, lxxii, lxxiv.Nopsca, 1906.Zur Kenntniss der Genus Streptospondylus.Beit. zur Pal. Oest-ung. Bd. xix.Nopsca, F., 1902-1911. Various articles on European Dinosaurs in Geological Magazine, Bull. Soc. Geol. Norm., etc.Osborn, H.F., 1899.A Skeleton of Diplodocus, Mem. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. i, pp. 191-214, pll. xxiv-xxviii.Osborn, H.F., 1912.Crania of Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus; Integument of the Iguanodont Dinosaur Trachodon, Mem. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. S., vol. i, pp. 1-54, pll. i-x.Osborn, H.F., 1898-1914. Articles in American Museum Bulletin, descriptive of Sauropoda,Ornitholestes,Allosaurus,Tyrannosaurus.Osborn & Lambe, 1902.Vertebrata of the Mid-Cretaceous of the North-West Territory.Can. Geol. Survey Publications Quarto series, vol. iii.Owen, R., 1853-1877. Monographs on Fossil Reptilia. Palæontographical Society, London.Riggs, E.S., 1901-4. Articles on Sauropoda in Field Museum of Nat. Hist. Publications, Geology.Schuchert, Chas., 1910.Palæogeography of North America.Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., vol. xx, pp. 427-606, pll. 46-101.Strömer von Reichenbach, E., 1912.Lehrbuch der Palæontologie, ii, Wirbelthiere(B.G. Teubner, Leipzig u. Berlin.)Thévenin, A., 1907.Paleontologie de Madagascar, iv, Dinosaurs.Ann. de Paléont, t. ii, pp. 121-136, 2 pll.Woodward, A.S., 1898.Vertebrate Palæontology.Cambridge Science Manuals.Zittel(Broili u. a. rev.) 1911.Grundzuge der Palæontologie.Zittel (Eastmantransl.), 1902.Textbook of Palæontology, vol. ii, Vertebrata(except Mammals). Macmillan & Co.
Abel, Othenius, 1912.Palaeobiologie der Wirbelthiere.Schweitzer-bart'sche Verlagsbuchh., Stuttgart.
Branca u. Janensch, 1914.Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Tendaguru Expedition.Archiv. f. Biontologie, iii Bd, i Heft.
Brown, Barnum, 1902-1914. Articles in Bulletin of Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., descriptive of new Cretaceous Dinosaurs.
Chamberlin & Salisbury, 1905-7.Geology, vol. i-iii. (Henry Holt & Co. pub.)
Cope, E.D., 1868-1895. Articles in Hayden Survey Reports, American Naturalist, Proceedings and Transactions of American Philosophical Society and elsewhere, descriptive of various new or little known dinosaurs.
Dollo, L.,Sauriens de Bernissart, etc. Numerous articles chiefly in Bulletin Museum Royale Hist. Nat. Belg.
Gilmore, C.W., 1914.Osteology of the Armored Dinosauria in the U.S. National Museum with Special Reference to the Genus Stegosaurus.U.S. National Museum, Bulletin No. 89, pp. 1-136, pll. i-xxxvii.
Gilmore, C.W., 1909.Osteology of the Jurassic Reptile Camptosaurusetc. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., vol. xxxvi, pp. 197-332, pl. vi-xx.
Hatcher, J.B., 1901.Diplodocus (Marsh) its Osteology, etc. Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum, vol. i, pp. 1-63, pll. i-xiii.
Hatcher, J.B., 1903.Osteology of Haplocanthosaurus.Mem. Carn. Mus., vol. ii, pp. 1-75, pll. i-vi.
Hatcher, Marsh & Lull, 1907.The Ceratopsia.U.S. Geol. Survey Monographs, vol. xlix, pp. i-xxx and 1-300, pll. i-li.
Hay, O.P., 1902.Bibliography of North American Fossil Vertebrata.U.S. Geol. Sur. Bull. No. 179, pp. 1-868.
Hennig, E., 1912.Am Tendaguru.
Holland, W.J., 1906.Osteology of Diplodocus.Mem. Carn. Mus., vol. ii, pp. 225-264, pl. xxiii-xxx.
Huene, F. von, 1905-6.Ueber die Dinosaurier der aussereuropäischen Trias.Koken's Geol. u. Pal. Abh. N. F., B'd. viii, s. 99-154.
Huene, F. von, 1907-8.Die Dinosaurier der Europäischen Triasformation.Geol. u. Pal. Abh. Supplem. Bd. pll. i-cxi.
Huene, F. von, 1914.Beiträge zur Geschichte der Archosaurier.Geol. u. Pal. Abh. N. F., B'd. xiii, pp. 1-53, pll. i-vii.
Huene, F. von, 1903-1914. Numerous minor contributions in Anatom. Anzeig. Neues Jahrb. f. min., Geol. Centralbl. and other scientific journals.
Hutchinson, Rev. F.N., 1910.Extinct Monsters and Creatures of Other Days.Chapman & Hall, London.
Huxley, T.H., 1859-1870. Articles, chiefly in Quarterly Journal Geol. Soc. and Geol. Magazine. Discussing the osteology and systematic relationships of various Dinosaurs.
Jaekel, O., 1913-14.Ueber die Wirbelthiere in den oberen Trias von Halberstadt.Palæont. Zeitschr. B'd. i, s. 155-215, taf. iii-iv.
Knipe, H.R., 1912.Evolution in the Past.Herbert & Daniel, London.
Lambe, Lawrence, 1902, with H.F. Osborn. See Osborn & Lambe.
Lambe, Lawrence, 1913-4. Articles in Ottawa Naturalist descriptive of new Cretacic Dinosaurs.
Lucas, F.A., 1901.Extinct Animals.Republished by the American Museum, Price 35c.
Lucas, F.A., 1901. The Restoration of Extinct Animals, Smithsonian Report for 1900, pp. 479-492, pll. i-viii.
Lull, R.S., 1904.Fossil Footprints of the Jura-Trias.Mem. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. v, pp. 461-558.
Lull, R.S., 1910.Dinosaurian Distribution.Am. Journ. Sci., vol. xxix, pp. 1-39;The Armor of Stegosaurus, ibid., pp. 201-210;Stegosaurus ungulatus, ibid., vol. xxx, pp. 361-377.
Marsh, O.C., 1877-1896. Numerous articles in the American Journal of Science descriptive of new Dinosaurs or announcing results of his studies on these fossils.
Marsh, O.C., 1896.The Dinosaurs of North America.U.S. Geol. Survey, 16th Ann. Rep., pt. i, pp. 133-414, pll. i-lxxxv.
Nopsca, 1899, 1902, 1904.Dinosaurierreste aus Siebenburgen (Telmatosaurus, etc.). Denkschr. math.-naturwiss. Kl. Kais. Akad. Wiss. Wien, b'd. lxviii, lxxii, lxxiv.
Nopsca, 1906.Zur Kenntniss der Genus Streptospondylus.Beit. zur Pal. Oest-ung. Bd. xix.
Nopsca, F., 1902-1911. Various articles on European Dinosaurs in Geological Magazine, Bull. Soc. Geol. Norm., etc.
Osborn, H.F., 1899.A Skeleton of Diplodocus, Mem. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. i, pp. 191-214, pll. xxiv-xxviii.
Osborn, H.F., 1912.Crania of Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus; Integument of the Iguanodont Dinosaur Trachodon, Mem. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. S., vol. i, pp. 1-54, pll. i-x.
Osborn, H.F., 1898-1914. Articles in American Museum Bulletin, descriptive of Sauropoda,Ornitholestes,Allosaurus,Tyrannosaurus.
Osborn & Lambe, 1902.Vertebrata of the Mid-Cretaceous of the North-West Territory.Can. Geol. Survey Publications Quarto series, vol. iii.
Owen, R., 1853-1877. Monographs on Fossil Reptilia. Palæontographical Society, London.
Riggs, E.S., 1901-4. Articles on Sauropoda in Field Museum of Nat. Hist. Publications, Geology.
Schuchert, Chas., 1910.Palæogeography of North America.Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., vol. xx, pp. 427-606, pll. 46-101.
Strömer von Reichenbach, E., 1912.Lehrbuch der Palæontologie, ii, Wirbelthiere(B.G. Teubner, Leipzig u. Berlin.)
Thévenin, A., 1907.Paleontologie de Madagascar, iv, Dinosaurs.Ann. de Paléont, t. ii, pp. 121-136, 2 pll.
Woodward, A.S., 1898.Vertebrate Palæontology.Cambridge Science Manuals.
Zittel(Broili u. a. rev.) 1911.Grundzuge der Palæontologie.
Zittel (Eastmantransl.), 1902.Textbook of Palæontology, vol. ii, Vertebrata(except Mammals). Macmillan & Co.
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