Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Report Of Progress Of The Nebraska State Museum, Erwin H. Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

The history and development of the Nebraska State Museum since 1891 have been summarized in a preliminary manner up to 1925 in the first number of Volume I of the Bulletin of the Nebraska State Museum.1 Since 1927, the collections of the Nebraska State Museum, The University of Nebraska, have been housed in a new building, Morrill Hall, on the city campus of The University of Nebraska. It now seems fitting to report upon the exceptional progress of the past few years, and to acknowledge the fine cooperation of those who have helped to make it possible.

The Influence Of Soil Profile Horizons On Root Distribution Of White Pine (Pinus Strobus), Harold J. Lutz, Joseph B. Ely Jr., Silas Little Jr.

Yale School of the Environment Bulletin Series

No abstract provided.

Spruce In The Western Miocene, George F. Beck

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

One of the real surprises in store for us as we began to section specimens of petrified wood from the Vantage and certain other horizons in Central Washington, was the prevalence of a spruce type hardly hinted at in the leaf lists as published for the various sediments of Yakima time (upper miocene?).

Palaeontologic And Geologic Consideration Of Early Man In Nebraska, Erwin Hinckley Barbour, C. Bertrand Schultz

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

There has been much discussion recently relative to the geologic age of Yuma and Folsom artifacts. The writers submit the following palaeontological and geological data which may aid in a better interpretation of the subject. This paper deals with three localities in Nebraska where Yuma and Folsom implements have been found with extinct mammals; namely, the Scottsbluff Bison Quarry, the Sand Hill blow-out sites, and the Sioux County artifact sites.

A Comparative Pollution Study Of The Domestic Water Supply Of Warren County, Kentucky, Glenn Scott

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The domestic water supply of Warren County, outside of the city of Bowling Green, is obtained from deep wells and springs. The county is about evenly divided into a southern section of cavernous limestone and a northern section of mixed sandstone and limestone formations.

The wells of the southern cavernous limestone region receive water from unfiltered underground streams and lakes. Most of the wells of the northern region are drilled in sandstone and the water, in a majority of cases, is filtered through porous sandstone and shale.

The purpose of this study was to make a comparative pollution study of …

Exotic Ancient Forests Of Washington, George F. Beck

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

The greatest fossil forest in the world is located within easy driving distance of the University of Washington campus in the State of Washington, near the Columbia River, east of the city of Ellensburg. Mr. George F. Beck, a member of the faculty of the Ellensburg State Normal School, and a former graduate student of the College of Forestry of the University of Washington, discovered this forest, which is now known as the Ginkgo Forest State Park. Aside from its importance from a scientific point of view, this "petrified forest," which contains a greater variety of species than any other …

A New Fossil Peccary, Prosthennops Niobrarensis, From Brown County, Nebraska, Edwin H. Colbert

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

During the summer of 1929, the writer, accompanied by Mr. Paul O. McGrew of the University of Nebraska, discovered during the course of excavations for fossil vertebrates in northern Brown County, Nebraska, a fairly complete peccary skull referable to the genus Prosthennops. This skull, due to its several unusual characters, as well as to its fair degree of completeness, would seem to warrant a special and a rather detailed description. Consequently the specimen has been kindly turned over to me by Dr. E. H. Barbour, Director of the Nebraska State Museum, not only for the purpose of the present …

A New Miocene Dog, Mesocyon Geringensis, Sp. Nov., Erwin Hinckley Barbour, C. Bertrand Schultz

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

A field party from the Nebraska State Museum consisting of Messrs. E. L. Blue, Frank Crabill, Loren Eiseley, and C. Bertrand Schultz, on August 28, 1931, was fortunate in finding the remains of a new Mesocyon. This specimen, number 4-28-8-31, the Nebraska State Museum, was found in the Gering formation (lower Miocene), fifteen feet above the Brule, 400 feet west of the road in Redington Gap, near the center of the S. 1/2, sec. 14, T. 19 N., R. 52 W., west of Bridgeport, Morrill County, Nebraska.

Gnathabelodon Thorpei, Gen. Et Sp. Nov. A New Mud-Grubbing Mastodon, Erwin Hinckley Barbour, George F. Sternberg

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

In February, 1932, while opening a gravel pit to get material for highway construction, the skull, tusks, and mandible of a new longirostral mastodont were found by Robert Arnold on his ranch, Sec. 24, T. 12 S., R. 22 W., 1 1/2 miles due east of Ogallah, Trego County, western Kansas. This point is located about 20 miles west and three miles north of Hays, the seat of the Fort Hays Kansas State College, in the museum of which the above mentioned specimen is mounted and exhibited. When unexpectedly exposed by Mr. Arnold and his associates, the great skull was …

A New Giant Camel, Titanotylopus Nebraskensis, Gen. Et Sp. Nov., Erwin H. Barbour, C. Bertrand Schultz

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

The purpose of this bulletin is to figure and describe a .amel brought to light in the field season of 1933, which seems to be the giant of all camels found in the State. The specimen consists of the right ramus with the symphysial portion. The mandible is 26% inches long, or about the length of one's outstretched arm to the finger tips. This jaw is nine inches longer than that of Camelops kansanus. Such an extraordinary jaw indicates a camel nearly twice as large as Alticamelus altus. In reference to its unusual size we are proposing for it the …

A New Rhinoceros Mount, Trigonias Osborni, Erwin H. Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

On February 9, 1934, a pair of rhinoceroses, Trigonias osborni, was installed in the Founder's Room in Morrill Hall, the Nebraska State Museum. They are figured and accorded brief consideration here in order to maintain the printed records of such acquisitions in the Nebraska State Museum. The two skeletons, carefully posed, were put in the south wall case to be associated with a pair of Diceratherium from Morrill County. and the mounted skeletons of two Brown County Te leo ceras. In this gallery two long built-in wall cases insure ample facilities for the proper installation of six rhinoceroses, for each …

A New Ovibovine, Symbos Convexifrons, Sp. Nov., Erwin H. Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

In Bulletin 25, entitled The Musk-oxen of Nebraska, the writer figured and briefly catalogued the ovibovines of this State as known at that date. In the meantime an interesting new form unlike that of any species falling within our experience presents itself from the Pleistocene of Cherry County, Nebraska. The new specimen cannot be assigned a place in any of the four following genera: Preptoceras, Euceratherium, Ovibos, or Bootherium, but may possibly be referable to the genus Symbos, to which we are assigning it provisionally. It is so unlike Symbos, however, that it may be a distinct genus. …

The Nebraska Meteor And Meteorite Of August 8, 1933, Erwin Hinckley Barbour, C. Bertrand Schultz

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

At approximately 10:30 a. m., mountain standard time, on August 8, 1933, a large meteor, traveling in a westerly direction, exploded over the panhandle of Nebraska. The phenomenon was witnessed by many citizens throughout the region, and by a number of students from the University of Nebraska, who were engaged at the time in palaeontological field work in northwestern Nebraska .

The Geology And Mammalian Fauna Of The Pleistocene Of Nebraska Part I Outline Of Pleistocene Geology Of Nebraska Part Ii The Pleistocene Mammals Of Nebraska, A. L. Lugn, C. Bertrand Schultz

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

The object of the present paper is to provide a suitable brief statement of the present state of knowledge of the Pleistocene geology of Nebraska, for an adequate understanding of the Pleistocene Mammal list, by Mr. C. Bertrand Schultz, which forms Part II of this report. The "outline" is necessarily brief and does not contain many detailed sections, nor lengthy discussions of controversial points. It is lacking in adequate detailed descriptions of new formations and may not be entirely convincing to many readers. The only excuse which the writer can offer for the shortcomings of the following pages is the …

A Mounted Skeleton Of Megabelodon Lulli, Erwin Hinckley Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

A skeleton of Megabelodon lulli, partly composite, was mounted in the laboratory May 31, 1933, and was formally installed and placed on exhibition in Elephant Hall, June 7, 1933.

The Relation Of The Native Forest Cover To The Physical And Chemical Nature Of The Soils Of The Mammoth Cave National Park Area, Sheppard Walker

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study was undertaken for the purpose of determining the relation existing between the native forest cover and the chemical and physical properties of the soils of the Mammoth Cave National Park area. The study was suggested by certain references in the literature to a correlation existing between forest cover and the geological, chemical and physical nature of soils of this area. The recent attempt at reforestation in the Mammoth Cave National Park area renders such a study timely, and it is believed that the results reported in this paper will materially aid the Mammoth Cave National Park Commission and …

The Mandible Of Platybeldon Barnumbrowni, Erwin Hinckley Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

Platybelodon barnumbrowni was described originally as Torynobelodon barnumbrowni.¹ The Nebraska State Museum was visited and this unique specimen studied by Dr. Henry Fairfield Osborn and Dr. Walter Granger, August seventeenth and eighteenth, nineteen hundred and thirty-two. It is the opinion of both that this specimen belongs properly to their Mongolian genus Platybelodon. With certain reservations the writer wishes to defer instantly to their judgment, which is based on unequalled experience. It is perfectly apparent that this form makes a close approach to the remarkable Platybelodons found by Granger and Andrews in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, later figured and …

A New Oreodont Slab, Erwin Hinckley Barbour, C. Bertrand Schultz

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

A slab of pale, reddish-brown sandstone, exhibiting the articulated skeletons of two oreodonts, has been placed on display in the west corridor on the first floor of Morrill Hall. Apparently, a female and well-grown young one lay down together and perished, perhaps from disease, or from chilling winds. They must have been buried quickly, for all of the bones are present, are in perfect condition, and are in articulation, especially in the old one. In the adult the articulation is complete from the ungual phalanges of the two forefeet to the terminal caudal, even though in the figure the skeleton …

The Mounted Skeleton Of Bison Occidentalis, And Associated Dart-Points, Erwin Hinckley Barbour, C. Bertrand Schultz

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

A composite skeleton of Bison occidentalis was mounted and installed in its case on the lower floor of Morrill Hall, on April 22, 1932. The skeleton in itself is attractive because of its size and excellent preservation, and is rendered additionally interesting by two dart-points, one found under the scapula, and the other under the ribs.

The Scottsbluff Bison Quarry And Its Artifacts, Erwin Hinckley Barbour, C. Bertrand Schultz

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

The association of artifacts with extinct bison bones in a quarry near Grand Island, Hall County Nebraska,¹ and from one in Custer County, Nebraska, have already been reported.² In the meantime, continued search has been rewarded, and a large bed of fossil bison with associated flint implements found. The discovery, if not of actual consequence, at least adds something to the accumulating evidence that Pleistocene man in America may have been a reality.

Association Of Artifacts And Extinct Mammals In Nebraska, Bertrand Schultz

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

During the past four years the Nebraska State Museum, under the directorship of Dr. Erwin Hinckley Barbour, has been making even more extensive palaeontological collections throughout Nebraska than heretofore. As work progresses, especially with fossil bison and mammoth, there is increasing evidence that man appeared in Nebraska much earlier than is generally believed. Two occurrences of artifacts associated with fossil bones will constitute the main theme of this paper.

The Skull And Mandible Of Mastodon Moodiei, Erwin Hinckley Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

The mandible of the Milford mastodon, Mastodon moodiei, was figured and described in Bulletin 24, December, 1931. In the meantime, the fragments of both skull and mandible have been properly cleaned, put together, and mounted for exhibition. No essential parts of the skull or mandible are wanting or are seriously damaged.

The Articulated Skeleton Of Eubelodon Morrilli, Erwin Hinckley Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

The mounted sketleton of Eubelodon morrilli was installed in the west wall case of Elephant Hall December 31, 1931, and has attracted the attention and favorable comments of citizens and other guests. It should be explained that the case in which it is displayed is ten feet deep, sixteen feet high, and extends the length of the hall. Altogether it is a large and impressive mount which reflects credit upon its preparators, and is an important and instructive addition to the Morrill Palaeontological Collections. The pose is spirited and interesting, and the action is all that can be expected of …

Association Of An Arrow Point With Bison Occidentals In Nebraska, F. G. Meserve, Erwin H. Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

Of late, anthropological literature relative to the association of man and extinct mammals, especially bison and mammoth, has received many contributions from various and widely separated sources. Naturally the question has arisen whether man's advent in America is somewhat earlier than has been generally admitted, or whether certain extinct animals have persisted longer than has been realized. The issue is one of such importance and interest that even minor contributions seem desirable. It is well understood by all that the evidence, when submitted, will be properly weighed, and that conservative judges may rule out much or all of the testimony. …

The Articulated Skeleton Of Titanotherium, Erwin H. Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

The skeleton of a titanotherium, stored since 1894, was installed in the west corridor of Morrill Hall, April 28, 1931. In the meantime the specimen has been visited by many citizens, women's clubs, and especially by delegations of school children, boy scouts, and like organizations, from various parts of the State and elsewhere. Repeated requests for a popular report on this particular specimen actuates the writing of this leaflet. Titanotheres were by far the largest creatures of Oligocene time in Nebraska. In point of size they are called gigantic, elephantine, and titanic. The titans of Greek mythology were giants, and …

The American Mastodon With Mandibular Tusks, Erwin H. Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

Mastodons and mammoths, represented by their relics, are so frequently exposed by shovel, plow, road grader, dredge, and rains, that they have become household words. They are plainly the commonest and best-known vertebrate fossils. They were fortuitously entombed, and are now accidently found. Their relics, though numerous, never represent the grand total that lived. Indeed, it was a rare individual that fell where circumstances favored rapid interment and consequent preservation; the grand majority fell in the open where their bones suffered rapid and complete decay. The American mastodon occupies a position between the long-jawed, long-skulled, four-tusked ancestor called Palaeomastodon, and …

A Morning's Consignment Of Proboscidean Freight, Erwin Hinckley Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

In the accompanying cut the array of great tusks outlined through their rough crates may lack attractiveness, nevertheless the assemblage is quite out of the ordinary, and seems worth recording in bulletin form. In all museums, and like institutions, freight and express deliveries are matters of daily routine; however, the morning's freight shown in the cut is unique. Herein is represented the more showy portion of the proboscidean freight received at the Nebraska State Museum in a single consignment, in the field season of 1930. The other boxes of mammoth skulls, jaws, and bones, received at the same time, are …

The Giant Beaver, Castoroides, And The Common Beaver, Castor, In Nebraska, Erwin Hinckley Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

Respecting the giant beaver, Castoroides, in Nebraska, four occurrences can be reported. Of rodents in general the dawn. was in the early Eocene, at which time there were in existence certain squirrel-like members of the order. Rodents are a persistent group, and are among the smallest, most distinctive, most numerous and widely distributed orders of terrestrial mammals. No other order boasts of so many species, the number being between nine hundred and one thousand. In spite of wide divergencies and modifications adapting them to various modes of life, such as climbing, burrowing, swimming, flying, leaping, and running, there is remarkable …

The Milford Mastodon, Mastodon Moodie I, Sp. Nov. A Preliminary Report, Erwin Hinckley Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

In developing the hydro-electric plant of the Iowa and Nebraska Light and Power Company, a number of dams were thrown across the Blue River and its branches. One of these, known as Dam No.7, was built across the West Blue, about nine miles southwest of Milford, Seward county, Nebraska. This dam raised the water well above the ordinary river level, and flooded fifteen or twenty acres of valley land. The impounded water soaked into, and washed against, the base of a twenty-foot bank of cross-bedded sand, until some time during the winter of 1931, a portion of the bank near …

A New Crinoid Slab, A Bit Of Mississipian Sea Bottom, Erwin Hinckley Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

Crinoids are popularly known as stone-lilies, featherstars, and sea-lilies. The word lily is a misnomer, and many, misled by the name and by the lily-like form, associate crinoids with the plant kingdom. The name, feather-star, seems explicit for it refers to the feathery arms surrounding the cup or calyx, and expresses relationship to the starfishes and their kind. The cup is attached to a stem, and the stem is anchored to the ocean floor by so-called roots, which are really hold-fasts, or anchors. These features may be seen in the diagram at the end.