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The White River Oligocene Rodent Diplolophus, Erwin Hinckley Barbour, Thompson M. Stout

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

The rich and varied nature of the mammalian faunas of the White River Oligocene has been recognized for many years, but the exact geologic succession is only now becoming known. In these faunal assemblages the rodents and lagomorphs appear to have been important elements, perhaps numerically as abundant in the Oligocene as are these same groups at present.

Increase Of Sporobolus Cryptandrus In Pastures Of Eastern Nebraska, J. E. Weaver, Walter W. Hansen

Papers of John E. Weaver (1884–1956)

The severe drought of 1934 to 1938 has resulted in great losses in the plant
populations of native pastures. In Nebraska, little bluestem, Andropogon scoparius, and Kentucky bluegrass, Poa pratensis, have almost disappeared, while big bluestem, Andropogon furcatus, and numerous other important pasture grasses have suffered heavy losses. In addition to shiftings within the plant populations to compensate these losses, such as an enormous increase in side-oats grama, Bouteloua curtipendula, notable and widely spread local extensions have occurred. Over thousands of pastures western wheat grass, Agropyron smithii, has spread widely, and in similar numbers sand …

A New Giant Camel Gigantocamelus Fricki, Gen. Et Sp. Nov., Erwin Hinckley Barbour, C. Bertrand Schultz

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

A lower Pleistocene deposit containing fossil vertebrates near Broadwater, Morrill county, Nebraska, has been reported upon by the writers, beginning three years ago. Five fossil quarries have been opened since the site was discovered in 1936.

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

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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.

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

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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.

Relative Efficiency Of Roots And Tops Of Plants In Protecting . The Soil From Erosion, Joseph Kramer, J. E. Weaver

Papers of John E. Weaver (1884–1956)

An increasing realization of the importance of preventing or controlling soil erosion has resulted in numerous scientific investigations. Some of these are concerned with soil characteristics which promote or retard erosivity (Middleton, '30; Middleton et al., '34; Lutz, '34; and Bouyoucos, '35). Many have to do with engineering methods of reducing soil wastage (Bates and Zeasman, '30; Ramser, '30; Roe, '33; and Bartel, '35). But perhaps most were planned to discover the effects of plants in protecting and binding the soil, reducing runoff, and consequent loss of soil and subsoil (Sampson and Weyl, '18; Duley and Miller, '23; Lowdermilk, …

Some Monogenetic Trematodes From The Galapagos Islands And The Neighboring Pacific, Frank Grose Meserve

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Introduction

Trematodes are parasitic, unsegmented, flattened (rarely cylindrical) worms. They have ventral, anterior, posterior or median attachment organs. The sense organs are poorly developed. The mouth is terminal or ventral and subterminal. The intestine is usually forked with or without lateral branches. The animals, with few exceptions, are hermaphroditic. The ovary is usually single. They have one, two, or more testes. The development is direct with only one host in the ectoparasitic Monogenea and indirect in the Digenea which have two or more hosts. The digenetic trematodes usually parasitize vertebrates which serve as their primary hosts and invertebrates (Mollusca) which …

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

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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 (1924–2023)

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 (1924–2023)

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 …

Comparison Of Runoff And Erosion In Prairie, Pasture, And Cultivated Land, J. E. Weaver, Wm. C. Noll

Papers of John E. Weaver (1884–1956)

Soil erosion resulting from runoff water has come to be recognized as a national menace. The determination and evaluation of all factors influencing runoff and erosion are studies of fundamental importance, especially insofar as they may be made to yield information upon methods of control over this insidious tendency of washing away the land.

"Fully 75 per cent of the crop-producing and grazing areas of the United States is sloping enough to set in motion, moderately or violently, these wasteful processes of accelerated soil-removal and excessive runoff. That 35 million acres of formerly cultivated land have been essentially ruined by …

Quantity Of Living Plant Materials In Prairie Soils In Relation To Run-Off And Soil Erosion, J. E. Weaver, George W. Harmon

Papers of John E. Weaver (1884–1956)

The menace of soil erosion did not appear in the west until much of the prairie was broken for cropping or weakened by continuous overgrazing. The grassland sod is a great conserver of rainfall; the amount of run-off water is relatively small, and the soil is firmly held against the forces of erosion. This study is concerned with the role that the living underground plant parts play in promoting the absorption of water by the soil, and especially their importance in reducing run-off. Their holding of the soil against the forces of water erosion has been experimentally determined. A study …

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

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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 (1924–2023)

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 (1924–2023)

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 (1924–2023)

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 .

A Mounted Skeleton Of Megabelodon Lulli, Erwin Hinckley Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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 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 (1924–2023)

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 …

The Articulated Skeleton Of Titanotherium, Erwin H. Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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 (1924–2023)

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

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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.

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

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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 Mandible Of Platybeldon Barnumbrowni, Erwin Hinckley Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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 …

The Skull And Mandible Of Mastodon Moodiei, Erwin Hinckley Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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 (1924–2023)

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 (1924–2023)

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. …

Microfossils In An Arkansas Peat And Their Significance, Paul B. Sears, Glenn Couch

Papers in Ecology

This is an extension of a series of studies by one of the authors and his associates (1) on fossil pollen in peats of the North Central States. The purpose of such studies has been to secure information concerning the general trend of climate in postglacial time, as an aid in interpreting present vegetation.

These previous studies have indicated that postglacial climate has been largely of continental type, cool at first and later warm. Separating the cool dry from the warm dry period there appears to have been a definite although brief period of greater humidity, relative if not absolute. …

The American Mastodon With Mandibular Tusks, Erwin H. Barbour

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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 …

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

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

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 …