1942: Paleontology, Vertebrate

Field Work.

Certain institutions located near well-known fossil fields were able to carry on field activities. This was true notably of the universities of Nebraska, Kansas, California, Texas Technological College and the California Institute of Technology. Some of the eastern institutions attempted limited field programs, namely the United States National Museum, the Frick Laboratories of the American Museum of Natural History, Yale University, the Cleveland Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh. There were completed two expeditions into central America, one from the Field Museum of Chicago to Honduras, under the leadership of Dr. Paul O. McGrew, and one from the University of California to El Salvador, under the leadership of Dr. R. R. Stirton.

Museums.

Additions to and improvements in the exhibits were made in most of the active museums.

Two new museum buildings for paleontological collections were completed during the year, one at Amherst College and one at the South Dakota School of Mines. Both of these institutions maintain valuable collections of Tertiary mammals, and the provision of new quarters for these two collections is adequate proof of public recognition of the value of the collections. The building at Amherst College, known as the Pratt Museum, consists of three large exhibition rooms plus several additional storage rooms — an increase that doubles the amount of space available for the collections. The museum of the South Dakota School of Mines is housed in the new O'Harra Memorial Building.

One very important and interesting museum development during the year was a reorganization at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, long recognized as the leading institution in the world for the collection, study and exhibition of fossil vertebrates. At this museum the Department of Paleontology, which was in the fifty-first year of its existence, was discontinued and the program of vertebrate paleontology was divided among several departments. Fossil and recent fishes were combined in the Department of Fishes, fossil and recent amphibians and reptiles were combined in a single department, while in a like manner there was a combination of fossil and recent mammals. Many of the museums had to curtail or in some cases even suspend their programs in vertebrate paleontology, owing to the fact that staff members were called away on war service.

Research and Publication.

Among the publications may be mentioned a comparative study of the endocranial casts and the brains of fossil and recent amphibians by A. S. Romer and T. Edinger.

In the field of fossil reptile studies much was accomplished during the year. First mention must be given to the monographic study by R. S. Lull and N. E. Wright of the hadrosaurian dinosaurs of North America, a complete review of the interesting and important duck-billed dinosaurs. A paper related to this monograph was C. M. Sternberg's study of the course of the nasal passages in the crested duck-billed dinosaurs. Another paper of great importance was C. W. Gilmore's study of Polyglyphanodon, a peculiar lizard from the Upper Cretaceous of Utah. B. Brown and E. M. Schlakijer described the skeleton of the small ceratopsian dinosaur, Leptoceratops. C. L. Camp published studies on marine reptiles of the Mesozoic, namely a paper on California mosasaurs and one on California ichthyosaurs. T. E. White and C. C. Mook brought out descriptions of new crocodilians.

In the field of mammalian paleontology the event of outstanding importance was the appearance of Volume II of the great monographic study of the Proboscidea by the late H. F. Osborn. This volume, a complete review of the elephantine proboscideans, appeared posthumously. C. L. Gazin and J. M. Sullivan published a description of a new titanothere from the Eocene of Mississippi, an important paper because of the record of an entirely new fossil deposit and also because of its stratigraphic implications. T. E. White described Miocene mammals from an important locality in Florida, containing some new and unusual forms. J. T. Gregory published a detailed study of the Pliocene vertebrates from Big Spring Canyon in South Dakota, while E. H. Colbert described a new edentate of unusual form and relationships from Wyoming. R. A. Stirton and H. F. Goeriz described the fossil vertebrates from Knights Ferry, Calif., while the former author discussed at some length the origin and relationships of the horse, Equus. C. W. Hibbard and G. C. Rinker described a new lemming from Kansas. B. Patterson described new mammals from South America. There were several papers that discussed paleontological problems of broad aspect. R. Kellogg considered the marine mammals of South America and the West Indies. G. G. Simpson discussed the early Cenozoic mammals of South America. E. H. Colbert discussed the problem of the association of man and extinct mammals in the western hemisphere.

A paper of much general interest and great importance was G. G. Simpson's historical review of the beginnings of vertebrate paleontology in North America, the result of a thorough study of all of the early records and publications.

1941: Paleontology, Vertebrate

Field Work.

This year was marked by the first annual field meeting of the newly formed Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. The meeting, under the sponsorship of the University of Nebraska, was held in western Nebraska and was attended by more than a hundred persons representing 24 institutions. Many problems of upper Tertiary stratigraphy were studied and discussed.

Collecting this year by American institutions was necessarily confined almost entirely to North America. A number of museums and universities continued projects already under way, those of particular importance being the work of the American Museum in South Dakota, the Oligocene studies of the Philadelphia Academy of Science in Wyoming, the important early Tertiary work of the National Museum in Utah, similar work by the Field Museum of Chicago in western Colorado, the continuation of the Nebraska and Kansas State Museums of work in their respective states, collecting by Harvard University in the Permian beds of Texas and also the opening of new middle Tertiary deposits by this institution in Florida, work in the western states by Princeton and Yale Universities and by the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh, and the continuation of collecting activities in the Pacific Coast and Plains region by the University of California and in southern California by the California Institute of Technology.

Exhibition.

Various museums continued to add to their exhibits of fossil vertebrates. The American Museum of Natural History put on display a skeleton of Ectoconus, perhaps the oldest mammal skeleton fully known and exhibited. In addition this institution prepared for exhibit the skull of a gigantic crocodile found in the Cretaceous beds of Texas. This specimen represents a crocodilian of unprecedented size, rivaling the dinosaurs with which it was contemporaneous in bulk and power.

At the Field Museum of Natural History a new display showing evolution in certain rodents was put on view. At Yale University the revision of the fossil exhibits was continued, while at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard some choice new material from the Texas Permian beds was made available to the public.

Research and Publications.

In January the report of the Committee on the Nomenclature and Correlation of the Continental Tertiary of North America was published. This report will do much to facilitate stratigraphic discussions and studies in the future. In this connection there might be mentioned also the guide for the first annual field conference of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, written by C. B. Schultz and T. M. Stout and in itself an important contribution to Tertiary stratigraphy.

R. Denison published a paper interpreting the soft anatomy of the primitive vertebrate, Bothriolepis, a subject of much controversy in the past. R. M. Sternberg described the anatomy of the skull in the crossopterygian fish Eusthenopteron, important because of its position as a structural ancestor for the land vertebrates, while B. Schaeffer made further contributions to the knowledge of these types of fishes. Descriptions of fossil teleost fishes were made by G. M. Conrad and by L. David.

In a series of joint studies by W. K. Gregory, H. Raven and B. Schaeffer, the origin and development of limbs in the early tetrapods was discussed, while the latter of these authors made additional contributions on the evolution of the foot structure in the vertebrates. An important paper by H. J. Sawin described in detail the cranial anatomy of the Permian amphibian Eryops, while A. S. Romer described the structure of the external scales in this animal.

S. P. Welles made additional contributions to the anatomy of the primitive reptile, Diadectes. E. H. Colbert and R. G. Chaffee studied anew the type material of the Triassic phytosaur, Rutiodon, and discussed the implications of this material on the relationships of the phytosaurs.

In the field of mammalian paleontology perhaps the outstanding event was the appearance of the final volume of W. B. Scott's monographic study of the White River fauna. This volume describes and discusses the perissodactyls or odd-toed hoofed mammals, and with its completion a comprehensive study of the well known fossils from the Big Badlands of South Dakota is for the first time available. J. J. Burke described new rabbits collected by the Asiatic expeditions of the American Museum of Natural History. Of particular importance is the description by G. G. Simpson of a new giant rodent from the White River fauna, a quite unexpected element in this supposedly well-known assemblage of mammals. An additional contribution on rodents was made by H. J. Cook and J. T. Gregory, while this latter author described a sea cow from Florida.

Several important papers were published by G. G. Simpson on extinct cats from North America. C. S. Johnston and W. G. Christian described a new dog from the Upper Tertiary of Texas, while E. H. Colbert described a new 'bear-dog,' Hemicyon, from Nebraska. This latter author also presented anatomical and phylogenetic studies of Archaeomeryx, a primitive ruminant from Mongolia secmingly approximately ancestral to the later horned and antlered mammals, and of a Pliocene aardvark from the Island of Samos in the Mediterranean. G. M. Lyon described a Miocene sea lion from California; G. Meade a Miocene hedgehog from Nebraska, while E. H. Barbour and C. W. Hibbard described a new mastodont from Kansas. R. A. Stirton discussed at some length the development and nomenclature of characters in fossil horse teeth.

J. Clark described an early primate from Wyoming while the distinguished anatomist, F. Weidenreich discussed at length the factors involved in the increase of the brain during mammalian evolution.

New faunas were described by C. L. Gazin and by C. W. Hibbard, the former a Paleocene assemblage from Utah, the latter a Pliocene fauna from Kansas.

This year saw the additional use of statistics in Paleontology. G. G. Simpson utilized statistics in various papers, and in addition made contributions on the principles of statistics as applied to paleontology and zoology.

Finally there should be mentioned C. W. Gilmore's account of the history of Vertebrate Paleontology at the United States National Museum.

1940: Palaeontology, Vertebrate

Field Work.

This was a year of unusual field activity on the part of all of the large museums and many of the smaller institutions, some of which were conducting explorations for the first time.

On the Pacific Coast the University of California, at Berkeley, continued its researches into the Triassic of Arizona and the later Tertiaries of northern California. The California Institute of Technology at Pasadena made the surprising discovery of the skeleton of a trachodont dinosaur in the Cretaceous of the southern San Joaquin Valley. Aside from a single trachodont tooth from the same general locality this is the only evidence of dinosaurs from the Pacific Coast region.

The Field Museum of Chicago had a successful expedition into the later Tertiaries of the Rocky Mountain region and the State Museum of the University of Nebraska, at Lincoln, and conducted eight expeditions into the Pleistocene and Pliocene of Nebraska, New Mexico and Arkansas. The famous Conard Fissure, in Arkansas, explored many years ago by the American Museum, was reopened and a great quantity of Pleistocene fossils secured.

In South Dakota the State School of Mines, with the cooperation of the National Geographic Society, secured a great collection of Oligocene fossils from the Channel Sandstone of the Big Badlands. These great Badlands of the Black Hills region were visited, during the season, by eight or ten collecting parties from as many institutions.

A National Museum party revisited the classic Middle Eocene exposures of the Bridger Basin in southwest Wyoming and secured an important collection. Princeton University explored various parts of the Rocky Mountain region, obtaining an important Paleocene fauna from Montana and a unique specimen of a complete and perfectly preserved bat from the Eocene Green River shales of western Wyoming.

The American Museum of Natural History sent out two expeditions. One party explored the Big Badlands of South Dakota, for the fourth successive season, finding, among other things, a remarkable relict of an Eocene line of rodents of the Paramys group. This party also obtained from the latest Cretaceous deposits of southeastern Montana a unique dinosaur skull related to Troödon. In Texas the second party explored the Cretaceous of the Big Bend country and, from near Fort Worth, excavated a series of tracks of the great sauropod dinosaurs.

The University of Texas, with the aid of the WPA, carried out most extensive reconnaissance and collecting activities throughout the State.

Exhibitions.

Exhibitions in the various museums of the country during the year have hardly kept pace with the unusually intensive field work, but several noteworthy exhibits have been installed. At Harvard, in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, the exhibits have been enriched by the addition of primitive reptiles from the southwest and from Brazil. At the American Museum there have been added mounted skeletons of the reptilian Pareiasaurus from Russia and the mammalian Aardvark from the Island of Samos.

At the Field Museum, the Hall of Vertebrate Palaeontology has been improved by the addition of some new material and a rearrangement of the old. At Lincoln the already great collection of proboscideans has been enlarged by a skeleton of the Hairy Mammoth from Illinois. The National Museum shows, probably, the greatest change in its exhibition hall, largely through increased exhibition space.

Research and Publications.

D. H. Dunkle and P. Bungart published a paper describing some of the important Devonian arthrodires in the Cleveland Museum. The former of these two authors also described the cranial osteology of a Cretaceous fish from Brazil.

One of the most important contributions of the year was the definitive monograph of the Permian Pelycosauria, by A. S. Romer and L. I. Price, a work representing many years of intensive research upon this group of reptiles. T. E. White discussed the classification of the plesiosaurs, and in another paper described some new Miocene vertebrates from Florida. B. Brown and E. Schlaikjer published an important paper describing in detail the osteology of the primitive ceratopsian dinosaur, Protoceratops, and in two other papers these authors discussed certain problems of ceratopsian morphology. The ceratopsians were also considered by C. M. Sternberg, who described members of this group from Alberta. This same author in another paper discussed the classification of the hypsilophodont dinosaurs.

R. M. Sternberg described a toothless bird from the Cretaceous of Alberta, while A. Wetmore described birds from the Pleistocene of Java, associated with certain types of primitive men. H. Howard and A. H. Miller described birds associated with human remains at Ranch La Brea, California.

G. L. Jepsen published an important paper describing a Paleocene mammalian fauna from Wyoming. R. W. Wilson, in a series of papers, described various rodents from the Eocene and later Tertiary of California. W. B. Scott brought out his study of the Artiodactyla from the White River Oligocene beds of North America, another part of the large monographic revision of the White River fauna being done by and under the supervision of this authority. H. E. Koerner published the first of a series of papers describing the stratigraphy and faunas of Montam Miocene formations. C. B. Schultz and C. Falkerbach published a paper on the merycochoerine oreodonts. The osteology of a camel from the John Day beds was described by J. F. Dougherty. E. H. Colbent discussed certain Miocene deer from Mongolia, and in another contribution described a new Lower Pleistocene fauna from Yunnan, China. Important papers describing new Miocene mammalian faunas from California were published by P. C. Henshaw, J. F. Dougherty and R. H. Jahns. V. L. VanderHoof and J. T. Gregory published a review of the carnivore genus, Aelurodon, while R. A. Stirton described a supposed hyaenid from the Pliocene of Texas. This latter author also discussed, in another paper, the phylogeny of the North American Equidae. C. J. Hesse described a Pliocene fauna from Texas.

E. C. Olson described a Pleistocene fauna from Missouri, and in another paper discussed the cranial foramina in North American beavers, fossil and recent.

H. Seton described two new primates from the Eocene Wyoming. G. G. Simpson, in an important paper, discussed certain problems with regard to early Tertiary primates. This same author published a comprehensive review of the mammal-bearing Tertiary beds of South America, and in another paper considered the problem of past mammalian 'migrations' in the light of present-day evidence. E. H. Sellards published a complete and detailed index to all of the localities in North America where early man has been found associated with extinct mammals. This same author described a locality in Texas where artifacts were found associated with Pleistocene mammals, many of types now extinct. In addition this author described a new Pliocene mastodon from Texas.

A work that will prove very useful to Palacontologists in the future was the bibliography of literature on vertebrate palaeontology between the years 1928 and 1933, published by C. L. Camp and V. L. VanderlHoof. See also ANTHROPOLOGY.

1939: Palaeontology, Vertebrate

Field Work.

The California Institute of Technology continued its search of the Lower Oligocene Sespe beds of Southern California with gratifying results. At Berkeley the University of California group made their annual expedition to the Triassic of Arizona and New Mexico and continued their delving into the Pliocene faunas of Nevada and Northern California. Intensive work in the Late Tertiaries of the western part of the state was carried on by the museum staff of the University of Nebraska.

Field Museum of Chicago sent successful expeditions into the Pliocene of South Dakota and into the Palaeocene beds of Colorado and the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh continued the work it has been carrying on for years in the Upper Eocene of northeastern Utah. The National Museum continued its work in the Paleocene of Central Utah and Princeton University again explored the Lower Eocene of the Big Horn Basin, Wyoming.

Harvard University added materially to its collection by an expedition into the Permian of Texas, and the American Museum for the third consecutive season collected in the Oligocene deposits of western South Dakota and did reconnaissance work in the Cretaceous of Texas, Montana and Alberta.

The State of Texas, with WPA assistance, inaugurated a statewide reconnaissance program for the purpose of locating important fossil bearing formations and localities.

Exhibitions.

Of first importance was the opening at the American Museum in New York of the so-called Jurassic Hall, in which there is a new geological arrangement of amphibians and reptiles from the Carboniferous to the Basal Cretaceous.

In the old dinosaur hall there is a rearrangement of Upper Cretaceous dinosaurs and the installation of new exhibits of pterosaurs, turtles, crocodiles and birds. The corridor connecting these two halls now contains the marine reptiles and dinosaur tracks. A remarkable skeleton of the Early Pleistocene gaur, from China, has been placed in the Tertiary Hall.

At the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia a new hall devoted to the earth sciences, including vertebrate palaeontology, was opened. The Harvard Museum placed on exhibition a skull of the giant Australian plesiosaur Kronosarus and added to its exhibition of Brazilian Triassic reptiles; at Field Museum several skeletons of Tertiary mammals were installed and a complete rearrangement of their fossil vertebrate collection was begun.

The Colorado Museum of Natural History in Denver has completed a skeleton of the plated dinosaur Stegosaurus and the University Museum at Lincoln. Neb., has added to its already remarkable collection of Nebraska fossils a skeleton of the greatest of all camels Gigantocamelus.

Under this heading should be mentioned the progress toward completion of work on the Dinosaur National Monument of northeastern Utah where, eventually, there will be shown, under glass roofs, complete skeletons of the great Sauropod dinosaurs worked out in high relief against their rocky beds.

Research and Publications.

A publication of great interest to vertebrate palaeontologists was the autobiography of the dean of American Palaeontologists, Professor William B. Scott, A. S. Romer continued his studies on late Paleozoic branchiosaurs, and in addition, described the first-known cotylosaurian egg. One of the most important palaeontological papers of the year was the monographic study by T. E. White of the complete skeleton of Seymouria, an exceptionally important vertebrate from the evolutionary standpoint. R. L. Nace described the first Cretaceous ichthyosaur known in North America from adequate remains. C. W. Gilmore made an additional contribution to the study of the ceratopsian dinosaurs, while active research on this group was continued by B. Brown and E. M. Schlaikjer.

W. K. Gregory and M. Hellman contributed a valuable study upon the relationships and anatomy of the South African man-apes, discovered by R. Broom; G. G. Simpson with the collaboration of A. Roe, published 'Quantitative Zoology,' a definitive textbook applying for the first time the use of statistical methods to the study of fossil and recent animals; G. L. Gazin continued his work on the Dragon Paleocene formation of Utah, which has yielded a new and important fauna; B. Patterson continued his series of papers dealing with proto-ungulates; E. H. Colbert described Miocene horses and carnivores of Mongolia and in addition, with R. Chaffee, contributed a study on the evolution of antilocaprids. A. L. Lugn made a definitive study of the sequence of Tertiary mammal-bearing deposits in Nebraska; E. H. Barbour and C. B. Schultz described a new, gigantic camel, by far the largest camelid known, from the Pleistocene of that state; R. A. Stirton made a detailed study of all of the fossil mammals from the San Francisco Bay region, and in addition considered the problems of holarctic correlation as based upon mammals; a paper of general interest was Gaynor Evan's study of the evolution of the atlas-axis complex, from fish to mammal. See also GEOLOGY; SEISMOLOGY.