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The Beginnings of Vertebrate Paleontology in North America Author(S): George Gaylord Simpson Source: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol

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The Beginnings of Vertebrate Paleontology in North America Author(S): George Gaylord Simpson Source: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol The Beginnings of Vertebrate Paleontology in North America Author(s): George Gaylord Simpson Source: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 86, No. 1, Symposium on the Early History of Science and Learning in America (Sep. 25, 1942), pp. 130-188 Published by: American Philosophical Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/985085 . Accessed: 29/09/2013 21:55 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. American Philosophical Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 150.135.114.183 on Sun, 29 Sep 2013 21:55:20 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE BEGINNINGS OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY IN NORTH AMERICA GEORGE GAYLORD SIMPSON Associate Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History (Read February14, 1942, in Symposiumon theEarly Historyof Science and Learning in America) CONTENTS siderablevariety of vertebratefossils had been foundin before1846, the accepteddate of that dis- 132 the far West First Glimpses.... ......................... covery. Amongthem were findsby Lewis and Clark in Longueuil,1739, to Croghan,1766 ......... ........ 135 1804-1806,a good mosasaurskeleton from South Dakota, Identifyingthe Vast Mahmot..................... 142 about 1830,mastodons from western Missouri found in Wistar and Jefferson............................ 151 1806 or earlier,a Pleistocenefauna foundin Oregon in Museumsand the Peale Family.................... 157 1839, and anotherfound in Alaska in 1816. Scientific RichardHarlan ..................... ....... 161 publicationin Americabegan in the Transactionsof the Harlan's Contemporaries.......................... 164 AmericanPhilosophical Society, which started printing in Discoveryof WesternFossils ..................... 168 1769,and before1842 numerous scientific periodicals were ScientificPeriodicals ............................. 173 establishedand were publishingnotices of fossil verte- The State of Knowledgein 1842.............. 175 brates, notably the A4mericanJournal of Science, estab- Appendix: lishedin 1818. 1842 is takenmore or less arbitrarilyas A. Records of Early VertebratePaleontological theend of thepioneer period and theextent of knowledge Activitiesof theAmerican Philosophical Society 177 of Americanfossil vertebrates at thatdate is summarized. B. The Collectionof VertebrateFossils of the An appendixgives recordsof early vertebratepaleon- AmericanPhilosophical Society ............. 181 tologicalactivities and collectionsof the AmericanPhilo- sophicalSociety. ABSTRACT I NTRODUCTiON The firstvertebrate fossils to be seen by Europeansin the WesternHemisphere were mastodonbones collected Reverend Dr. Nicholas in ON April 3, 1789, the by the Indiansin Tlascala, and shownto Cortez'sarmy Society 1519. A few casual findswere made in the next two Collin read to the AmericanPhilosophical centuriesbut these also had no sequel and cannot be a long essay "on those inquiriesin Natural Phi- called scientificdiscoveries. The findthat may be con- losophy,which at presentare most beneficialto sideredthe true discoveryin this historicalsense was the UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA."1 "The Le Moyne, made by a partyunder the CanadianCharles vast Mahmot [mammothor mastodon],"he said, secondBaron de Longueuil,on the Ohio River in 1739. Mastodonbones were takento France by Longueuiland "is perhapsyet stalkingthrough the westernwil- studied by Guettard,Daubenton, Buffon, and others. derness; but if he is no more, let us carefully Anotherimportant collection was made by Croghanin gatherhis remains,and even tryto finda whole 1766and sentto London. It was not untilabout the end skeletonof this giant,to whom the elephantwas it was firmlyestablished of the eighteenthcentury that in was not even thatmost of theselarge bonesrepresented a distinct,ex- but a calf." An interest fossils tinct, herbivorousspecies allied to the elephant-the thennew to theSociety, or to suchillustrious mem- species now called Mammut arnericanum. Recognition bers as Franklin,Jefferson, and Wistar, but the of these facts involvedthe most fundamentalprinciples admonitionsignalized devotion to a subject of in- with of vertebratepaleontology. The first American quirythat has been continuallybefore the Society trulyprofessional competence in researchin thisfield was Caspar Wistar. Early encouragementof the scienceand for more than 150 years-indeed, for a longer of collectingwas givenby Jefferson.The intimatecon- betweenvertebrate paleontology and publicmu- 1 Dr. Collin was Rector of the Swedish Churchesin nection a memberof the Society seumsbegan withthe Peales, who in 1801 collectedand Pennsylvania.He was elected mountedthe firstassembled fossil skeletonin America on Jan.16, 1789,and, with what might now be considered the secondin the world. RichardHarlan, in 1823- brashness,he began his long and active participationby and thought 1843,gave Linnaeannames to fossilvertebrates, made a tellingthe other members in greatdetail what he of studiesrelatively modern in tone,and was the theyshould do. The rangeof Collin's interestswas al- series of Franklin's firstAmerican who can be said to have pursuedan im- mostas broad,though not as deep,as that botanical portantand consecutivepaleontological career. Less ex- and it included,among many other subjects, or less importantwork by his contemporariesis gardens,lead-glazing, colonial history, the theory of prob- tensive a morebriefly reviewed. The main centerfor theseearly abilities,philology, climatology, and the inventionof researcheswas the AmericanPhilosophical Society, with speedyelevator for savingpersons and propertyfrom the which Wistar,Jefferson, the Peales, Harlan, and most upper storiesof a house on fire. Collin died in 1831. othersthen active in thisscience were connected.A con- For textof his inauguralessay see Collin,1793. PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, VOL. 86, NO. 1, SEPTEMBER, 1942 130 This content downloaded from 150.135.114.183 on Sun, 29 Sep 2013 21:55:20 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions BEGINNINGS OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY 131 timethan the scienceof vertebratepaleontology is 6. Modern Period.-Since about 1895. This commonlysupposed to have existed. has been a period of democratizationin which The immediateproposal for gathering the whole great figureslike Scott, Matthew, and Osborn skeletonof a "mahmot"was soon carriedout by were surroundedby increasingnumbers of pro- the Peales, who assembledand fora timeexhibited fessionalresearch students and the classic centers in the Society's hall a mastodonskeleton. More of studywere supplementedby the rise of many generally,the whole historyof American verte- others. Discoveryis unabated,but betterknowl- brate paleontologyis intimatelyconnected with edge of previouslyknown faunas, improvement the historyof the AmericanPhilosophical Society. and diversificationof meansand.subjects of study, Following Scott (1927) and Osborn (1931), and unificationand synthesisare characteristic. with considerablemodification, the historyof this It is possiblethat future historians will findthat sciencein Americamay be dividledinto six periods: a sixth period began about 1930 or during the 1. Pre-scientificPeriod.-Flrom the earliest following decade, for vertebrate paleontology times to about 1762. The firstfossil discoveries seems to be undergoinganother radical transfor- were made. Toward the end of the period bones mation, but the outcome cannot now be deter- mined and this is, in any case, werecollected and sentto Europe. No trulyscien- beyondthe scope of the present tificstudy of themhad been made. enquiry. On the occasion of the 200th anniversaryof 2. Proto-scientificPeriod.-From about 1762 to the formationof the Junto,forerunner of the about 1799. In 1762 Daubentonread a paper on American PhilosophicalSociety, Professor Scott Americanfossils treating them for the firsttime discussedthis history, with special emphasis on the in what deserves to be called a scientific way. fourthand fifthperiods (Scott, 1927). Recently Vert&bratepaleontology was not yet a true sci- Romer (1941) has summarizedthe modern pe- ence, but basic methodswere being inventedand riod. It would be repetitiousand it would invite sporadically applied. Collections were slowly unfavorablecomparison to attemptanother ac- accumulating. count of these parts of the history. There is, 3. Pioneer ScientificPeriod.-About 1799 to however,no adequate historicalstudy of the ear- about 1842. In 1799 the firstable technicalstudy liest stages of Americanvertebrate paleontology, by an American (Wistar) was published. In its firstthree periods as I have listed them,and Europe this was the epoch of Cuvier,who organ- the presentpaper is thereforeconfined to these. ized the subject as a true and definedscience. The activitiesof the AmericanPhilosophical So- Harlan and othersin America applied Cuvierian ciety will automaticallyassume a major part in methodsand theoriesto increasinglylarge collec- this study,but theirimportance
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