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CONARD FISSURE, a PLEISTOCENE BONE DEPOSIT in NORTHERN ARKANSAS: with DESCRIPTIONS of TVVO NEW\R GENERA and TWENTY NEW'species of MAMMALS

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CONARD FISSURE, a PLEISTOCENE BONE DEPOSIT in NORTHERN ARKANSAS: with DESCRIPTIONS of TVVO NEW\R GENERA and TWENTY NEW'species of MAMMALS 6P-- TIEM 0 ---- ertca-n,. .useu 0 1. a ura is or VOL., IX PART IV.' IV._-THE 'CONARD .-FISSUREA LEISTOCENE BONE, DEP-OBIT JN'. NORTHERN, ARK-ANSA-K "WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF'TWO NEW GEN-ERA, AND TW-ENTY NEW .SPECIES OF MAMMALS. By j3ARNUKIBROWN Februar3,."' 1-908v (Coenue from Sd pae of cover.); 5 0- ~Vol.MX. AnthroDolog (not y'et completed). :W:; ~.*Jesup NrhP E pedn, Vol. VII. PART T.--The Chukohee: C,cMtraulture. ''- yW ogors-'Pp -7,l. - -''i-i, 1 nap, and 199'te*t--fig-Lres.; 1,904.,' r , PART- I.-The Chuck&hee; ligion. By W. Bogoras'. -'p.-2Z56pl.xi- .,xxtiv,-nd 30 ex fgre's. --1907. 0 ~~Vol. XII. Antliro'olY-0,in- preation). *Jep*j North Pa Eic pedition, Vol.-^VIII.: - Vol. _XIII. LAnthr ology (in,preparation). 000- *~jesup N Pac'-Expedi*on, Vol IX. - - ~~~Vol. XIVT. "Anthropology -(not ye copleted).. 0 ~~*Jes'up, North Pdmic S,Expeditio Vo1 X. PART I.'Kwakiutl-Text,s. 'SeconId Series.~, '~B rnz osan'ergH,t. -- PP. 1-269, '1906.- Pne,3 $2.80. -L - t- L- 7f: Jesup: North. Pacifiw :xpe: Ethnographiecat'Alibiim of the Nborth-Paci'fic Coasts of Axiieficaand Asia.~ R rt I,' 0Fpp:15, pll.1-2.;.28 Au*&gus,-us 900. Sol1by-subscription;,price, $6.00., *.,4 . :; -- BULLETIN>.0 .- - he in'itter,in the B'Bialetin ' elates-,abou -eual11 t GeIeoogy, Pal ologt -Mammala,'Ornlhology,Entomolgy, aud:'(in'rec'etIA lum,,es) Anthiopolo, excep Vol. XI-hc'-sestsado-a ''atal gue,of tlTypesan Fi red' S,peciznqns in,the Palamontological Collection, Of ~the Geol6gicul'Departhient,^ an-d Vol#~.,XVI, and, XVII, which relatewholl to troA lgy Vol.'XI Contains, Ao -anthropolo cal matter bch,h-.now,-fo-rmsv sprteb seres,,-as Antbrpc4gcal P?aper,s.- - - Volume I) 188,1-86 O.......utopit...-.Vv-m.XI0 i 0Pric..!.e.0$4'.- -18 .... Prce .... - ' -5.00...X -" I - .0 - ' . V,10.- : 1. 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Strechert,'129 West 20thtSre, Ne York Ciy VOLUME IX, PART IV. THE CONARD FISSURE, A PLEISTOCENE BONE DEPOSIT IN NORTHERN ARKANSAS: WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TVVO NEW\r GENERA AND TWENTY NEW'SPECIES OF MAMMALS. [155] MEMOIRS OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. PART IV.-THE CONARD FISSURE, A PLEISTOCENE BONE DEPOSIT IN NORTHERN ARKANSAS: WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW GENERA AND TWENTY NEW SPECIES OF MAMMALS. BY BARNUM BROWN. PLATES XIV-XXV. CONTENTS. PAG9E 1. Discovery and Exploration of The Fissure 159 2. Geological History 163 3. Introduction and Deposition of Organic Remains 163 4. List of Species from the Conard Fissure 165 5. List of Species from Port Kennedy Cave, Pa. 167 6. List of Species from. Potter Creek Cave, Calif. 167 7. Comparison of the Three Best Known American Cave Faunas 168 8. List of Spec'ies now Living near Conard Fissure 169 9. Summary 207 10. Description of Fossils: 170 Blarina brevicauda ozarkensi8 subsp. nov. 170 Sorex personatu8 G. St. Hilaire .~ 171 Sorex personatus fossUen,s subsp. nov. 171 Sorexc obscqsun Merriam 172 Sorex funmeu Miller 172 Microsorex minutwz sp. nov. 173 Scalopus aquaticus (Linn.) 173 Ve8pertilio fuwcu8grandis subsp. nov. 174 Myotis8 8ubulatuw (Say) 175 Mephitis mephitica newtoneBis subsp. nov. 175 Spilogale interrupta (Rafinesque) 176 Brachyprotoma pri8tina gen. et sp. nov. 177 Brachyprotoma pelwa sp. nov. 179 Mwstela pennanti Erxleben . 179 [157] 158 BROWN, THE CONARD FISSURE. PAGE Putoriu4s vison (Schreber) . 180 Putoriwh cicognanii'l angustidens subsp.,nov. .181 Putorius gracilis sp. nov. .182 Canis occidentalis Richardson .182 Vulpe8 fulvus Desmarest .182 Urocyon sp. .183 Procyon lotor (Linn.) .183 Ursus8 anwricanums Pallas .183 lynx COrnfiressU8 sp. nov. .185 Lynx ruffus (Gulldenstsedt) .186 Felis coumgar Kerr. .186 Felis longicrus sp. nov. .187 Smilodontopsis troglodytes gen. et sp. nov. .188 Smilodontopsis conardi sp. nov. .190 Erethizon dorsatus (Linn.) - .192 Marrnota mnancw (Linn.) .192 Sciurus hudsonicus Erxleben .192 Tamias nasutu8 sp. nov. .193 Spernwphilwb tridecernlineatus (Mitchill) .194 Geomys parvidens sp. nov. .194 Castor canadeis Kuhl. .195 Perornyscus sp. .195 Reithrodontomys simplicidens sp. nov. .196 Neotoma ozarkensis sp. nov. .196 Fiber annectens sp. nov. .197 Microtus austerus (Le Conte) .198 Lepus americanus8 Erxleben .198 Lepus giganteus sp. nov. .199 Lepus floridanus Allen .199 Equus scotti ? Gidley .200 Mylohyus? sp. a. .201 Mylohyus sp. b. .202 Mylohyus sp. c. .202 S~ymbos australis sp. nov. - .203 CervZus canadensis Erxleben .204 Odocoileus virginianus (Bodd.) .205 Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque) .205 Aves .205 Amphibians and Reptiles .206 BROWN, THE CONARD FISSURE. 159 DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION OF THE FISSURE. Throughout the southern extension of the Ozark uplift in northern Arkansas the rocks composing these hills are furrowed by fissures and honey-combed with caves. Although densely wooded there is little soil o'n the hillsides, and, where found, it is usually a red residual clay. During the last few years zinc has been discovered in this region and miners have prospected the greater part of it. Several caves have thus been opened in Newton County, some of which are very extensive, but so far as learned none has been found containing bones. In April, 1903, MIr. Waldo Conard excavated in several fissures on his farm. in hopes of finding a lead mine, which, according to local tradition, was loc'ated there. No lead was found, but in one of the fissures he discovered a veritable bone mnine. Some of these bones were forwarded by Dr. R. R. Teller, partner of Mr. Conard, with an invitation to investigate the locality, to Professor Fred- erick W. Putnam, at that time Curator of Anthropology of the American Museum. This material was turned over to Professor H. F. Osborn, Curator- of Vertebrate Palaeontology, to whom I am indebeted for the privilege of exploration and description. I wish here to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. W. D. Matthew- for preliminary lists and studies, as well as assistance in critical determinatioins. The fissure is a Irmile north of the Buffalo River, four miles west of Will- cockson and fifteen miles south of Harrison, near the northern l'ine of Newton County, Arkansas. It is situated near the crest of a hill on its southern slope, at an elevation of 1030 feet.. The hill is est'imated to be about one- hundred feet higher than the wagon road at its base, where the elevation was taken last year. The wr'iter visited the locality 'in the fall of 1903 and secured about three hundred jaws and many disassociated limb bones and vertebrae from the dump. During the season o'f 1904 it was again visited and a large collection was secured comprising several thousand jaws, skulls, limb bones and vertebraee. The old prospect hole was deepened and a new hole sunk beside and opening into it, making an opening twenty-five feet deep, seven feet wide and about twelve feet long. The old hole was by chance sunk in an angle of the fissure, which was most favorable to the accumulation and preservation of fossils. This aDgle probably lay in the course of material drifting down the hillside during rainstorms but was free from running water at other times, as shown by the walls. The wall is smooth with perpendicular striations, the top projecting out o'ver the bottom at least four feet, as though cut in under. The partially disintegrated limestone composing it is ramified by numerous passages that were undoubtedly weasel lairs (Fig. 1). From one passage alone twelve weasel skulls and many jaws were taken, while the passage itself was choked with bones of small animals'and 160 BRE%OWN, C1EONARD FISUE. birds.. On either sid of the angle the waolls are thicldly e-ncrusted with, stalac- tites. On the surface, as sen. in Fig. 2? there-. is ver little vidence-of. a' fSsure ever hXavig been -there, jut a slight depreon at the on fisi xcvAte and a siTnil-nr depression one- h feet: d'owvn-the hlsde., I&Ldges o6f rock- pro- trude.throuh -the unddrm4, while. the.intrenin ITaces are -filled. -with- routnded anlrblocks of: limestone with lo6am fiigthe cracks, buit at this poioinit.themoutain cap. has: lhe appeaman cfa8Jio ss There is, no. indi- ca tion of the.confinles of thsfreexcept the solid walt on the ndrth and-orth- ea,st and the angle beten where tefr.opening was ma-de. .This p~robably representAs 1 been1ing .of the fisure, which-extended down- the- hillide diago- nall1y- iiuthwest too the depeon just 'noted,: The:sut.wall was. not defined' in the'last excav-ation, owing to the tbnig out of.'the bone6s:i ta dircio and because of -the necessity of.-heavy.blasting. to remove the 1large-stone that were cemented together with stilagmiAt. :- Tn'pu.tting -down.the old rppect..hole,Mr.
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