l under the
universal principle of the survival of the fittest until we
approximate or actually hit upon the truth.

FOSSIL HUNTING BY BOAT IN CANADA.

_By Barnum Brown._

"How do you know where to look for fossils?" is a common question. In
general it may be answered that the surface of North America has been
pretty well explored by government surveys and scientific expeditions
and the geologic age of the larger areas determined. Most important in
determining the geologic sequence of the earth's strata are the fossil
remains of animal and plant life. A grouping of distinct species of
fossils correlated with stratigraphic characters in the rocks
determines these subdivisions. When a collection of fossils is desired
to represent a certain period, exploring parties are sent to these
known areas. Sometimes however, chance information leads up to most
important discoveries, such as resulted from the work of the past two
seasons in Alberta, Canada.

A visitor to the Museum, Mr. J.L. Wagner, while examining our mineral
collections saw the large bones in the Reptile Hall and remarked to
the Curator of Mineralogy that he had seen many similar bones near his
ranch in the Red Deer Canyon of Alberta. After talking some time an
invitation was extended to the writer to visit his home and prospect
the canyon. Accordingly in the fall of 1909 a preliminary trip was made
to the locality.

From Didsbury, a little town north of Calgary, the writer drove
eastward ninety miles to the Red Deer River through a portion of the
newly opened grain belt of Alberta, destined in the near future to
produce a large part of the world's bread. Near the railroad the land
is mostly under cultivation and comfortable homes and bountiful grain
fields testify to the rich nature of the soil. A few miles eastward
the brushland gives way to a level expanse of grass-covered prairie
dotted here and there by large and small lakes probably of glacial
origin. Mile after mile the road follows section lines and one is
rarely out of sight of the house of some "homesteader." It is through
this level farm land that the Red Deer River wends its way flowing
through a canyon far below the surface. Near Wagner's ranch the canyon
was prospected and so many bones found that it appeared most
desirable to do extended searching along the river.

Usually fossils are found in "bad lands," where extensive areas are
denuded of grass and the surface eroded into hills and ravi