“Same here,” said the boy. “And where are we going to strike first, Uncle George? You said the Washakie formation. Whereabouts, at Haystack Mountain?” Again the scientist looked approvingly at his nephew. “You’re really doing quite well, Perry,” he said. “What made you think of Haystack Mountain?” “I’ve been interested in Eocene deposits ever since that Fayum trip,” the boy replied, “and I found out that Haystack Mountain was the same age as the beds we worked in Egypt, where I found the Moeritherium. That’s sort of made me feel that Eocene fossils were my particular end.” “Do you expect to find another Moeritherium in Wyoming?” “No, of course not. The Moeritherium isn’t found anywhere except in Africa. You said so.” “Are the elephants found anywhere else?” “Oh, sure. They went everywhere.” “Why didn’t the Moeritherium go everywhere?” “Because—because; oh, I suppose, Africa wasn’t connected by land with Europe or Asia. Yes, that’s right. Africa was an island in the Eocene Period.” “How about Zeuglodons, then? Would you find them in Haystack Mountain? The fact that Africa was an island wouldn’t matter to primitive whales.” Perry rubbed his forehead in perplexity. “I’ve a feeling,” he said slowly, “that there aren’t any there, but why?” He thought for a moment, then catching sight of a twinkle in his uncle’s eye, a sudden thought struck him. “Why, of course not,” he said, laughing at himself, “that’s inland. We’ve got Zeuglodons in the marine Eocene deposits in Florida.” “I was wondering,” his uncle said, “if you were going to have whales walking all over the land. I just wanted to remind you that you’ve got to think of the conditions of the deposit as well as the age. One other thing, Perry. If, during the Eocene Period, Africa was an island, do you suppose America was connected with Europe and Asia or not?” “N—no,” answered Perry doubtfully. “I think probably not. If it was a time when the land was depressed in Africa, it probably was depressed here.” “Then if Africa had her own types of animals, like the Moeritherium, that we didn’t have, you might expect us to have some types that Africa and Europe and Asia didn’t have.” “Like the giraffe-camels?” “Exactly,” the professor agreed, “like the giraffe-camels. But in later deposits, the types mixed. Now, Perry, if you think you really want to come with me, you can either join me in three weeks at the Museum Camp near Haystack Butte, or you can join me a few days earlier and go with me to the Loup River formation in Nebraska. It’s on the way, and the Museum received a letter the other day from a ranchman, who seems to have found a fine specimen of the Columbian mammoth. They want me to go and look it over. I thought you might like to see a mammoth embedded. As I understand, this chap has had the sense to leave the skeleton untouched, so it may be in good shape.”