LA BREA, Los Angeles, Cat, a park, west of and within the city limits, on. an almost level area bordered by the Santa Mornica Range to the north. It is famous as the site of the aLa Brea Tar Swamp,)) a prehistoric petroleum which has contributed to paleo-zoology the most extraordinary remains of extinct ani mals ever discovered. Major Hancock, then owner of the ranch on which the pool was lo cated, as early as 1875, was presumably the first person to take particular notice of the bones in the asphalt, William Denton in that year mentioning a canine of the large sabre tooth tiger received from him. After the definite discovery of the historical value of the deposits in 1906, excavation work was car ried on by the University of California, and within a space of about 1,400 feet long, north west by southeast, and 150 feet wide, thousands of skeletons were discovered, many hitherto un known to science. Pools of water and tar still are characteristic features of this section of California, and in the Pleistocene period were natural drinking places for many kinds of herbivorous animals and for the carnivorous types which preyed upon them. Both in their struggles became trapped in the treacherous tar seep or pool, which has been an excellent pre servative of their skeletons. The remains of
mammals and birds of extinct type determined thus far in the university collection include 630 sabre-tooth tigers; over 700 ubig wolves)); 7 mastodons; 39 giant ground sloths; 39 bison; 39 horses ; 39 camels; 17 elephants (including the skeleton of the first ("Imperial') elephant found), besides skeletons of the great American lion; the gigantic teratornis, with a 14 foot wing spread; California peacock and a vast number of minor specimens. In 1914 a human skull, possibly several thousand years old, was recovered from the pit. Fifteen mounted exam ples of the most important of these remarkable prehistoric animals and a great quantity of un mounted specimens are exhibited in the Museum of History, Science and Art in Los Angeles, Mrs. Ida Hancock, the owner of the property, donated 32 acres of the land enclosing the pool to Los Angeles County, which now maintains a park and subsidiary museum around this inter esting Consult Merriam, J. C., 'A Death-trap which antedates Adam and Eve' (in Harper's Weekly, 18 Dec. 1909).