Leidy, Joseph; The Ancient Fauna of Nebraska: or a Description of Remains of Extinct Mammalia and Chelonia from the Mauvaises Terres of Nebraska. Smithsonian Institution, Contribution to Knowledge, vol. 6, 1853. Large quarto, pp. 126, 24 plates, numerous text illustrations.

The work is complete and is a part of the complete Smithsonian Contributions, volume 6. The volume is in the original green cloth with gilt spine titles. Light sun toning to the spine. Inscription noting donation by the Smithsonian on first blank leaf. The text and all plates are bright and very clean. In very good condition.
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Leidy's classic study of the Eocene mammal and turtle remains of Nebraska Territory. The fossils were collected by David Dale Owen and Hiram Prouty. Henry Osborn considered this an epoch work and with it Leidy drew attention to the abundance of fossils in the American west. He provides a complete and concise account of the fauna found in the White River beds of the Badlands. It was the first detailed account of those fossils and their abundance. Based on some tooth fragments Leidy also ascribed some fossils to the genus Titanotherium. The idea that rhinoceros roamed the Nebraska plains was ridiculed until a complete skull was described. In all twelve genera were identified. The work remains a cornerstone on the vertebrate paleontology of the western United States.