> 5 ete a te eeleain PES) eden tar Pine Thee Pato § ve als ei a topic stipe <4 tale tatgh, Pein Ai eet Acne HARVARD UNIVERSITY neeco LIBRARY OF THE Museum of Comparative Zoology Mammoth (£, primigenius) and Mastodon (4 giganteus) Restored. MASTODON, MAMMO | FH, BY J. P. MACLEAN, AUTHOR OF ‘‘A MANUAL OF THE ANTIQUITY OF MAN.” : hren ps WALSH ILLOSTRA TIONS: CINCINNATI WILLIAMSON & CANTWELL PUBLISHING CO. 1878. eae ae ean eS Mees RS ee ie ec ae . J | COPYRIGT BY J. P. MAC LEAN, 1878. YRAR GI O1008 SM 00,eul | GN ATAOIHAMAD ry Ee eS ee & Binder, é * as > a PHEeErACE. The interest awakened by the discoveries and conclu- sions of the working geologist is increasing every year. Many of the facts which would be acceptable to general readers are placed beyond their reach, being recorded only in technical works or else in the memoirs of learned socie- ties. The compiler of this little book believes that a work of this kind will be welcomed by the multitude. It is a subject which must needs be of general interest. The usual hand-books on geology give but a meagre account of these colossal proboscidians, which serve only to arouse an interest without being able to gratify it. In tracing out the evidences of the co-existence of man with the mammoth and mastodon, it is not attempted to prove the great antiquity of man. The compiler has already done that in another work, entitled “A Manual of the Antiquity of Man.” In the preparation of this work I have relied principally on Dr. J. C. Warren’s “Mastodon Giganteus,” and have freely used Lyell’s ‘Principles of Geology,” Mantell’s “Wonders of Geology” and “Fossils of the, British Mu- seum,’ Meunier’s “Life in the Primeval World,” ‘The American Naturalist,’? Foster's ‘‘Pre-Historic Races,” Figuier’s ““World Before the Deluge,” Leidy’s “‘Extinct Vertebate Fauna of the Western Territories,” Lieut. Wheeler’s Report of Surveys West of 100th Meridian, Vol. IV; Southall’s “Epoch of the Mammoth,” besides quite a number of other works. CONTENTS. PART I. THE MASTODON. SECTION, PAGE WICC ER. neo bee 6 Ole. . Bee eee Beem verte Description... +... i... 04... ta ee Ba” oo LSU aa NS COs oi ne PPE PEP Fo 2 10 I MERE na rs og gb ia “acy Sc Re 1 RRS FB io. ee Aoi Sa Ga wise way STORE 18 i Condiison of the Bones: 0.05... 6. ee ee a 20 Monet et oie oe 6 PRs a debe we POE A | PETE Faro cl cut hag 2 ae APPS ow ews Ble ee yes el Gf ed oe onc ee ooo Oe A Le. ys eeetinerent Opecies. ....Joc% 51. eee 26 Eee Gaosiewss: 3: grain eae 30 Bie A OUR ORs Ps; d oct, Lc Se 50 de. Ok MOM AMericn >: 2) Saeus le 30 2 Pgs 90a 1! (21: ae Coes Ee 30 eae) MUGME TE OB ERIS 512i! av Satis eee ae 31 > SS PATVETNENSIS: : .. <.2 oeeleyns Coe 31 Tent os FEVALEIGIG® oo os 44 set eee ee 51 Serie MMe ai 56 eras cannot aces 3 Se os eerie 43 ek eye en era SS 31 Bia So. WHE os oe ok Se See ees 32 POP hey INOMLTIS. wiles foc kins es et oe 32 ee od PCO MUC UIE. . Sh pee ehh ae Sa 48 DOG bmatet hors ere ne we er 54 Wile OOO ears... ee an yeteton etna oe 56 SY ME SOC yest. Oe. eS oe eet, ees oo oe Be 58 Wee aoeeuruction.... 2: . as ae oe. ws ee 59 [X. Preservation of Remains *sa..< 2... 7. eee 61 PART III. MAN. i, Antroductions vty La eee 65 HT? Miocene Epoch.j 5.) 3.47. es 67 HE The Phocene.. 2 eo 69 EN. “Glacial Pervods.: eh ee Se) a 71 Vio tinter-Glacialipoeh, 4300.3) 1s eee oe eo Vi. Remdeer “Mpoch: cs. ake tie © 64s sete eee 73 el | ONRUVaI 2 2 3.55 54 oD RE Co 74. rete" Tradition: hs..5, ete e 8 Oe eee 80 PART Pinot: rH MASTODON. : Abe iL. ) HE JMasrtopon. I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. “Built high and wide, his solid bones surpass The bars of steel; his ribs are ribs of brass; His port majestic and his armed jaw Give the wide forest and the mountain, law. Earth sinks beneath him as he moves along To seek the herbs, and mingle with the throng. See with what strength his hardened loins are bound, All over proof, and shut against a wound !”’ This description of the behemoth of the book of Job, as given by Dr. Young, may very properly be applied to the mastodon which once roamed through the primeval forests of America, and certain parts of Europe and Asia. We know it only from its remains, which have been found in various localities. Language is insufficient to give an adequate idea of the grandeur and massiveness of the complete skeleton. It towers far above the animals with which we are so familiar; and even the elephant, although nearly of the same height, has a frame which may be called delicate in comparison. It belonged to the elephantine family, though, in many respects, differing from the living specimens. It was not superior to the elephant in height, but its limbs were thicker, the abdomen slenderer, the length greater, and the head more massive and longer. 2 10 THE MASTODON. The tusks were four in number, and those of the upper jaw curved upwards, and sometimes attained the length of twelve or thirteen feet. Besides the regular intermax- illary tusks, in one species at least, there are two very smail ones which make their appearance at the very ear- liest period of life, but shortly give way for the permanent ones. As has been already stated, two tusks make their appearance in the lower jaw, only one of which became developed, that in the adult male; both were early shed in the female. These tusks form one of the distinctive characteristics which separate the mastodon from the ele- phant. The structure of the teeth also constitutes a very important part in the anatomical description, and widely differs from those of the rest of the elephant family. While there are certain varieties of the mastodon which are easily separated into distinct groups, yet there are others not so well marked, belonging to the transitional rank between the mastodon type and the elephant type. LL. HISTORY: The first authentic history of the discovery of the re- mains of the mastodon dates back to the year 1613. Near the castle of Chaumont, in Dauphine (France), some bones were found in a sand-pit, which were purchased by a sur- geon named Mazuya, who pretended that he had discoy- ered them in a brick tomb, thirty feet long by fifteen broad, inscribed with the name of Teutobocchus Rex, a chief of the Cimbri (Northern Germany), who was defeated by the Roman commander, Caius Marius, 102 B. C. He also claimed to have found in the same tomb fifty medals bear- ing the effigy of Marius. Mazuya exhibited this skeleton in the cities of France and Germany. Riolan, an anat- omist, after having examined the bones of the pretended king, pronounced them to be those of an elephant. This gave rise to an animated controversy in which numerous Figure 2, - The Mastodon Restored, a a Me a adi THE MASTODON. 13 pamphlets were exchanged on the subject. In the year 1832 the skeleton was removed from Bordeaux to the Mu- seum of Natural History in Paris, where De Blainville recognized it as belonging to the mastodon. The gigantic bones discovered in 1705, thirty miles south of Albany, New York, were regarded as additional proof of the ancient stories relative to the past existence of a race of giants. One of the teeth was shown to Governor Dudley, of Massachusetts, who was “perfectly of opinion that the tooth will agree only to a human body, for whom the flood only could prepare a funeral; and without doubt he waded as long as he could keep his head above the clouds, but must, at length, be confounded with all other creatures.” * The bones of the mastodon found near Santa Fe’ de Bogota, in the “Field of Giants,” were formerly taken for human remains. And, in like manner, the great quantity of bones of this animal found in the Cordilleras originated the Spanish tradition that Peru was formerly inhabited by men of colossal stature. _ The mastodon first attracted the attention of the scien- tific men of Europe about the middle of the last century. M. de Longueil, a French officer, in 1739, while traversing the forests bordering on the Ohio River, discovered in Kentucky some bones, which, on account of their magni- tude, excited his curiosity to such an extent that he carried them along with him, and on his return to France presented them to D’Aubenton and Buffon. It is worthy of notice that these were the first relics of the mastodon which received the attention of the scientific men of Europe, and also the first taken thither. D’ Aubenton ascribed the thigh- bone and tusk to the elephant, but attributed the teeth to the hippopotamus. On the other hand, Buffon declared that the teeth as well as the tusk and thigh-bone belonged to an elephant which had existed in the primitive ages * Extract from Governor Dudley’s letter to Cotton Mather. 14 TIE MASTODON. of the world. He regarded it as having been from four to six times the size of the existing elephant; an estimate he was led to make by supposing that all the teeth, instead of springing up in succession, existed in a continuous row. The discovery of these remains not only produced a pro- found impression in Europe, but caused naturalists to en- tertain the fundamental idea that extinct species of animals were exclusively peculiar to the ancient ages of the world. It also quickened an interest in searching for these remains, and when, in 1763, the English became masters of Canada, they sought eagerly to obtain them. In 1767, Crogan, the geographer, having traversed the region of the Ohio, sent many cases of these relics to London, addressing them to different naturalists. About a mile and a half from the Ohio, in the State of Kentucky, he found in a salt-marsh six immense skeletons interred upright. A femoral bone of one of these skeletons weighed one hundred pounds, being four feet and a quarter in length. The reception of these bones in Europe quickened the interest already manifested, and which has never ceased ; and so prominent has it been that up to the present time more than forty eminent naturalists have written particularly on the subject. Upon the theory advanced by Dr. Hunter that the mas- todon was carnivorous, Goldsmith, in his “Animated Na- ture,”’ concludes his remarks as follows, which are amusing under our present knowledge: “As yet this formidable creature has evaded our search; and, if indeed, such an animal exists, it is happy for man that it keeps at a dis- tance; since what ravage might not be expected from a creature, endued with more than the strength of the ele- phant, and all the rapacity of the tiger!” Cuvier gave the subject his careful attention, and to him we are indebted for the first elaborate account of the bones of the Mastodon Giganteus. He did not have the ad- THE MASTODON. 15 vantage of a complete skeleton, for only fragments or parts were known until 1801. In that year Charles W. Peale, after much persevering labor, produced one nearly com- plete from the morasses of Orange county, New York. His son, Rembrandt Peale, published, in London, in 1803, a description of this skeleton, in a pamphlet of ninety-one pages, with the title, “An Historical Disquisition on the Mammoth, or, Great American Incognitum, an Extinct, Immense, Carnivorous Animal, whose Fossil Remains have been found in North America.”’ This skeleton occupied a prominent place in Peale’s Museum at Philadelphia, until 1849, when it suddenly disappeared. It is believed to have fallen into the hands of Professor Kaup, of Darm- stadt, Germany. (For description see Appendix). In the year 1840, Dr. Albert Koch discovered a skeleton of the mastodon in Benton county, Missouri, near the banks of the Pomme-de-Terre River, about ten miles above its junction with the Osage. The bones were im- bedded in a brown sandy deposit full of vegetable matter, with recognizable remains of the cypress, tropical cane, and swamp moss, stems of the palmetto, etc., and this covered by beds of blue clay and gravel to a thickness of about fifteen feet. Dr. P. R. Hoy* claims to have visited the spot very soon after this discovery had been made, and declares the excavation to have been fifteen feet in diameter and six feet in depth, and the skeleton was struck upon at a depth of two feet. Dr. Hoy’s state- ment, which was written to disprove that of Dr. Koch, would force the skeleton into a space of only four feet in depth, which supposition is only admissible by presuming that the skeleton had been broken up and afterwards washed there. Out of the bones of this skeleton, together with many belonging to other individuals, Dr. Koch con- structed an enormous osteological monster, and named it * * American Naturalist,’’ Vol. V. 16 = THE MASTODON. the ‘‘Missourium, or Leviathan of the Missouri.” This he placed on exhibition in London, and soon afterwards sold it to the Trustees of the British Museum, where it was overhauled and properly mounted by Professor Owen. An illustration of this skeleton, as it appeared in the ws Figure 3. Museum, is given in Fig. 3. It has been suggested that the two scapule now forming a part of this skeleton, and the two detached ones, are in reality the bones of the mam- moth; and Dr. Koch may have dug up the remains of both these animals from the same deposit. The skeleton so minutely described by Dr. J. C. Warren, in his work entitled “Mastodon Giganteus,” was discovered near Newburgh, New York, in the summer of 1845. The spot where the skeleton was found is situated in a small THE MASTODON. 17 swampy valley, where animals were not infrequently en- trapped and’ mired. The summer of 1845 had been un- usually dry; many small lacustrine deposits were exposed to the drouth, which afforded the farmers an opportunity for removing their contents to fertilize the neighboring fields. While some laborers were removing the contents of this small valley they struck upon the skull of the mas- todon. At once they suspected what it was, and then proceeded with great care until the whole of the skeleton had been obtained, with the exception of a portion of the sternum, a few bones of the feet, and a number of the caudal vertebrae, some of which were recovered afterwards. The animal evidently had been mired, for the anterior ex- tremities were extended under and in front of the head, as if the animal had stretched out its arms in a forward direction in order to extricate itself, and the posterior ex- tremities were extended forward under the body. In this morass, scarcely covered by the soil and a few feet of water, this animal had remained undisturbed by any intrusion for unknown ages. The bones were in an almost perfect state of preservation. Mastodon bones, when discovered, are usually black, but these were of a brown color, like those of a recent human skeleton, which had been in use a considerable length of time. The bones after having been cleansed and dried, were articulated by Dr. Prime, and afterwards exhibited in New York anda number of New England towns, and then came into the possession of Dr. Warren. As the skeleton was not properly put together, Dr. Warren secured the services of Dr. Shurtleff, who dis- articulated and re-arranged the bones—a work which was successfully completed after an unremitting labor of four weeks. (For description see Appendix). | Ill. NAME. When the bones of the mastodon were first discovered in quantity they were supposed to belong to the same ani- 18 THE MASTODON. mal as the fossil elephant of Siberia, and for a long time it was called the mammoth. It also received the name of *“‘ The Great American Incognitum.” Its present name was given to it by Cuvier, who designated it by the form of the tooth—the word mastodon being derived from the two Greek words, mastos, nipple, and odous, tooth, or nipple- tooth. Dr. William Hunter, having been misled by a par- tial view of the organization of the teeth and their appar- ent similarity to the teeth of the carnivora, was of opinion that the points of these massive organs were destined to crush the bones of smaller animals, hence he called it the “Carnivorous Elephant.” The mastodon of North Amer- ica having been the first to receive attention, to it Cuvier added the specific term Giganteus, or “‘ Gigantic Mastodon.” The remains were found bordering on the Qhio, and on this account Buffon called it the Mastodon Ohioticus. In 1793 Pennant designated it by the name of Elephas Ameri- canus, or American Elephant; Blumenbach, in 1797, named it Mammut Ohioticum, or the Mammoth of Ohio; Adrian Camper proposed naming it Elephas Macrocephalus, or Long- headed Elephant. As the epithet Ohioticum was used be- fore Guganteus, Dr. Falconer favored the former term. It has also been called Mastodon Magnum, or Great Mastodon. It seems that the name Mastodon Giganteus should be given to the principal American species, for, of all the different varieties, it is the largest, and this name very appropriately designates it. IV. RANGE. No extinct quadruped has been more widely diffused over the globe than the mastodon. It has extended from the tropics both south and north into temperate latitudes, and its bones have been found in vast numbers throughout the plains of North America, from north of Lake Erie to the Gulf on the south. There were mastodons peculiar to THE MASTODON. 19 Central and South America, and still other varieties have been discovered in England, France, Switzerland, Ger- many, Spain, Italy, Greece, in Asia Minor, and in several parts of India. It is a little remarkable that scarcely any remains have been found east of the Hudson, and none east of the Con- necticut River. Some bones have been found near New Britain,.and two teeth thirteen miles north of New Haven. But these are exceptional instances. There certainly must have been some reasons why the mastodon did not choose to penetrate the woods of New England. It may have been that the Hudson served as a partial barrier to its passage farther east; and, besides, the climate may have been less desirable than the milder regions of the South and West, or a particular kind of vegetation may have been wanting which it fed upon. Stragglers or small troops penetrated into Canada, but the probability is that these relics, which occur outside the natural range, only prove the disposition of the animal to wander. A vast number of bones have been collected in New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, the Carolinas, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, California, and Oregon. The most celebrated locality is Big Bone Lick in Kentucky. This marsh is about twenty-three miles below Cincinnati, about four miles from the Ohio, and nearly opposite the mouth of the Great Miami, and situated in a nearly level plain, in a valley bounded by gentle slopes. The general course of the stream, which meanders through this plain, is from east to west. The bog is many acres in extent, but was much larger before the surrounding forest was cleared away. The greater number of the bones have been taken from the black mud, about twelve feet below the level of the creek. The bones belonging to more than one hun- dred mastodons have been found there, besides about twenty-five of the mammoth, some of the megalonyx, and 20 THE MASTODON. a species of the stag, bison, and horse. The greatest depth of the mud has never been ascertained; it is composed chiefly of clay, with a mixture of calcareous matter and sand, and sulphate of lime with some animal matter. At various depths layers of gravel occur. Jn speaking of this locality, Sir Charles Lyell says, in his “Travels in North America”: ‘* There are two buffalo paths or trails still ex- tant in the woods, and both lead directly to springs: the one which strikes off in a northerly direction from the Gum Lick, may be traced eastward through the forest for several miles. Itis three or four yards wide, and only partially overgrown with grass, and sixty years ago was as bare, hard, and well-trodden, as a high road. It is well known that during great drouths in the Pampas of South America, the horses, deer, and cattle throng to the rivers in such numbers that the foremost of the crowd are push- ed into the stream by the pressure of others behind, and are sometimes carried away by thousands, and drowned. In their eagerness to drink the saline waters and lick the salt, the heavy mastodons and elephants seem in like man- ner to have pressed upon each other, and sunk in the soft quagmires of Kentucky.” V. CONDITION OF THE BONES. The bones have been found in various conditions, some being almost perfect and others crumbling on being hand- led. In Europe the bones are more fragmentary and are rarely met with. This is due to their greater antiquity, for it is well established that the American variety con- tinued to flourish long after the European mastodon had become extinct. Many causes have operated in the pre- servation of these remains, among which are the solutions of lime, silex, and iron. The bones of the mastodon gigan- teus are scarcely ever found in a mineralized condition, and the preservation in many instances is due to silex. The | preservation is also often due to their immersion in water to * THE MASTODON. 21 such a depth as to prevent the contact of air, and in other cases are protected by superincumbent earth which resists the tendency to decomposition. In the salt-licks it is due to their having been impregnated with the chloride of sodium, which has a greater power of preventing de- composition than ordinary soil. Dr. C. T. Jackson made an analysis of a portion of the vertebral bone of the Newburgh skeleton, after being dried at 500° Fahr., with the following result: «Animal matter (bone Cartilage)...........-seercescereereeceesceees Lh.d0 Bone earth (phosphate and carbonate of lime) and phos- Phate Of iTON........0.ccccccececeees Perper ereeop tra cee eee 72.27 100.00 “A portion of the bone with cancelli yielded, by drying, at a little above 212° Fahr. EN ee ete c onyocaiay cvievny conns: sieave ses Sscv estes pedaseweadatinvlewasee ddehanck 6 Bone earth (phosphate and carbunate of lime) and phos- eee MONEE OD Meccan.) sanigcbansce sas seeded te tancusdcoonsi... a (CVO 0C Tae aaa i ea er a > Collinsonii ... Ato Sick ge ch Tetracaulodon (Godman) ae - - Feoehiles < ae tes as u SHOU al. art. ES “s Eh eee = ee Bucklandi . a (74 Tapiroides..... Lesser Mastodon. . Intermediate Mastodon Doubtful Gigantic Mastodon of Jefferson. . ic e of Buckland Tapir-like Mastodon Ss of Godman .. “Ss of Collinson.. Iour-member tooth..... T. Mastodon of Koch. ... 5 x of the Osage a $s of Hays ot ce EPOCIL. LOCALITY, a4 66 United States. ce ce oé Missouri. United States. THE MASTODON. 29 various names, the scientists who bestowed these [names, the epoch to which each belonged, and the locality where found. It will be noticed that the names of discoverers, or those prominent in describing the remains, have been given to several. } Dr. Falconer has divided the European mastodon into two groups, having reference to their teeth, viz: Triloph- odon (three-ridge tooth), and Tetralophodon (four-ridge tooth). The noted varieties of the first are the Borsona, tapiroides, angustidens, and Pyrenaicus; to the second he assigns seven species, the most noted are longirostris and arvernensis. ‘To this may be added the American varieties, obscurus, mirificus, Shepardi, and proavus. Intermediate be- tween the two groups is the M. Pentelici; for, like the first, its second molar tooth is marked by three ridges, and like the second it hag four ridges on its third milk-molar. it is doubtful if the minute division, above given, will assist in the advancement of this study. This list, how- ever, must be cut down. It has been positively decided that the tetracaulodon is the male of the M. giganteus. This at once strikes from the list the 7. tapiroides, T. Osagi, T. Kochii, T. Haysii, and T. Bucklandii. This list is still further reduced, because the M. Jeffersonii, Godmanii, Col- linsonii, and Chapmanii, have also been assigned to the UV. giganteus. It would be foreign to the object of this work to enter into the minute details which characterize the different species, or to determine which, of the remaining list, should not be classed separately, for any pretension to decide the actual number would be undertaking a task which the ablest palezontolologists have seen fit to leave in a state of uncertainty. An attempt, however, will here be made to briefly trace out the general characteristics of some of these varieties. 30 THE MASTODON. 1. M. giganteus. This variety (sometimes called JL. Amer- icanus) has been sufficiently described in what has already been said, for it has been taken as the predominant type. 2. M. Tapiroides. This variety is named from its sup- posed resemblance to the tapir, and approaches nearer the M. giganteus than to any other species. Cuvier named it from a single tooth found near Orleans, France; other teeth have been found in various places. Its peculiarity consists principally in the formation of the prominences of the molar-teeth, but being less notched than in the M. giganteus. This species is said to form the connecting link between the J. giganteus and the Dinotherium. 3. Mastodons of South America. ‘'wo species are found in South America: the AZ. Humboldtius and M. Andium; both being considered by Cuvier, De Blainville, Owen, and others, as referable to the J/. angustidens, or narrow-tooth group. The W. Humboldtius was named from the celebra- ted traveler, who discovered it. It has a shorter jaw than ‘the WM. Andiwn, and the folds of the enamel are more com- plicated than in the teeth of the JZ. giganteus. It is also found in New Mexico. The J. Andium is a smaller species, having the same undulating folds of enamel as the other, but a more elongated symphysis. It also occurs in Central America. 4, M. Angustidens. This name was given by Cuvier to mastodons having narrower teeth than the JZ. giganteus. There is considerable dispute about this species, some authors including under this group all the narrow-toothed mastodons, while others number several species. Passing over these disputes, its chief distinction may be said to be that the two ultimate molars in the lower jaw have both four ridges, and the horizontal branch in front of the molars forms a long horizontal semi-canal, slightly inclined downwards. Some anatomists point out other distinctions in the skeleton. To this the J/. Turicensis is closely allied. THE MASTODON. 31 5. M. Longirostris. According to some authors this va- riety is not to be distinguished from the M. angustidens. Professor Kaup, who has given it particular attention, thus distinguishes it: “1st, By the length of the lower jaw; 2d, by the existence of four ridges in the third, fourth, and fifth teeth; 3d, by the existence of five ridges in the ultimate tooth; 4th, by the presence of tusks in the lower jaw; 5th, by a vertical premolar; and by various other points.” Dr. Falconer considers the JJ. angustidens and M&M. longirostris to be perfectly distinct, and the former to be more nearly related by a three-ridged penultimate molar to the M. giganteus than to the &. longirostris. 6. M. Arvernensis. The JZ Arvernensis discovered in the south of France by Croizet and Jobert, in 1828, is placed under the head of Jf longirostris by Kaup, who be-— lieved it to be the young of that species. M. Laurillard believed it to be the JZ angustidens. It is characterized, according to De Blainville, by a greater number of mam- millary eminences than other species, and by a talon in front as well as behind. 7. M. Sivalensis. This, from the Sivalik Hills, India, established by Dr. Falconer and Captain Cautley, has teeth of very large size, the ultimate molars being from eight to nine and one-half inches in length, and about three and one-half inches in width, with six ridges in the upper jaw, rounded protruberances, and rather narrow form. 8. M. Latidens. This was found on the banks of the Irrawaddy, and so named by Clift, on account of the breadth of the tooth. The teeth, for the most part, are broader than those of other species, and sometimes has as many as ten ridges and a talon. This species, and the one called _ M., elephantoides, form two of the links connecting the mas- todon with the elephant. 9. M. Cuvier. This one is not clearly made out, but its prolonged lower jaw and the three penultimate molars with three ridges have been particularized. rs THE MASTODON. 10. M. Buffonis. This is characterized by short teeth. 11. M. Brevirostris. The M. Brevirostris has a short lower jaw, the lower tusks wanting, and the molar similar to M. longirostris, with secondary tubercles between the ridges. } 12. M. Productus. J. Productus belongs to that class of the genus in which the transverse valleys are inter- rupted by tubercles or cones. 13. M. Obscurus. This species rests upon the tooth known as the ‘Baltimore tooth,” discovered in Caroline County, Maryland, in 1840. The tooth bears some resem- blance to the last inferior molar of J. productus, but narrower, and displaying a stronger tendency to alternation, and less tubercular. 14. M. Shepardi. Dr. Leidy thinks it probable that M. Shepardi and MM. obscurus belong to one and the same species. J. Shepardt was discovered in California by Dr. L. G. Gates, who sent the specimens to Professor C. U. Shepard, of Amherst, Massachusetts, who in turn sent them to Dr. Leidy. The last named it in honor of Professor Shepard. 15. M. Campester. This is a species recently discovered by R. S. Hill, in the Loup Fork beds of Kansas and named by Professor Cope. It belongs to the tetralophodon type, and is somewhat allied to the IL Sivulensis and M. longiros- tris. There is no indication of tusks in the symphysis, and the superior tusks have a broad band of enamel. In size, it was about that of the African elephant. "X. GEOLOGY. The mastodon lived during three distinct periods of the world’s history, viz., Miocene, Pliocene, and Alluvial. As the Glacial period is placed between the Pliocene and Alluvial, a fourthage must be added. It experienced great changes in the climate, as well as having lived during the THE MASTODON. 33 development and final extinction of various animals. It saw the gradual change going on in the surface of the earth, and the tropical plants gradually circumscribed to their present narrow limits. It lived for untold ages, and at last became extinct itself. In Europe it ceased to exist long before the historical period, probably three or four hun- dred thousand years, but in America it survived until a comparatively recent period. XI. FIRST APPEARANCE. When the mastodon first roamed through the forests the world was far different from what it is now. It was at a time when old forms had become extinct, and a new order of existences had taken their place. It was pre-eminently the Age of Mammals, when creatures of this order not only flourished everywhere, but increased in size to their greatest development. The internal heat had to a great extent ceased to make itself felt on the surface on account of the earth’s crust increasing in thickness, in consequence of which changes in the climate gradually took place. The temper- ature, at the beginning of this period (Miocene), all over the world, was not unlike that of the tropics at the present time; but this change in the climate, after a series of ages, resulted in cold making itself felt not only at the poles, but also in regions near the temperate zones. In this age of Sylvan beauty, the mastodon dates its birth. It was the middle period of the Age of Mammals, or the Tertiary. If a panorama could be presented before us, representing this epoch, the grandeur, beauty, and curious forms would for the moment bewilder the eye, and were it possible for us to be transported to those scenes, we would realize a world outrivalling all human conception. Language cannot picture it, nor mind conceive its beauty. From the relics left of that age, we can, in a measure know something of the scenes and the epoch which gave the Sd 34 THE MASTODON. mastodon birth. The mind can picture to itself a scene which may have taken place. It can behold a man sitting on yonder rock, against the mountain’s side, viewing the landscape beneath him, and contemplating the scenery which greets his eyes. Nearly everything is new; it is a new world; in many respects, outwardly, it is our earthly dream of paradise ; new plants, new flowers, curious trees; strange birds and beasts, as well as those whose forms are familiar, are here. To the left stretches out a beautiful lake which receives the contents of the meandering streams as they flow from the mountain’s side, the forest, or the rolling meadow beyond. Upon the banks of the lake and larger streams, the slimy serpents lie basking in the sun, while the heavy crocodiles drag their unwieldy bodies along the miry shore, and the huge hippopotami and rhinoceros push their way through the high marshy grass. In front is a beautiful forest with trees rivalling those of other ages, some are radiant with flowers, others bending to the ground with their ripened fruit, while here and there stands a monarch towering high above all. Low murmuring noises proceed from this enchanting scene which tell that ani- mated forms are concealed within and beneath the supera- bundant foliage. Within the foliage may be heard the sweet notes of the feathered songster, and here and there they may be seen dressed in the richest and most varie- gated plumage. Suddenly the spectator’s attention is drawn toa spot not far removed from the base of the moun- tain. Crashing through the forest comes the mightiest of all beasts, the Dinotherium, the colossus of the ancient world, with its elephantine trunk raised aloft, its jaws wide open, and with stupendous strides, making every endeavor to secure protection beneath the water of the neighboring river. It is hotly pursued by the Machairodus (an animal larger than the tiger), which shortly overtakes it and with its sword-like teeth cuts the flesh away, and soon the mighty tee SA A ‘ monster of both land and sea falls a victim to the fierce, carnivorous creature. On the right, emerging from the cloud of dust, shuffling along, comes another beast, with long white curved, massive tusks, twelve feet in length, and from the under jaw proceeds another a foot in length. It looks like an elephant, and yet it is not; at full speed it moves along, and holding in its long black trunk a ponder- ous limb with its branches, it furiously beats its sides to brush away the great insects, as large as barn-swallows, which sting and goad it into fury; still hastening on, it plunges into a stream where it is released from its tormen- tors. This animal is the mastodon, and in the distance may be seen not less than ten species of them. THE MASTODON. 35 From the contemplation of this varied scenery, and the thoughts awakened by the struggles incident to the animal world, our spectator, still in his altitude of observation, is startled by deep rolling thunder in the distance which gives notice of an approaching storm. Looking over the landscape again he sees untold numbers of animals hastening from the woods and over the plains to the mountains beyond; a troup of mastodons come crashing through the woods, driven by fear and leaving destruction in their trail ; a herd of wild horses are galloping over the meadows; the Siva- therium (a deer having the bulk of an elephant) breaks from the forest and is soon lost to view; the strange and frightened actions of the dogs, lions, antelopes, oxen, etc., forbode the gathering of a terrific storm. No sooner has the last animal disappeared, than the deep, thick, impene- trable masses of clouds gather around. Tremblingly our spectator leaves the rock to seek protection in a neighbor- ing cave; at the cavern’s entrance he pauses to look around, when there flashed a stream of light so vivid, so intensely bright, sundering the very heavens, as it were, and immediately followed by a peal of thunder that shook the very fastnesses of the mountain, and then the storm 36 THE MASTODON. burst forth in all its fury. One moment the country around was as black as ink, the next it was a sheet of living flame. Safely sheltered within the cavern the man, we have been watching, hears heaven’s artillery belching forth one long continued roar of thunder deafening his ears, and seem- ingly unsettling the very foundations of the earth, while the lightning’s lurid glare penetrates the hidden recesses of the cave. Huge masses of rock, detached from their fastnesses by the lightning and the flood, roll down like an avalanche into the forest cutting great thoroughfares as they move violently along. The storm, at last, having abated, there may now be seen great furrows filled with water; the rivers’ banks flooded; trees of the forest broken, some upturned, and others carried a long distance. Our spectator leaves his retreat, refuses to descend into the valley, and passing over the mountain, the world discloses another age almost rivalling the one just closed. In an age such as this the mastodon began to exist; it flourished, and greatly multiplied in both number and species; but, finally, like many others which preceded it, it too was forced to turn aside, lie down, and die, leaving its mementos for man to read in later ages. XII. DISAPPEARANCE. The cause or causes which led to the final extinction of the mastodon must be left to conjecture. It would seem that an animal of such gigantic size, great strength, and such a wide distribution, would not easily succumb, but that representatives would still survive. Climatic changes alone have not worked its destruction. This might be inferred for the northern localities, but the theory would not apply to the Southern States, Mexico, and Central America. Certain species of animals have become extinct, but the cause or causes remains unknown. The disappearance of certain wild animals in certain localities can be accounted for— a ue me THE MASTODON. 37 many having succumbed through the extirpating power of man, such as the bear, wolf, and other creatures in the British Isles, and in this country. From the same cause the buffalo, bear, and many others are gradually, and in some cases rapidly, diminishing. This will not account for the extinction of the mastodon, even admitting that man was coeval, and assisted in its extermination. Vegetation ap- pears to be the same as when the latest of these creatures lived; neither can it be safely concluded that the climate may have undergone any remarkable alteration at the period of its final extinction; nor can it be attributed to either a general or local inundation. Itis true a species may be overwhelmed by some calamity, such as a change in climate, or an inundation, or scarcity of a particular kind of food, or the sudden irruption of another genus. There is no fixed law which determines the duration of any species, for both single and whole groups of any genus last for very unequal periods. An animal does not exist because of its bodily strength alone, for mere bodily strength does not give the victory in the battle of life. It is a fact, which any one may notice, that the increase of any group is constantly being checked by certain known or else unperceived hostile agencies, and that the unknown agencies are sufficient to cause rarity, and even final ex- tinction. The continued increase of the existing elephant in India and Africa, before man became a power there, must have been checked by some cause. Dr. Falconer was of opinion that their increase was checked chiefly by blood-sucking insects which incessantly harrassed and weakened them. It may then be inferred that the extinc- tion of the mastodon was due to some imperceptible hos- tile agency which first made it rare and then finally exter- minated it. irs : ' a yi we ‘ ras cts i : 2 apn is

Z 6 Mite. + S ) MMi ALF << . be | 2. == WZ | a | phy ere | eh | ee as having a total length of “one hundred and thirty-five feet; from hind feet to back, sixty feet; from fore feet to back, sixty-six feet; width across fore-legs, twenty-one feet; across hind-legs, twenty-four feet; from end of pro- MAN. 79 boscis or snout to neck or throat, thirty-one feet; space between fore and hind legs, fifty-one feet; from end of pro- boscis to fore legs, thirty-nine feet; across the body, thirty- six feet; general height of body above surrounding ground, five feet. The head is large and the proportions symmet- rical.”” In the same section of country there are many mounds in the form of animals. The existence of this mound does not establish the theory that the mastodon was here when the Mound-Builders flourished. No bones of any species of the elephant fam- ily have been found in the ancient monuments of the Mis- sissippi Valley. The striking form of this family is not delineated on their pottery, as are those of all remarkable animals of the Valley. It is evident that the mammoth and its cousin, the mastodon, ceased to exist in the Valley long before it was occupied by the Mound-Builders. How then are we to account for the “ Big Elephant Mound ?” This mound may yet be the means of unraveling a portion of that mystery which surrounds this lost people. But the fact of the mound does not prove that the proboscid- ians still lived in the Valley when that mound was built. The Mound-Builders carried on an extensive commerce, as is shown by the material they used. They have figured tropical animals (the manatus or sea-cow, for instance) which show that they traversed other lands besides their own. If the mastodon lived in Central America during the time the Wisconsin mounds were erected, it is not un- hkely that this mound was copied from the Central Amer- ican animal; and if that be the case, then the last retreat of this animal is easily pointed out. Bradford, in his “American Antiquities,” says ‘“‘that a tomb, in the City of Mexico, upon being opened, was found to contain the bones of an entire mammoth, the sepulchre appearing to have been formed expressly for their reception.” This would lead to the conclusion that these animals were held 80 MAN. to be sacred, and probably worshiped by the most ancient Mexicans. If this be true, then certain individuals were kept and cared for long after the species had virtually ceased to be. Then, upon this hypothesis, the traders, among the last remnants of the Mound-Builders in the North-West, may have seen, worshiped, and then pro- duced the image of this animal. VIII. TRADITION. No tradition of the existence of the mammoth or mas- todon has been preserved in Europe. In America there was a tradition among the Indians which was supposed to have referred to the mastodon. There are two accounts of this tradition, both of which are herewith given. The first is taken from Peale’s pamphlet on the “ Mammoth.” “Ten thousand moons ago, when nought but gloomy forests covered this land of the sleeping sun; long before the pale men, with thunder and fire at their command, rushed on the wings of the wind to ruin this garden of nature ; when nought but the untamed wanderers of the woods, and men as unrestrained as they were the lords of the soil; a race of animals existed, huge as the frowning precipice, cruel as the bloody panther, swift as the descending eagle, and terrible as the angel of night. The pines crashed beneath his feet, and the lake shrunk when they slaked their thirst; the forceful javelin in vain was hurled, and the barbed arrow fell harmless from their side. Forests were laid waste at a meal; the groans of expiring animals were everywhere heard, and whole villages, inhabited by men, were destroyedina moment. The cry of universal distress extended even to the region of peace in the West, and the good Spirit interposed to save the unhappy. The forked lightning gleamed around, and loudest thunder rocked the globe! The bolts of heaven were hurled upon the cruel destroyers alone, and the mountains echoed with the bel- MAN. 81 lowing of death. All were killed except one male, the fiercest of the race, and him, even the artillery of the skies assailed in vain. He ascended the bluest summit which shades the source of the Monongahela, and, roaring aloud, bid defiance to every vengeance. The red lightning scorch- ed the lofty firs, and rived the knotty oaks, but only glanced upon the enraged monster. At length, maddened with fury, he leaped over the waves of the west at a bound, and this moment reigns the uncontroled monarch of the wilderness, in despite even of Omnipotence itself.” While the ideas of this tradition may be essentially In- dian, the language is certainly English and highly colored. The second account is taken from volume eight of “‘ Jef- ferson’s Works.” ‘In ancient times a herd of these tre- mendous animals came to the Big-Bone licks, and began an universal destruction of the bear, deer, elks, buffaloes, and other animals which had been created for the use of the Indians; that the Great Man above, looking down and seeing this, was so enraged that he seized his light- ning, descended on the earth, seated himself on a neigh- boring mountain, on a rock of which his seat and the print of his feet are still to be seen, and hurled his bolts among them till the whole were slaughtered, except the big bull, who, presenting his forehead to the shafts, shook them off as they fell; but missing one at length, it wounded him in the side; whereon, springing round, he bounded over the Ohio, over the Wabash, the Illinois, and finally over the great lakes, where he is living at this day.” It is mere assumption to claim that this tradition refers to the mastodon. Some regard it as more probable that the Great Buffalo was intended,—the remains of this ani- mal has been met with in Kentucky and elsewhere. How- ever, little credence can be attached to Indian traditions. They are notoriously superstitious and invent stories or legends which they attach to almost any unusual circum- 82 MAN. stance, and, after the lapse of a few generations, the legend becomes so distorted that its real application is lost. They possessed no tradition whatever of the expedition of De Soto to the Mississippi; and yet it was attended with just such circumstances—horses, fire-arms, etc.—-as would seem to fix itself upon the minds of the savages. A Pe pi TX: Dimensions of the skeletons of the Mastodon Giganteus described by Dr. J. C. Warren and Rembrandt Peale: FIRST.—THAT DESCRIBED BY DR. WARREN. Ba os Beeme leh GisB@IeTON... .. .8 a ck cee sae emien iu Meme tote base of tail. ....... 00.0244. lin oe AE Circumference of trunk around the ribs.......... 6 Se URPMEI ONE EAI ems yo bc oe vic ial ob -a'ando See CHS y ime Lar body \i...120.). 502 Lhe ye sd head from occipital condyles in a straight line to anterior edge of socket...... 5 ae” eee Hnimo-leneth. fo. 20. oe de 1 ame 5 Pepmrok soeket: 245... Funeeces eo see Pe Rages: iRibemieath Lente chs.) si 6 ck ahi Moe x enemies Bor So Entire length of skeleton, including tusks........ 25 Probable height when‘alive....../. 2. 5.0... Aes ees 18 SECOND.—THAT DESCRIBED BY REMBRANDT PEALE. meek over shoulders: .. 5. )/-200 <4 wo peseess as ga! si pee RORPTOS Set 1s te er ce ee Re 9 meee srom chin to the TUMP see. sor We. +. + 15 From the point of the tusks to the end of the tail, flowin Lhe: Curves. Ss ee ts oes 31 memeth in aptraicht line. 2.) i acs Mek. ass» sonics Ete ee Meeiiin ernie hips and. body.ih sic os vs nse. Br ee Peet or the Under Jaw. sanctus. os dees 2 00 Weight of the same, sixty-three and a half pounds. Mien, OL tHe nea 5. Ge es Pal Soc k eos Se 84 APPENDIX. Gength ot thesthighsbone ©. Se. ee ae 3 Smallest circumference of the same............. 1 Lensth"ofstie Sibia ..2.." 324. at 4 TR 2 © ree NOT WS)... tk te eee 2 Largest circumference of the same.............. 3 Smallest a - 6 SS eae eee 1 Wei ci or Tadius.. . 32k ss ee eg eee 2 SCA PIA ys o.. 42.) alu eee ee 3 . loneestsvertebrasy ay 2 ie ee. See 2 Weaeest rib: without cartilage. ©. <.Usoo82; 2 eee 4 Heseth of the frst ripe sy. ee one es ee 2 . Se) WSR HOMG:st t...c peated ee Te + se RS uh USI aie sos 2 ov ye vente 5 10 Circumference of one tooth or grinder........... 1 Weight of same, four pounds ten ounces. Weight of the whole skeleton about 1,000 pounds. b> et Or “1 Co HS pe OTH © foe AN TIGUITy OF MAN. THE SEVENTH AND REVISED EDITION OF THE MANUAL OF THE ANTIQUITY OF MAN, ee J. es MEAS Ee AST (NOW READY.) It contains the results of the latest researches in the field of Pre- Historic Science. Just the book for the young student of Pre-history, popular and entertaining in style, and finely illustrated. CONTENTS: Chapter I.—Introduction. II.—Glacial Epoch. II].—Glacial Epoch-continued. IV.— Pre-glacial Epochs. V.—Condition of Man in the Earliest Times. VI.—Inter- glacial Epoch. VII.-—-Condition of Man in the Inter-glacial. VII1.--Reindeer Epoch, IX.—Man ofthe Reindeer Epoch. X.—Neolithic Epoch. XI.—Man of the Neolithic Epoch. XII.—Bronze Epoch. XIII.—Iron Epoch. XIV.—Traces of Man in America. XV.—Written History. XVI.—Language. XVII.—Unity of the Hu- man Race. XVIII.—The Bible. It gives the reader a correct idea of the later formations of the earth. It explains the cause of the great ice-fields which once covered a large portion of the earth. It places the great beasts of the past in their exact relations. It shows that man has lived on this, earth for many tens of thou- sands of years. It abounds with copious, explanatory, and suggestive notes. It explains those difficult passages in Genesis which have resulted in so much controversy. It answers the five principal objections to the unity of the human race. It is handsomely illustrated. It is the only work containing an ideal restoration of the Neander- thal Man. It contains supérior portraits of Sir Charles Lyell and. Prof. Hux- ley, which alone are worth the price of the book. It is acknowledged to be the best book ever written on the subject. It is the only book ever written which places the ancient remains of Man in their exact geological position. It is just the book that every person should have in order to become acquainted with the latest results of scientific investigation. It is handsomely bound and printed on superior paper. _It has received the hearty recommendations of clergymen, physi- cians, historians, and the secular and religious press, a few of which we append herewith. TESTIMONIALS. “Tt is an excellent work.’——Rev. J. W. Hanson, D. D. **A small book on a great subject. We have been particularly struck with the large accumulation of facts, the clear and concise manner in which they are arranged, and the modest manner in which conclusions are stated and applied. The writer deals in nune of the offensive dogmatism of science, but gives successive statements of the facts germane to the subject, compiled with great care from more ambitious works, allowing very largely the facts themselves to indicate the conclusions. The work is a highly useful compilation, and puts in brief compass the facts of recent science on the inter- esting subject.’--Rev. J. S. Cantwell, D. D. ‘* Whether we at once fall in with the author’s views or not, this work has great merit. In fact, it is the most instructive book upon this subject—the natural history of the human race—we have ever read. No one can fail to be interested in reading this book; and when you begin to read it, you will not quit till through; and when oe read, you will want to read it again.”-—The American Medical ournal. ‘* We heartily welcome this book. It popularizes for the general reader the grand facts and discoveries appertaining to the science 3; and gives him, in simple language, the evidence on which some of the most profound minds of the day have been irresistibly led to the conclusion that our world is a very old world, dating back not merely tens of thousands, but probably millions of years, and that tens of thousands are required to measure the duration of man upon it.’ Henry Howe, The Historian of Ohio. “*As the title indicates, this volume is an attempt to present in synoptical form the evidences geological, archeological, historical, and physiological, bearing on man’s existence upon the earth. He adopts the view of a pre-historic rudimentary condition from which man slowly emerged by a process of intellectual and moral develop- ment, which view his array of data appears to warrant. The book is neatly illustrated with portraits of scientists, and views of inter- esting human relics which investigation has brought to light.’— Phrenological Journal. ‘* The ordinary reader is so often confronted with scientific dis- cussions and quotations from elaborate treatises upon what is known of Primitive Man, that a pressing need has been created for an epitome or an abridged account of our race in the earlier and savage state. This want has been happily supplied by Mac Lean’s Manual of the Antiquity of Man. The work furnishes every fact and rational idea in regard to the physical condition and surroundings of Primitive Man, and brings together in compact form, what would require much time, and cost of books, to obtain in any other way.” —