On the Great Mastodon. 347 



of mastodon," and two or three new species of " Tetracaulo- 

 don ! !" 



We repeat, that with others, upon whose judgment reliance 

 is to be placed, we have repeatedly examined all the specimens 

 of fossil bones noticed in the memoir above referred to, and 

 have searched in vain for any specific differences, not to speak 

 of generic distinction. The jaw-bones, together with the va- 

 rious teeth connected with them, or separately existing, display 

 no peculiarities or varieties of structure, but such as are found 

 to exist in similar portions of the skeletons of any other species 

 of animal, recent or fossil, provided specimens are selected from 

 individuals of different sexes, and different ages ; no peculia- 

 rities or differences, in fine, worthy of notice, not fully describ- 

 ed by Cuvier, in his Ossemens Fossiles, where he has given 

 seventeen figures of the teeth and jaws of this species, and 

 which are thus noticed in vol. i. p. 226, of his last edition : — 

 " The differences of teeth of the * Grand Mastodcmte^ consist 

 principally in the number of their points, and in their length 

 and breadth. 



" I recognise three kinds of them : those nearly square, with 

 three pairs of points. 



" Rectangular, with four pairs of points. Others still longer, 

 rather contracted posteriorly, with five pairs of points, and an 

 odd spur. 



" The first are generally found among those most used ; I 

 have observed many about half used, and several others worn 

 down even to the neck of the tooth. 



" The latter, on the contrary, are very rarely used, and are 

 almost always, their posterior parts at least, entire. 



" This circumstance at once indicates their relative position. 

 The teeth with six points are anterior, and are the first to ap- 

 pear ; those with eight and with ten points come after, and are 

 situated behind. Direct observation has confirmed this induc- 

 tion,'' 



Again, at page 227 : — " The disposition then of the jaw 

 teeth in the adult animal is as follows : Two with six points 

 and two with eight points above, and two with six points and 

 two with ten points below. 



" But besides these eight molars which remain in the adult. 



