THE ANNALS 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



No. 111. MARCH 1846. 



XXI. — On the Osteology and Dentition of some Noiih American 

 Mastodons. By John C. Warren, M.D. 



To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. 



Gentlemen, 

 I BEG to communicate to you the following letter which I have 

 received from Dr. Warren of Boston, an excellent anatomist and 

 eminent physician. It contains so many important observations 

 on the osteology and dentition of some of the most complete ex~ 

 amples of the North American Mastodon, as leads me to believe 

 you may give it a place in your next number of the ' Annals.^ 



I am. Gentlemen, your very obedient servant, 

 , Xoiidpn, Feb. 16tli, 1846. RiCHARD OwEN. 



My dear Sir, Boston, Jan. 31, 1846. 



The interest you have taken in the anatomy of the Mastodon 

 giganteus, and the clearness with which you have elucidated 

 many points of their anatomy, lead me to address you at this 

 time. 



In the autumn of 1845 the skeleton of a Mastodon, accom- 

 panied with two perfect heads, two additional lower jaws, and 

 various other bones, which had been exhumed in the State of 

 New Jersey, was brought to this place. On examination I found 

 it to be the most perfect specimen, which, so far as I knew at that 

 time, had been discovered ; I therefore proceeded to examine it 

 with some care, and in the early part of November last made a 

 detailed report of its anatomy to the American Academy of Arts 

 and Sciences, accompanying this report with several drawings. 

 Two of these drawings were of the whole skeleton ; the third was 

 of one of the other heads. By the liberality of a number of gen- 

 tlemen of Boston all these specimens have become the property 

 of Harvard University at Cambridge, three miles from Boston. 



In the month of August last we had rumours that the ske- 

 Ann.^ Mag. N. Hist. Fb/. xvii. M 



