CHAPTER XIV. 



THE MASTODON AND THE WOOLLY RHINOCEROS. 



"Of one departed world 

 I see the mighty show." 



Another elephantine monster, evidently allied to the Mammoth, 

 was the Mastodon, a creature which there is reason to think was 

 contemporary, in America, with the men of a prehistoric age. It 

 was so named by Baron Cuvier to distinguish it from the Mammoth, 

 with which it was by others considered identical; and his dis- 

 crimination of the two forms marked an important and early step 

 in the history of palaeontology. The chief difference between 

 these two extinct types lies in their molar teeth. These, on 

 cutting the gum, must have exhibited a number of somewhat 

 conical protuberances of a mammiform appearance ; hence the 

 name.^ As these points were worn down by mastication, the 

 surface of the tooth showed a series of discs of various sizes. 

 The teeth were covered by a very thick coat of dense, brittle 

 enamel. There are, however, differences in the bony framework 

 of the animal, as well as in its general proportions, which serve 

 to distinguish it from the Mammoth ; but it will not be necessary 

 to enter into these matters here, for this is difficult ground, even 

 to the student who is well versed in anatomy. Notwithstanding 

 a vast amount of observation on the subject, considerable differ- 

 ences of opinion have prevailed among palaeontologists with 

 * Greek — mastos, teat ; odous, odontos, tooth. 



