221 
don remains is as definitely recorded as 1s that of the ice 
period. 
The decompositions of the upper part of the skeleton were 
such as to spoil it for mounting. The lower five feet of the 
deposit which held the Mastodon bones was marl. The 
upper three feet peat-earth or black muck. 
April 24th, 1871. 
The President in the chair, twenty-four persons present. 
Dr. L. FEUCHTWANGER exhibited a specimen of a sub- 
stance which had been handed to him as perhaps Ambergris. 
tis earthy in appearance, of a light fawn color and burns 
on the application of a flame. It is plainly not Ambergris, 
and he presented it to ask if any of the members could tell 
what it is. 
Pror. A. M. Epwarps replied that this substance had 
been presented several years since at a meeting of the Ly- 
ceum by a gentleman of the name of Southworth, who 
owned a large tract of land near Bahia, in Brazil, where it 
occurred in large quantities. At that time it had been 
referred to him, Prof E., for examination and report He 
had determined that it was deposited in now extinct lakes 
beneath whose beds were Bitumen springs, the lighter 
oils from which substance had infiltrated into and impreg- 
nated the mud. Sometimes the roots of plants, the remains 
of leaves and eyen wood were found imbedded in it but no 
Diatoms or other microscopic organisms, by means of which 
the character of the water beneath which it had been de- 
posited could be determined. The owner proposed, and in 
fact had to some extent, used it for the production of gas 
for illuminating purposes, as the town of Bahia had been in 
this way lighted. If it had not been so light and bulky it 
had been proposed to ship it abroad for distillation, as the 
PROC. LYC. NAT. HIST. N. Y.—VOL. I. 15 
