Skeleton of the Mastodon. 145 



the animal seemed to have been placed at the moment of the 

 catastrophe which overwhelmed all his race. A careful ob- 

 servation of such circumstances, in a number of instances, may 

 lead to important inductions, and greatly tend to elucidate the 

 history of those convulsions which have destroyed entire spe- 

 cies of numerous and formidable animals. For this purpose, 

 we shall describe the appearance of the bones as they 

 were laid bare by the removal of the surrounding soil. 



This was a stratum of what is, by the German geologists, 

 called geest, that is, a black, soft, shining earth, abounding near 

 the surface in vegetable roots and fibres. Before the time of 

 our visit, the skull, broken into many fragments, as well as 

 the greater part of the spine, most of the ribs, both scapula?, 

 the left radius, ulna, and the humerus of the right arm, had been 

 removed. Of the situation of these, therefore, we cannot speak 

 from our own observation ; but Mr. Croxson informed us, 

 that, as before mentioned, part of the head had protruded 

 itself through the surface of the ground. In consequence 

 probably of this, it was so much decayed that he could find 

 but three of the teeth, and no trace whatever of the tusks, nor 

 was the search, which we afterwards made, for these latter, more 

 effectual. The vertebral column, with all its joints and the 

 ribs attached to them in their natural position, lay about eight 

 or ten inches below the surface. The scapula? rested upon 

 the heads of the humeri, and these in a vertical position upon 

 the bones of the fore-arm as in life. We found the right fore- 

 arm still buried. It inclined a little backwards, and the foot, 

 which was immediately below it, was placed a little in advanc e 

 of the other, as it would be if the animal had been walking. 



At the depth of about ten inches, and immediately below 

 the matting of turf which forms the surface of the meadow, 

 we came to the sacrum, with the pelvis remaining united to it, 

 though in a very decayed state. The femora lay adjoining, 

 but, unlike the bones of the fore-legs, in a position nearly hori- 

 zontal, the right less so than the left, and both at right angles 



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