THE BONES OF TEUTOBOCHUS CHAP. 
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The last genus of the family Elephantidae is Mastodon, so called 
from the structure of the molar teeth. These are provided with 
but few transverse ridges, not more than five, so that their structure 
is intermediate between those of Dinotheriwm and those of Stegodon. 
Between the ridges are sometimes isolated, boss-like protuberances 
(whence the name of Mastodon), produced by a subdivision of the 
ridges. There is either but little or no cement between the ridges. 
This genus differs from nearly all other Elephantidae by the posses- 
sion of milk molars, which occasionally persist throughout life, the 
permanent dentition in those cases being a mixture of milk 
and permanent teeth, as has been (erroneously) stated of the 
Hedgehog. ' 
The tusks (incisors) are sometimes present in both jaws, and 
as they have, during youth at any rate, a coating of enamel, the 
likeness to the chisel-shaped incisors of Rodents is patent. In 
connexion with the implantation of incisors in the lower jaw, 
many species have a prolongation of the bones of that part of 
the skeleton. In the bones, generally, there is not very much 
difference from Hlephas, but the forehead is a little less pro- 
nounced. The genus existed from the Miocene and became 
extinct in the Pleistocene. It was nearly world-wide in range, 
being known from all four continents. Naturally with this very 
wide range was associated a large number of species.  Zittel 
enumerates no less than thirty-two. 
This genus is the only one of the Elephantidae which extended 
its range into South America, where the remains of two species 
occur. The bones of these great Elephants have attracted attention 
for some centuries. They were often held to be the bones of 
giants (as they actually were !), and in one case were ascribed to a 
deceased monarch, Teutobochus. The American Indians considered 
that equally gigantic men lived who were able to combat these 
great Proboscideans. There are legends of the Mastodons as living 
animals, which is quite probable, considering their geological age. 
There is a curious parallelism between the legends of two such 
widely-separated localities as North America and Greece. Buffon 
relates how among the Indians of Canada there was a belief that 
the Great Being destroyed both Mastodons and men of equal 
proportions, with thunderbolts. With this we may perhaps com- 
pare the story of the destruction of Typhoeus by Zeus, who 
by 
1 See Busk in Zrans. Zool. Soc. vi. 1868, p. 227. 
