364 EXTINCT MAMMALIA OF NORTH AMERICA. 



Remains of Man found with those of Mastodon and Elephant in California, Whitney : Am. Jour. Sci. 

 XXXVIII, 1864, 264. Ancient human skull in California, Ibidem XLII, 1866, 424 ; XLIII, 

 1867, 265. 



Remains of Man in a guano deposit in Orchilla, W. 1., Leidy : Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. 1865, 181. 



Evidences of cotemporaneousness of Man and Elephant at Petit Anse, Louisiana, Leidy and Clew : Proc. 

 Ac. Nat. Sc, 1866, 109. 



Human skeleton found in gravel in Kansas, Berthoud : Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. 1866, 342. 



Kecent observations appear to have jjroved that the genus Homo existed in Europe 

 not only prior to the historic period, but even extended to the tertiary epoch, cotem- 

 poraneously with many extinct animals of the quaternary period. It is, however, 

 questionable how far we can say the same of Man in America, though we are quite 

 prepared to admit the evidence of undoubted facts bearing on the subject. There are 

 many notices on record of the discovery of the remains of Man upon this continent, 

 both of bones and rude works of art, which are supposed to antedate the period usually 

 assigned for the aj^pearance of the animal, but none are clear of doubt. None of the 

 accounts are sufficiently clear to bring conviction that Man was cotemporaneous with 

 any of the well-known extinct animals of the preglacial, or even of the postglacial 

 period distinguished from the present one. Even the traditions, which are reported 

 to have prevailed among certain of our Indian tribes, referring to the coexistence of 

 Man and Mastodon, want weight. For, admitting that there were such traditions, 

 these in general too often bear upon their face the appearance of having been 

 invented, perhaps in many cases insensibly, and by gradual accession, to explain 

 notions or conceptions of extraordinary facts and phenomena. Thus most probably 

 originated the tradition, so commonly believed, of the former existence of giants, 

 from the frequent discovery of the huge bones of the Mammoth and Mastodon, almost 

 everywhere strewn over the earth. 



One of the apparently most authentic instances of the cotemporaneous association 

 of human remains, with those of extinct animals in North America, is that of a 

 human innominate bone reported to have been discovered with bones of Megalonyx, 

 Mylodon, etc., near Natchez, Mississippi. The specimen, with its reputed associates, 

 are preserved in the Museum of our Academy, and all present the same appearance 

 of preservation and color. They are not petrified, but have preserved their original 

 consistence and composition with little change, other than being stained chocolate- 

 brown from ferruginous infiltration. 



The human bone consists of about half an ilium, together with the back part of 

 the ischium to where its tuber begins to turn forward. The ilium is broken at its 

 border, except at the ischiatic notch and about an inch and a half of the crest where 

 this is thickest anteriorly. The bone is mature, and exhibits no trace of epiphysial 



