AMERICAN MASTODON. 203 



GREAT AMERICAN MASTODON. 



In the month of August, 1845, whilst excavating marl on the farm 

 of Nathaniel Brewster, Esq., six miles west of the village of New- 

 hiirgli, Orange county, N. Y., the workmen struck upon the skull 

 of a Mastodon. Tiie work was carefully conducted, and at the close 

 of the second day they had succeeded in exhuming the entire skele- 

 ton, with the exception of the toes of one foot, which were probably 

 carried out with the marl. This is the most entire skeleton of this 

 remarkable animal ever found. The bones are in a singularly per- 

 fect state of preservation, retaining still a large portion of animal 

 matter even in the spongy portions. The skeleton has since been 

 arranged and set up, and this has been done with great care and the 

 strictest attention to the articulating surfaces of all the bones, which 

 we believe has not been the case with others which have been put 

 together. Such we believe to be the fact from the drawings we have 

 seen of the one arranged by Mr. Peale, and from the description 

 given to us of others which we have had no opportunity of seeing. 

 The amount of cartilage to be supplied between the vertebrae has 

 been misconceived, and thus the back has been made much longer 

 than in the living animal. In the present instance, a perfect gage 

 was furnished by two ribs, which, during the life of the animal, had 

 become united longitudinally. Each one of these ribs articulated 

 with a vcrteber ; and in bringing these articulating surfaces together, 

 the exact amount of intervertebral space was found. This, in con- 

 nection with the ribs which articulated with two vertebrae, determined 

 the amount to be supplied ; and thus the back of this skeleton is 

 said to be from two to three feet shorter than those which have been 

 made according to the fancy of the owners. The intervertebral 

 substance is only half an inch in thickness. 



As the discovery of this singularly perfect skeleton of an extinct 

 'ace of animals has excited a very extensive curiosity, it may be 

 interesting to many to have a particular description of the condition 

 in which it was found. Portions of twelve skeletons of the same 

 animal have been discovered in the same county within the present 

 century ; but in no case have bones enough been found to give a full 

 idea of the structure and character of the animal, and in almost all 

 cases the bones have been in an advanced stage of decomposition. 



VOL. II. — NO. II. D 



