205 QUARTERLY JOURNAL. 



great western vallies, throughout this whole region the bones are 

 found in greater or less abundance. The saltlicks of Kentucky have 

 furnished the most of these remains ; and it has been stated, that 

 from one of these localities alone, portions of more than oiie hundred 

 skeletons have been removed. This species of mastodon is peculiar 

 to this continent, no remains of it having been found in any other 

 portion of the globe. 



The first bones and teeth of this animal were found as early as 

 1712, at Albany ; and were noticed in the Philosophical Transac- 

 tions, in a letter from Dr. Mather to Dr. Woodward. In 1739, a 

 French officer, by the name of Longueil, discovered some of the t 

 bones, teeth and tusks, near the Ohio river ; and the next year, 

 large quantities of similar bones were washed up by the current of 

 the same river. After this time the bones were occasionally found, 

 down to the present, but often very much decayed, and never in 

 sufficient quantities to make an entire skeleton. The scientific world 

 is much indebted to the late Mr. Peale, who, with great labor and 

 at much expense, procured, in 1 800, sufficient bones to enable him 

 to construct a tolerably complete skeleton, which is now in the 

 Philadelphia Museum. 



But though the living animal is unknown to us, the aboriginal 

 inhabitants of this country seem to have been well acquainted with 

 him. Many people are disposed to place very little dependence upon 

 Indian tradition ; but however vague such tradition may become in 

 relation to particular facts, by long transmission from generation to 

 generation, yet it must have something real and true for iis origin. 

 Such we believe to be the fact in relation to this animal. We shall, 

 therefore, give a few of these traditions as concisely as possible. 



In President Jefferson's Notes on Virginia, we find the followingi 

 tradition of the Indians, in relation to this animal : 



" That in ancient times a herd of these tremendous animals camei 

 to the Big Bone Lick, and began a universal destruction of the bear, 

 deer, elk, butfaloes, and other animals, which had been created for 

 the use of the Indians. 



" And that the Great Man above, looking down, and seeing this, 

 was so enraged, that he seized his lightning, descended on the 

 earth, and seated himself on a neighboring mountain, on a certain 

 mountain rock, where the print of his feet are still remaining, fronn 

 whence he hurled his bolts among them, till the whole were slaugh- 



i 



