42 MAMMALIA. 



Genus MASTODON, Cuvier. 



Sir R. Owen (Rep., Brit. Assoc., 1843, p. 219), in his report 

 on British Fossil Mammals, referred the Mastodon teeth from the 

 English Crags to M. anyustidens, Kaup, and in his subsequent 

 works (Brit. Foss. Mamm., p. 271, 1846, and Quart. Journ. Geol. 

 Soc., Vol. XII., p. 223, 1856), adhered to this identification. 



Dr. Falconer (Pal. Mem., Vol. II, 1868) made a careful study 

 of the English and continental Mastodons, and came to the con- 

 clusion that the British forms were to be referred to M. arver- 

 nensis, and this decision has been accepted almost universally. 

 Some few specimens, more recently found, indicate the existence 

 of other species in the Red Crag. 



Prof. Lankester (Geol. Mag., Vol. VI., p. 355, 1869) has 

 given an account of a " trilophodont " Mastodon tooth from the 

 " Suffolk Bone Bed," which was at that time in the Baker Col- 

 lection at Woodbridge, and is now in the Reed Collection, York 

 Museum. This specimen was said to have its nearest ally in the 

 Mastodon Borsoni ; and it is described and figured in a sub- 

 sequent paper (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., Vol. XXVI., p. 507, 

 1 870) with other portions of Mastodon teeth which were referred 

 to M. tapiroides. 



Mr. R. Lydekker (Cat. Foss. Mamm. Brit. Mus., Part iv., and 

 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., Vol. XLIL, p. 365, 1886), after 

 studying the Mastodons in the British Museum and elsewhere, 

 came to the conclusion that three species of Mastodon are repre- 

 sented in the English Crags, the commonest form being ~ M. 

 arvernensis. The specimen, which Prof. Lankester (Quart. 

 Journ. Geol. Soc. Vol. XXVI., Plate xxxiv., fig. 1) thought to 

 be nearest to M. Borsoni, Mr. R. Lydekker thinks is not a 

 complete trilophodont tooth, but a part of a tetralophodont 

 form, and refers it to M. longirostris ; while the tooth which 

 Prof. Lankester (ibid., Plate xxxiv., fig. 4) called M. tapiroides 

 he would name M. Borsoni. 



Mastodon angustidens is no longer accepted as a British 

 species. 



Mastodon remains have been met with in England in the 

 Coralline Crag (Prestwich, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., Vol. XXVIL, 

 p. 118, 1872, andGunn, Geol. Mag., Vol. VI., p. 237, 1869), but 

 more abundantly in the Red and Norwich Crags. Mr. Cavell has 

 fragments from Easton Bavent, and it extends upwards to the 

 "Chillesford Beds" (Bell, Proc. Geol. Assoc., Vol. II., p. 215, 

 1872), but not a fragment has been recognised in the Forest- 

 bed. 



In Europe and Asia the genus is known from many places, and 

 ranges from Miocene to Upper Pliocene, while in North 'and 

 South America it is represented in beds of Post-pliocene age. 

 Dr. Falconer notices a specimen he had seen from Mexico (P*al 

 Mem., Vol. II., p. 74). 



