1857.] FALCONER — MASTODON. 323 



simulate the natural mineral Turquoise*. The excavations brought 

 to light the numerous Miocene remains found in this rich depot, 

 and among others the molars of Mastodon. These were vaguely- 

 referred to by the old naturalists, under the name of the *' Animal 

 de Simorref ." Some of them found their way, in the progress of 

 time, to the Museum of Natural History in Paris, about the middle 

 of the last century, and Daubenton described them under the title 

 of "petrified teeth having relations to those of Hippopotamus," to 

 which indeed in some important respects they bear a very striking 

 analogy. Cuvier, having established his "grand Mastodonte" of 

 North America; next directed his attention to the European remains 

 of the genus, the first of which he published under the title of * Mas- 

 todonte a dents e'troites' or M. anyustidens. It has been proved 

 upon the clearest evidence, by various palreontologists, and admitted 

 among others by his devoted friend and follower Lauri]lard:|:, that 

 Cuvier has included more than one species under this nominal desig- 

 nation of M. angustidens. It is requisite therefore to ascertain 

 precisely what were the original types which suggested a name of such 

 palpable signification to a shrewd and philosophical observer like 

 Cuvier. On referring to his original memoir, it will be found that 

 Cuvier commences §, as his first illustration, with a description of one 

 of the Simorre molars previously described by Daubenton. The second 

 piece is the Dax specimen from near Sort, Departement des Landes, 

 and obtained from a fluvio-marine Molasse formation probably of the 

 same age as the Simorre lacustrine beds. The third specimen is a 

 South American fragment, brought to Europe by Humboldt, which 

 has no connexion with the European species : on this head all 

 later palaeontologists who have investigated the subject, without 

 exception (exclusive of mere compilers), are agreed ; among others, 

 Laurillard !1, who identifies it with M. Andium, as restricted by 

 him. The fourth specimen which Cuvier quotes is another Simorre 

 fossil. The sixth, a very important and characteristic specimen, 

 is from the same locality. Now, all these Simorre specimens, with 

 the exception of the third, which is a premolar — and therefore a 

 normal exception, — are characterized by having their crowns divided 

 into three principal ridges. " It is therefore," as we have elsewhere^ 

 stated, " to a species having the intermediate molars distinguished by 

 a ternary division of the crown, as in M. OJiioticus, that the specific 

 name of M. angustidens is strictly applicable, so far as priority of 

 description and reference to original types can be taken as the guides 

 to a decision on the point." See Plate XI. figs. 3 & 4. 



Since the time of Cuvier, Simorre and Sansan have become 

 classical palseontological ground through the important discoveries, 



* Reaumur, Mem. del'Acad. des Sciences, 1715, p. 174 ; and Lartet, Quelques 

 Apercus Geologiques dans le Departement du Gers," p. 19. 



t Id. op. cit. p. 24. 



+ Dictionnaire Universel d'Histoire Naturelle, torn. viii. pp. 29-30. 



§ Annales du Museum, torn, viii. p. 412. 



II Dictionnaire Universel d'Histoire Naturelle, torn. viii. p. 29. 



^ Fauna Antiqua Sivaleusis, par. i. 1846, p. 5J. 

 VOL. XIII. PART I. 2 A 



