162 SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY 



North American elephant. It appears to have been common from New 

 York to Florida and west to Washington and Texas. It extended across 

 the border into the southern part of Ontario, while remains have been 

 found at Cape Breton, Manitoba and, recently in Alaska. At Kimms- 

 wick, just south of St. Louis, is a deposit from which bones of hundreds 

 of individuals have been taken, while bones and teeth were formerly com- 

 mon at Big Bone Lick, Kentucky. It is entirely possible, even probable, 

 that this great range represents more than one species, but, with the ma- 

 terial at present available it is not possible to say that such is the case. 

 Aside from the lack of specimens, the difficulties in the way of distin- 

 guishing more than one species are increased by the great variability of 

 the teeth in size, shape, and character, for while the ordinary mastodon 

 molar is quite smooth, some have the enamel decidedly wrinkled. Thus 

 Dr. Leidy based his Mastodon rugosidens on a much-wrinkled tooth from 

 South Carolina, while very similar teeth have been found at other lo- 

 calities. Dr. Waldemar Lindgren obtained two teeth with slightly 

 wrinkled enamel from Eye Valley, Oregon, but, as noted, it is not yet 

 possible to establish more than one species, although this may be desir- 

 able at some future time. The many instances in which mastodon skele- 

 tons have been found where the animal had evidently come to his death 

 by getting mired implies a great fondness for low, marshy localities. 



Not knowing the conditions under which mastodon remains have been 

 found in Maryland, it is only possible to hazard a guess as to their prob- 

 able age, but it is suggested that this is somewhat earlier than that of 

 specimens from Ulster and Orange counties, New York. These last are 

 found imbedded in mud or peat at the bottom of what were formerly 

 small ponds or bogs and the fresh look of some specimens and the fine 

 preservation of the bones indicate that this is one of the last localities in 

 North America where the mastodon survived. 



Collections. — The animal is represented in the collections of the Mary- 

 land Geological Survey by imperfect teeth from six individuals, the best 

 specimen being a nearly complete last upper molar. This and a part of 

 another tooth resemble in the black color of the enamel, teeth from St. 

 Mary's in the U. S. National Museum, and it is very probable that they, 



