﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  CURATOR. 
  ( 
  

  

  -IOUNTING 
  OF 
  THE 
  MASTODON 
  SKELETON. 
  

  

  After 
  some 
  delay, 
  occasioned 
  by 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  proper 
  working 
  

   rooms, 
  the 
  preparations 
  for 
  mounting 
  the 
  mastodon 
  skeleton 
  were 
  

   begun 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  June. 
  In 
  this 
  work 
  I 
  engaged 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  

   K. 
  Gilbert, 
  of 
  Eochester, 
  who 
  was 
  assisted 
  by 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  E. 
  Howell 
  

   and 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  W. 
  Hall. 
  

  

  The 
  incompleteness 
  of 
  the 
  Cohoes 
  skeleton 
  rendered 
  it 
  neces- 
  

   sary 
  that 
  some 
  comparisons 
  of 
  parts 
  should 
  be 
  made 
  with 
  a 
  more 
  

   perfect 
  skeleton, 
  and 
  accordingly, 
  after 
  carefully 
  making 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  

   the 
  bones 
  we 
  possessed, 
  with 
  measurements 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  

   ones, 
  the 
  young 
  men 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  Boston, 
  where 
  they 
  made 
  the 
  

   necessary 
  examinations, 
  and 
  also 
  made 
  plaster 
  casts 
  of 
  some 
  bones 
  

   to 
  aid 
  in 
  their 
  future 
  work. 
  

  

  Acknowledgments 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  C. 
  Warren 
  for 
  the 
  liberal 
  

   manner 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  gave 
  the 
  young 
  gentlemen 
  access 
  to 
  the 
  War- 
  

   ren 
  Museum 
  for 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  mastodon 
  skeleton, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   other 
  separated 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  mastodon, 
  which 
  was 
  of 
  great 
  impor- 
  

   tance 
  in 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  work. 
  Mr. 
  Theodore 
  Lyman 
  also 
  

   aided 
  their 
  objects 
  in 
  many 
  ways. 
  An 
  examination 
  was 
  also 
  made 
  

   of 
  the 
  Cambridge 
  mastodon 
  skeleton 
  ; 
  and 
  our 
  thanks 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  

   Prof. 
  Wyman 
  and 
  Prof. 
  Agassiz 
  for 
  facilities 
  afforded 
  for 
  this 
  and 
  

   other 
  examinations. 
  Owing 
  to 
  this 
  necessary 
  preparation, 
  the 
  work 
  

   of 
  mounting 
  the 
  mastodon 
  was 
  not 
  fully 
  begun 
  till 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   July, 
  and 
  was 
  continued 
  without 
  interruption 
  to 
  September. 
  At 
  

   this 
  time 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  below 
  the 
  Cohoes 
  Falls 
  became 
  

   dry 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  during 
  the 
  season, 
  and 
  I 
  undertook 
  to 
  continue 
  

   and 
  complete 
  some 
  observations 
  and 
  surveys 
  which 
  preliminary 
  

   examinations 
  had 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  give 
  us 
  a 
  true 
  knowl- 
  

   edge 
  of 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  mastodon 
  skeleton 
  and 
  its 
  relations 
  to 
  

   the 
  surrounding 
  geology. 
  Owing, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  the 
  occupation 
  

   in 
  this 
  work 
  for 
  several 
  weeks, 
  the 
  progress 
  in 
  mounting 
  the 
  

   skeleton 
  was 
  delayed. 
  The 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  investigations 
  are 
  in 
  

   part 
  presented 
  in 
  a 
  large, 
  unfinished 
  map, 
  which 
  I 
  herewith 
  com- 
  

   municate, 
  and 
  of 
  which 
  a 
  reduced 
  copy 
  is 
  presented 
  in 
  this 
  report. 
  

  

  In 
  making 
  these 
  surveys, 
  we 
  were 
  much 
  indebted 
  to 
  the 
  Prin- 
  

   cipal 
  and 
  Professors 
  of 
  the 
  Rensselaer 
  Polytechnic 
  Institute, 
  who 
  

   granted 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  instruments 
  and 
  gave 
  leave 
  of 
  absence 
  to 
  

   several 
  young 
  men 
  who 
  volunteered 
  their 
  services 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  

   the 
  survey. 
  To 
  Prof. 
  Mason, 
  of 
  the 
  Albany 
  Academy, 
  we 
  were 
  

   also 
  indebted 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  theodolite. 
  

  

  