﻿(F.) 
  

   NOTES 
  AND 
  OBSERVATIONS 
  ON 
  THE 
  COHOES 
  

  

  MASTODON. 
  

  

  By 
  James 
  Hall, 
  LL. 
  D. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  September, 
  1866, 
  the 
  workmen 
  engaged 
  in 
  exca- 
  

   vations 
  for 
  the 
  foundation 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  mill 
  to 
  be 
  erected 
  by 
  the 
  

   u 
  Harmony 
  Mills 
  Company 
  of 
  Cohoes, 
  N. 
  Y.," 
  discovered 
  the 
  lower 
  

   jaw 
  of 
  a 
  Mastodon 
  with 
  a 
  single 
  foot 
  bone, 
  resting 
  upon 
  a 
  projec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  rock 
  between 
  two 
  depressions 
  or 
  concave 
  walls 
  of 
  small 
  

   pot-holes, 
  in 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  what 
  afterwards 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  larger 
  

   pot-hole.* 
  

  

  The 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  jaw 
  thus 
  found, 
  was 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  

   water 
  level 
  as 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  illustration 
  (Plate 
  V), 
  and 
  

   a 
  little 
  outside 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  foundation 
  of 
  the 
  mill. 
  At 
  this 
  

   time 
  the 
  excavation 
  had 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  about 
  

   twenty 
  -five 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  original 
  surface. 
  This 
  surface 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  

   was 
  of 
  clay 
  and 
  earth, 
  which 
  had 
  formerly 
  been 
  filled 
  in 
  to 
  cover 
  a 
  

   large 
  swampy 
  depression 
  originally 
  existing 
  over 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   are*!. 
  On 
  the 
  side 
  farthest 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  westward, 
  the 
  

   excavation 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  blasting 
  the 
  slates 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  

   river 
  group, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  illustration. 
  After 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  

   the 
  artificially 
  deposited 
  clay, 
  the 
  workmen 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  original 
  

   swamp, 
  the 
  approximate 
  limits 
  of 
  which, 
  as 
  formerly 
  existing, 
  

   are 
  represented 
  on 
  the 
  diagram, 
  Plate 
  IV. 
  

  

  * 
  These 
  depressions, 
  lying 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  hundred 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  river 
  level 
  opposite 
  

   that 
  point, 
  were 
  filled 
  with 
  water 
  oozing 
  through 
  the 
  slate 
  from 
  the 
  canal 
  and 
  raceways 
  

   above. 
  Although 
  presenting 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  only 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  concave 
  areas 
  or 
  niches 
  

   in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  cavity 
  (as 
  shown 
  in 
  plate 
  V), 
  it 
  was 
  evident 
  that 
  they 
  

   had 
  originally 
  been 
  independent 
  pot-holes, 
  which 
  from 
  continued 
  wearing 
  had 
  broken 
  

   through 
  their 
  walls 
  at 
  two 
  points, 
  thus 
  communicating 
  with 
  the 
  larger 
  and 
  deeper 
  one, 
  

   and 
  by 
  degrees 
  becoming 
  portions 
  of 
  it. 
  The 
  gravel 
  and 
  pebbles 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  concavity 
  

   of 
  each, 
  bore 
  attestation 
  to 
  their 
  origin. 
  

  

  