﻿COHOES 
  MASTODON. 
  107 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  aware 
  that 
  the 
  condition 
  in 
  which 
  these 
  remains 
  have 
  

   usually 
  been 
  found, 
  has 
  induced 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  lived 
  

   during 
  the 
  present 
  epoch, 
  or 
  since 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  

   assumed 
  its 
  present 
  conditions. 
  The 
  usual 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  cause 
  

   of 
  extinction 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  satisfactory; 
  the 
  skeletons 
  and 
  parts 
  of 
  

   skeletons 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  peat 
  bogs 
  or 
  mosses 
  are 
  sup- 
  

   posed 
  to 
  have 
  come 
  there 
  from 
  the 
  animal 
  having 
  voluntarily 
  

   walked 
  into 
  the 
  swamp, 
  and 
  becoming 
  mired, 
  has 
  thus 
  died 
  and 
  

   subsequently 
  been 
  covered 
  by 
  mud 
  and 
  peaty 
  accumulations. 
  

  

  This 
  argument 
  of 
  itself 
  without 
  any 
  opposing 
  facts, 
  is 
  far 
  from 
  

   satisfactory, 
  and 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  very 
  unnatural 
  that 
  any 
  animal, 
  

   except 
  in 
  extremely 
  rare 
  instances, 
  would 
  thus 
  voluntarily 
  approach 
  

   and 
  enter 
  upon 
  such 
  fatal 
  ground. 
  There 
  are 
  many 
  very 
  obvious 
  

   objections 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  conclusion. 
  It 
  often 
  happens 
  that 
  the 
  margins 
  

   of 
  these 
  swamps 
  as 
  now 
  existing, 
  are 
  more 
  dangerous 
  than 
  the 
  

   centers, 
  and 
  would 
  never 
  admit 
  so 
  heavy 
  an 
  animal 
  to 
  pass 
  beyond 
  

   their 
  limits. 
  Again, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  food 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  eaten 
  

   by 
  these 
  animals 
  is 
  concerned, 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  as 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  margins 
  

   as 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  swamps, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  known 
  conditions 
  it 
  is 
  

   more 
  than 
  doubtful 
  if 
  any 
  vegetation 
  flourished 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  

   the 
  bogs, 
  at 
  least, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   invaded 
  by 
  the 
  Mastodons. 
  

  

  In 
  fact, 
  the 
  peaty 
  matter 
  forming 
  the 
  morass 
  in 
  which 
  these 
  

   animals 
  are 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  become 
  mired, 
  has 
  been 
  accumulated 
  

   subsequent 
  to 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  Mastodon 
  remains 
  which 
  lie 
  

   beneath 
  it. 
  Then, 
  we 
  often 
  find 
  in 
  these 
  places 
  a 
  single 
  skull, 
  

   one 
  or 
  two 
  dismembered 
  bones, 
  a 
  tooth 
  or 
  two, 
  or 
  a 
  tusk, 
  without 
  

   evidence 
  of 
  other 
  parts. 
  Had 
  the 
  animal 
  voluntarily 
  walked 
  into 
  

   these 
  places 
  and 
  died 
  there, 
  we 
  should 
  have 
  had 
  some 
  other 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  than 
  these 
  fragmentary 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  skeleton. 
  

  

  1 
  have 
  examined 
  a 
  small 
  swampy 
  depression 
  in 
  which 
  two 
  teeth 
  

   of 
  a 
  Mastodon 
  were 
  found, 
  and 
  which 
  was 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  broad 
  

   or 
  deep 
  to 
  have 
  buried 
  an 
  entire 
  animal 
  of 
  Mastodon 
  dimensions 
  ; 
  

   and 
  had 
  the 
  entire 
  body 
  by 
  any 
  chance 
  been 
  brought 
  there, 
  

   it 
  is 
  not 
  probable 
  that 
  there 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  only 
  the 
  two 
  

   teeth 
  remaining. 
  In 
  another 
  place 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  a 
  single 
  tusk 
  

   exhumed 
  from 
  a 
  fresh-water 
  shell-marl 
  deposit, 
  beneath 
  a 
  peaty 
  

   accumulation, 
  without 
  other 
  indications 
  of 
  the 
  skeleton, 
  and 
  cer- 
  

   tainly 
  the 
  teeth 
  are 
  as 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  preserved 
  as 
  the 
  tusk. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  

   uncommon 
  to 
  find 
  one 
  tooth 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  situations 
  where 
  no 
  

  

  