﻿COHOES 
  MASTODON. 
  109 
  

  

  I 
  had 
  arrived 
  at 
  this 
  conclusion 
  without 
  farther 
  evidence 
  than 
  

   that 
  presented 
  above, 
  when 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Leidy, 
  

   he 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  Philadelphia 
  

   Academy 
  of 
  Natural 
  Sciences, 
  a 
  tusk 
  and 
  tooth 
  of 
  Mastodon, 
  which 
  

   had 
  been 
  curiously 
  worn 
  by 
  some 
  agency, 
  which 
  might 
  have 
  

   been 
  glacial 
  action, 
  the 
  explanation 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  not 
  before 
  

   occurred 
  to 
  him. 
  I 
  subsequent^ 
  examined 
  these 
  specimens 
  which 
  

   were 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  Big 
  Bone 
  Lick 
  in 
  Kentucky, 
  and 
  found 
  the 
  

   tooth 
  worn 
  from 
  one 
  side 
  nearly 
  half-way 
  through 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  

   which 
  indicated 
  glacial 
  action, 
  as 
  evidently 
  as 
  do 
  those 
  fragments 
  

   of 
  rock 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  imbedded 
  in 
  ice, 
  and 
  worn 
  down 
  by 
  the 
  

   movement 
  of 
  the 
  glacier 
  over 
  a 
  hard 
  surface 
  below. 
  The 
  tusk, 
  

   which 
  is 
  about 
  two 
  feet 
  long, 
  exhibits 
  a 
  similar 
  condition, 
  but 
  is 
  

   worn 
  for 
  its 
  entire 
  length 
  upon 
  both 
  sides, 
  and 
  presents 
  a 
  very 
  

   curious 
  and 
  interesting 
  appearance. 
  

  

  More 
  recently, 
  Prof. 
  Cook 
  has 
  shown 
  me 
  a 
  fragment 
  of 
  the 
  distal 
  

   extremity 
  of 
  a 
  tusk, 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  Rutger's 
  college, 
  which 
  

   is 
  worn 
  down 
  and 
  polished 
  on 
  one 
  side, 
  still 
  preserving 
  the 
  glacial 
  

   strise. 
  This 
  specimen 
  is 
  likewise 
  from 
  the 
  Big 
  Bone 
  Lick 
  in 
  

   Kentucky. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  in 
  these 
  specimens 
  what 
  I 
  conceive 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  unequiv- 
  

   ocal 
  evidence 
  of 
  glacial 
  action, 
  or 
  an 
  effect 
  such 
  as 
  is 
  usually 
  

   attributed 
  to 
  that 
  action, 
  upon 
  a 
  tooth 
  and 
  tusks 
  of 
  Mastodon 
  ; 
  and 
  

   these 
  facts 
  alone 
  should 
  be 
  conclusive 
  regarding 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  

   the 
  Mastodon 
  preceding 
  the 
  glacial 
  epoch. 
  

  

  With 
  our 
  present 
  knowledge, 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  this 
  accu- 
  

   mulation 
  of 
  bones, 
  teeth, 
  and 
  tusks 
  of 
  Mastodon, 
  in 
  Kentucky, 
  

   may 
  have 
  been 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  melting 
  of 
  a 
  glacier 
  in 
  which 
  

   they 
  had 
  become 
  imbedded, 
  and 
  being 
  gradual 
  \y 
  pushed 
  forward 
  

   to 
  its 
  southern 
  limit, 
  had 
  been 
  deposited 
  in 
  this 
  place. 
  There 
  

   are 
  other 
  similar 
  localities 
  of 
  less 
  importance 
  and 
  extent, 
  where 
  

   Mastodon 
  remains 
  have 
  been 
  obtained 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers, 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  improbable 
  that 
  a 
  critical 
  examination 
  of 
  all 
  known 
  

   collections 
  may 
  furnish 
  some 
  further 
  evidence 
  of 
  conditions 
  similar 
  

   to 
  those 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  specimens 
  in 
  the 
  Museums 
  of 
  the 
  Philadel- 
  

   phia 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences 
  and 
  of 
  Rutger's 
  College. 
  

  

  However 
  heterodox 
  these 
  views 
  may 
  appear, 
  as 
  opposed 
  to 
  the 
  

   generally 
  received 
  opinions 
  of 
  the 
  age 
  and 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  Mas- 
  

   todon, 
  I 
  feel 
  quite 
  sure 
  that 
  some 
  other 
  hypothesis 
  than 
  the 
  one 
  

   usually 
  entertained 
  must 
  be 
  adopted 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  arrive 
  at 
  a 
  satis- 
  

  

  