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  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MrSEUM 
  

  

  vast 
  quantities; 
  they 
  are 
  smooth- 
  worn, 
  and 
  are 
  smaller 
  the 
  farther 
  

   they 
  are 
  found 
  from 
  their 
  original 
  strata; 
  they 
  are 
  generally 
  found 
  

   in 
  irregular 
  layers 
  with 
  sand 
  and 
  clay, 
  as 
  if 
  left 
  so 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  

   of 
  rapid 
  currents 
  of 
  water. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  facts 
  

   connected 
  with 
  them 
  is, 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  trans- 
  

   ported 
  from 
  lower 
  to 
  higher 
  levels, 
  even 
  up 
  steep 
  acclivities 
  and 
  

   over 
  high 
  hills. 
  There 
  are 
  spread 
  with 
  them 
  also 
  (but 
  generally 
  

   lying 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground) 
  many 
  large 
  and 
  heavy 
  masses 
  

   of 
  loose 
  rock, 
  called 
  boulders. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  limestones 
  or 
  

   sandstones, 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  which 
  can 
  easily 
  be 
  traced 
  to 
  thin 
  native 
  

   strata 
  within 
  the 
  state; 
  others 
  are 
  granitic 
  masses, 
  which 
  must 
  

   have 
  come 
  from 
  bevond 
  Lake 
  Ontario, 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  that 
  

   the 
  peculiar 
  crystalline 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  mountains 
  are 
  

   found 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  carried 
  south 
  beyond 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  valley. 
  

   The 
  surfaces 
  of 
  the 
  rocky 
  strata 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  country, 
  over 
  which 
  

   these 
  ^ 
  drift 
  beds 
  ' 
  have 
  passed, 
  are 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  

   worn 
  smooth, 
  and 
  scratched 
  or 
  furrowed 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  north 
  and 
  

   south, 
  or 
  northwest 
  and 
  southeast 
  direction, 
  as 
  if 
  heavy 
  materials 
  

   had 
  been 
  dragged 
  or 
  driven 
  over 
  them. 
  

  

  Quaternary 
  fossils 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  most 
  recent 
  of 
  the 
  fossil 
  remains, 
  which 
  link 
  to- 
  

   gether 
  the 
  vanished 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  with 
  the 
  living 
  animals 
  

   of 
  to-day, 
  are 
  the 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  mastodon 
  and 
  fossil 
  elephant, 
  

   which 
  are 
  occasionally 
  disinterred 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  state, 
  

   found 
  buried 
  only 
  in 
  recent 
  accumulations 
  of 
  muck, 
  peat, 
  or 
  

   other 
  earthy 
  materials. 
  They 
  are 
  relics 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  modern 
  period 
  

   of 
  geologic 
  history, 
  and 
  these 
  immense 
  animals 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  lived 
  

   during 
  the 
  existence 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  still-remaining 
  

   wild 
  animals; 
  possibly 
  even 
  since 
  it 
  was 
  inhabited 
  by 
  man. 
  Speci- 
  

   mens 
  of 
  the 
  mastodon 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  at 
  Oohoes, 
  at 
  Batavia 
  and 
  

   in 
  Orange 
  county. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  these 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  the 
  

   Castoroides 
  ohioensis, 
  a 
  gigantic 
  extinct 
  species 
  of 
  beaver, 
  which 
  

   was 
  probably 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  period 
  with 
  the 
  mastodon. 
  A 
  skull 
  

   of 
  this 
  species 
  was 
  found 
  near 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Clyde, 
  in 
  earth, 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  excavation 
  of 
  a 
  canal. 
  Remains 
  of 
  a 
  reindeer 
  have 
  been 
  

   found 
  at 
  Sing 
  Sing. 
  

  

  