378 B. Silliman on the Mastodon in California. 
Art. XL.—On the ewistence of the Mastodon in the deep- 
lying gold placers of California; by B. Sruuman. 
Durine several visits to the gold regions of Tuolumne coun- 
ty, California, in the summer of 1867, I obtained evidence 
leading to the conclusion that the Mastodon, and perhaps the 
Elephant, existed prior to the great volcanic disturbances and 
outpourings of lava which occurred throughout the Sierra Ne- 
vada mountains pending or at the close of the epoch in which 
the deep-lying placers were produced.* 
is well known that this epoch of voleanic activity has 
been regarded as marking the period of the Pliocene, dividing 
it from the Post-Pliocene and existing epoch, by a well-marked 
horizon. Among the animals whose remains have been found 
The remains of mastodon and elephant are found abund- 
antly in the superficial detritus of the gold region, over an eX- 
tended area, but until now they have never been certainly iden- 
fied as occurring under the basalt, which covers the ancient gold 
drift and forms the highly characteristic ranges known as 
“Table Mountains.” 
