32 On the Fossil Tooth of an Elephant. 



scarcely exhibiting any enlargement in the centre, and there- 

 in differing specifically from the fossil teeth of this animal 

 usually found. Most of the fossil, as well as perhaps all re- 

 cent elephants teeth examined in the United States — or per- 

 haps I may say in this quarter of the globe, have exhibited 

 well marked festoons or angles in the centre. 



We have in our cabinet, specimens of fossil elephantine 

 teeth from the Val d'Arno, and from several parts of the 

 United States. That from Middletown, Monmouth county, 

 in New Jersey, is supposed by Dr. Mitchill (in his notes to 

 Cuvier,) to be allied to the Asiatic Elephant. One from the 

 eastern shore of Maryland, the same learned gentleman in- 

 forms us, is similar to the African species. There are others 

 in our city — and perhaps about fifteen in Philadelphia — 

 some of which I have had an opportunity to examine. 



Cuvier has treated at large on fossil Elephant teeth, and 

 has minutely described their distinctive characters.* His re- 

 searches have led him to the conclusion that the fossil teeth 

 of this animal are distinct from those of either of the living 

 species. From his detailed account of these teeth, and from 

 an examination of several fossil and recent teeth, I must be 

 allowed to say that the specimen before me is more closely 

 assimilated to the Siberian than to the African species, and 

 may in fact be regarded as a fossil tooth of the former an- 

 imal. 



A specimen very similar to this was taken by Humboldt 

 from South America to Paris, and is, or was a few years ago, 

 contained in the splendid cabinet of the king of France. 



The fossil remains of the Elephant have been discovered 

 in many places in this hemisphere. Those of South America 

 have been noticed by Buffon, and have been somewhat won- 

 derfully described by Hernandes (Hist. Nov. Hispan.) Acosta 

 (Hist. Nat. des Ind.) and by Torrelbia (Gygantologie Espan- 

 iola,) particularly those of Mexico and Peru. 



Those of the United States have been more or less mi- 

 nutely described by Catesby,! Drayton,J Turner,§ Jefferson, 

 Peale,|| Mitchill,! Hayden,** Barton,tT Stranger,t| Dr. Har- 

 lan^ 



*Recherches sur les Ossemens Fossiles. 



t Carolina, 11 Ap. $ View of South Carolina. 



§ Am. Phil. Trans. || Disc, on the Mammoth. 



1f Obs. on the Geology of North America", appended to his edition of Cuvier's 

 Theory. ** Geological Essays, 



tt Cuvier's Ossemens Fossiles, Tom. 1, p. 155. 

 XX Amcr. Monthly Mag. May, 1818. §§ Journ. Acad. Nat. Sciences. 



