A MASIODOX^S BEMAIKS. 



RECENT DISCOVERY OF HUGE BONES IN 

 THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO. 

 I^om the Toronto GloT>e, May 31. 

 A giant mastodon's remains have just been ex- 

 humed from their long resting place in a corn 

 field neBr Highgate. The skeleton has, piece by 

 piece, been disinterred since last Saturday mom- 

 tng. and for massiveness and grandeur of pro- 

 portions it equals, if It does not surpass, any- 

 tlilng yet known to science. It has been dug 

 out of a piece of farm land whicb forms part of 

 a swampy plain. Its exact location is given 

 thus: "The southerly part of the east pai-t of 

 Lot 8, Concession t>, of the To^vnship of Oxford, 

 in the coimty of Oxford, owned by Mr. John 

 Reycraft." It is a little over forty miles west- 

 wajd of St. Thomas, on tho Micliigan Central 

 line and 160 miles from Toronto. 



Four years ago the farmers of the Tictnity de- 

 cided to unite their energies in draining a 

 marshy bog— a place which had been apparently 

 more or less submerged for centuries. To carry 

 oflf the water that accumulated on the surface 

 they cut an open ditch through several lots 

 untU they effected a juuction with a larger chan- 

 nel. While the ditch was being opened in Mr. 

 ■"^ -craft's land, the excavator, a relative of the 

 er, struck his spade against wliat he first 

 rded as a loij of wood, but on examination 

 .1 to be the bis bone of an animal larger 

 . any he had ever read or heard of. As he 

 iuued his digging he camo upon some 

 • remains, u large foreleg bone, part of 

 hind leg, several ribs, vertebrae, and 

 or two other smaller bones. The 

 .e collection was carefully stowed away 

 -:i farraUoase, and few words passed about 

 discovery. Mr. Keycraft, however, made 

 .!■» mind to prosecute further search at a 

 ■ convenient season. The years slipped by. 

 That convenient season never came. About 

 .'.e months ago one of the farm hands was 

 ing the tleld by tho side of this lonely ditch 

 the coulter struck another maasive bone. 

 alk it was like the decaying stump of an 

 •> pine. It proved a stumbling block to the 

 -nant Hodge, and he contemptuously hurled 

 •-0 the ditch, whence it has not yet been re- 

 led. 



e discovery of the skeleton was a matter of 



11 account to the good lolks about Highgate, 



:arouKh the rnediiun of a traveling show- 



:., the story reached the ears of Mr. John 



-jcijy of Shelliourne. He took an active part in 



jthe tinding of a mammoth on Mr. \V. B. JeU.y'8- 



'farm in the township of Amaranth last Summer, 



* ■ ' he and his nephew, Mr. W. A. Hillhouse, 



. found that the facts were as represented by 



-bowman. Mr. Jelly lost no time In acquir- 



possesalon of aU the bones found four years 



. and the right to search for whatever fur- 



. remains there might be in the field. He and 



.■.••7):'iw, -with a gang of men, set to work on 



Vi"-: , and the reward of their first day's toll 



r <- '. ])iece5 of the gigantic skeleton. The 



- jaws, teeth, and tusk proclaimed at 



■. they belonged to the mastodon, and 



largest of that branch of the elephant 



ju Monday their efforts were attended 



Ht equal success, and the following 



to the collection, which now weighs 



■■-'- f';'! numbers several hundreds. 



i^i earliest of earth's sepulchreaS 



. " The bones were scattered over 



, i.^iiOg- into the other in a bed of 



. aijout 8l» feet below the .surface. 



narl is a thick laverof black loamy 



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