6 Geo. 5 Provincial Museum Report. X 21 



Paleontology. 



Accessions to the palawntological collection have been of late years few and far between. 

 Early in 1915. however, the finding of a tooth of a fossil elephant in the Mount Tolmie gravel 

 aroused fresh interest in our small collection of mammalian remains. On comparing this 

 specimen with fossil elephant-teeth from the Yukon country, it presented several marks of 

 distinction. Photographs of two teeth from the Yukon and three from Vancouver Island and 

 the neighbouring regions were sent to Dr. O. P. Hav, of Washington, who has written largely 

 on the subject of Pleistocene fossils. He reported that, in his opinion, the northern specimens 

 were true molars belonging to the hairv mammoth Elephas primigenius, while those from the 

 south, which had fewer and wider plates, belonged to the Columbian elephant E. columbi. 



Another specimen which has been in the Museum for manv vears was identified by Dr. 

 O. P. Hay as the worn vertebra of some species of whale. This was found in Pleistocene 

 gravels between Parson's Bridge and Langford Lake, Vancouver Island, when collecting ballast 

 for the Esquimalt A: Xanaimo Railway. 



In the year 1913 remains of bison were recorded from two parts of the Province. In the 

 Atlin country Mr. E. M. Anderson found a fine skull with horns. In the low-lying ground 

 between George Jay Public School and the Protestant Orphanage, east of Cook Street, Victoria, 

 Dr. C. F. ZSTewcombe found a fragment of horn which the Director identified as belonging to a 

 species of bison. Both of these specimens were forwarded for examination to Mr. Lawrence 

 M. Lambe. Vertebrate Palaeontologist of the Geological Survey, Ottawa. The Victoria frag- 

 ment, in his opinion, belongs to Bison bison. His report on the Atlin specimen is given here- 

 with in his own words : — 



"The occiput with horn cores from the Atlin District is of Bison bison (L.), (B. 

 ameri us); that is. I regard it as such. It gives measurements which place it in this species. 

 The range of the American bison extended up into the Mackenzie Paver District, and these 

 animals are known to have passed well into the Rocky Mountains. It is probable that your 

 specimen was a straggler toward the Coast in the Far Xorth, or possibly the range of the 

 buffalo extended well westward from the Mackenzie District, the animals taking advantage of 

 the broad and comparatively low passes through the northern mountains. The specimen is 

 light and not at all fossilized. Whether it belonged to a wood buffalo, which appears to be 

 not more than a subspecies of the plains buffalo, it is difficult to say." 



Mr. Lambe was also good enough to make a careful examination of a tooth of a mastodon 

 which has been for many years in the Museum. His report upon it follows : — 



"The tooth from Yukon is of Mastodon americanus (Cuvier), and is a lower third true 

 molar of the left side. The front transverse ridge is broken off and with it the front root, 

 which was slender and, in comparison with the hinder one, of small size. The specimen has 

 been considerably shaken in transit and some fragments have become detached. These I have 

 cemented back in place. Your tooth is an excellent one, although not complete. As you 

 know, remains of mastodon are, in comparison with those of mammoth, rather rare in the 

 extreme North-we^:. 



: casts of a scallop were presented by Mr. A. J. Dempster, found in a road-cut at 

 Clo-oose, Vancouver Island. They seem to- belong to Pectin branneri, Arnold, and to have 

 come from the Monterey formation. 



General Accessions. 



White-tail Ptarmigan. Presented by W. B. Conrov, Atlin. 



Indian stone sharpener (?), found on Dallas Road foreshore, Victoria, and 



presented by Arthur Warren. 

 Indian basket. Purchased. 



Western Evening Grosbeak (3), Parksville, V.I. Presented by H. Rawlins. 

 Marine specimens (16), Prince Rupert. Presented by M. L. Bird. 



il pectens, Clo-oose. Presented by A. J. Dempster. 

 Indian stone anchor, found while excavating for breakwater, Dallas Road, 



Victoria. Presented by A. J. Elgee, C. E. 

 Sparrow- 2 I. Presented by Dr. E. Hasell, Victoria. 

 Crayfish, Victoria Harbour. Presented by A. Halkett through the Xatural 



History Society of British Columbia. 

 May 2-k Slate totem-poles, Queen Charlotte Islands. Purchased. 



Jan. 



25. 



Feb. 



15. 



'i 



■2i. 



March 



12. 



n 



17. 



., 



2 



April 



6. 





18. 



,. 



26. 



