36 THE MASTODON. 



burst forth in all its fury. One moment the country around 

 was as black as ink, the next it was a sheet of living flame. 

 Safely sheltered within the cavern the man, we have been 

 watching, hears heaven's artillery belching forth one long 

 continued roar of thunder deafening his ears, and seem- 

 ingly unsettling the very foundations of the earth, while 

 the lightning's lurid glare penetrates the hidden recesses 

 of the cave. Huge masses of rock, detached from their 

 fastnesses by the lightning and the flood, roll down like an 

 avalanche into the forest cutting great thoroughfares as 

 they move violently along. The storm, at last, having 

 abated, there may now be seen great furrows filled with 

 water ; the rivers' banks flooded ; trees of the forest broken, 

 some upturned, and others carried a long distance. Our 

 spectator leaves his retreat, refuses to descend into the 

 valley, and passing over the mountain, the world discloses 

 another age almost rivalling the one just closed. 



In an age such as this the mastodon began to exist; it 

 flourished, and greatly multiplied in both number and 

 species; but, finally, like many others which preceded it, it 

 too was forced to turn aside, lie down, and die, leaving its 

 mementos for man to read in later ages. 



XII. DISAPPEARANCE. 



The cause or causes which led to the final extinction 

 of the mastodon must be left to conjecture. It would seem 

 that an animal of such gigantic size, great strength, and such 

 a wide distribution, would not easily succumb, but that 

 representatives would still survive. Climatic changes alone 

 have not worked its destruction. This might be inferred for 

 the northern localities, but the theory would not apply to 

 the Southern States, Mexico, and Central America. Certain 

 species of animals have become extinct, but the cause or 

 causes remains unknown. The disappearance of certain 

 wild animals in certain localities can be accounted for — 



