THE CAMBRIDGE MASTODON. 95 



I 



tunity was presented, which had not occurred before, of comparing two 

 nearly perfect Mastodon skeletons with each other, and with that of the 

 elephant. On this comparison it appeared that the head of the Cambridge 

 skeleton was too low, and the spine too elevated, giving the grotesque 

 appearance represented in the lowest figure on the left hand of Plate I. The 

 spine had been elongated by placing very wide pieces of cork between the 

 bodies of the vertebras, so as to render it nearly two feet longer than natural. 

 In order to give it height, the scapula was placed obliquely under the body, 

 and considerable intervals left between the bones composing the articu- 

 lations of the extremities. The bones of the hands and feet were supplied 

 by pieces of cork, formed not in imitation of Mastodon bones, but rather on 

 the model of the human, with the addition of a complete range of digital 

 bones, making the phalanges four instead of three. 



In order to restore the bones to their natural position, they were all 

 taken apart, and placed as nearly as possible in their correct relations to 

 each other previous to re-articulation. Then pieces of cork were fitted 

 to the interstices of the bodies of the vertebras, beginning with the spine, 

 in thickness as near as possible to the intervertebral substance. The head 

 was elevated, and the bones of^ the extremities also, raising the upper angle 

 of the scapula so as to correspond with the spinous processes of the dorsal 

 vertebras. • The bones of the articulations of the extremities were brought 

 into contact with their correlative bones. The cartilages of the ribs were 

 supplied by imitations in cork, andthe bones of the feet ingeniously imitated 

 in the same material by Mr. Ogden with the aid of those in 'the large 

 skeleton. Numerous iron rods were removed, and replaced by two iron 

 columns; one supporting the anterior, and the other the posterior part of 

 the trunk. 



