go 



Hence it appears that four animals of enor- 

 mous magnitude have formerly existed in 

 America, perhaps at the fame time, and of na- 

 tures very opposite : li/, The Mammoth, car- 

 nivorous ; 2J, An animal whose graminivorous 

 teeth, larger than, and dlfxcrent from, those of 

 the elephant, are sometim.es found; 3^, The 

 great Indian buil ; and, 4^/?, An animal pro- 

 bably of the sloth kind, as appears on compa- 

 rison with the bones found in Virginia, and a 

 skeleton found in South America, and pre^ 

 served in the Museum at Madrid. 



How long since these animals have existed, 

 we shall perhaps ever remain in ignorance, 

 as no judgment can be formed from the 

 quantity of vegetable soil which has accumu- 

 lated over their bones. Certain wc are that 

 they existed in great abundance, from the 

 number of their remains which are found in 

 America, We are likewise sure that they must 

 have been destroyed by some sudden and 

 powerful cause ; and nothing appears m^ore 

 probable than one of those deluges, or sud- 

 den irruptions of the sea, which have left their 

 traces (such as shells, corals, Sec.) in every 



