BONES OF EXTINCT SPECIES. 331 



The fossil elephant, or mammoth, is the most remarkable of the 

 ancient herbivorous quadrupeds, both from its vast size, and the 

 amazing number of bones of this genus, which are found in the 

 northern parts of Europe, and in America. The mammoth must 

 have existed in herds of hundreds and thousands. According to 

 Pallas, there is scarcely a river, from the Don or the Tanais, to the 

 extremity of the promontory Tchuskoinosa, in the banks of which 

 the bones of the mammoth are not abundant. There are two large 

 islands near the mouth of the river Indigerska, which are said to be 

 entirely composed of the bones of the mammoth, intermixed with 

 ice and sand : the tusks are so perfect, that they are dug out for ivo- 

 ry. With the bones of the mammoth are intermixed those of the 

 elk, the rhinoceros, and other large quadrupeds. The body of a 

 fossil elephant has been found entire, with the flesh preserved, buried 

 in ice : it had a mane along its back, and was covered with coarse 

 red wool, protected by hair of a coarser kind, indicating that it was 

 an inhabitant of cold or temperate climates; indeed, the circum- 

 stance of the body being preserved in ice, is a further proof of this ; 

 for had it been conveyed from distant regions, the flesh must have 

 been speedily decomposed, before it could have been enveloped in 

 ice. The height of this animal was from fifteen to eighteen feet. 

 Bones and teeth of the mammoth are not unfrequently found in Eng- 

 land in beds of diluvial gravel and clay, and in caverns : they are 

 chiefly found in low situations, such as the vale of the Thames, and 

 the vale of the Severn. The mammoth bears a near resemblance 

 to the Indian elephant, but Cuvier regards it as a distinct species. 



The rhinoceros, of which there are three large species, and one 

 smaller, appears to have lived with the fossil elephant : their bones 

 are found together; but it is in Siberia that the bones of the rhinoce- 

 ros are most numerous, and best preserved. In the year 1771, the 

 entire body of one of these animals, was found in the frozen sands 

 of that country. 



Bones and teeth of the hippopotamus, are found both in England, 

 France, Germany and Italy: there are two species, the largest resem- 

 bles the African hippopotamus, the smaller is of the size of the wild 



