52 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



some male animals possess horns whose females are des- 

 titute of them. 



On the first appearance of this pretended " tetracau- 

 lodon," the inferior tusks were considered by the best 

 authorities on this subject to characterize the young of 

 the Mastodon ; a subsequent examination, however, 

 of numerous jaw bones of the Mastodon, in our various 

 cabinets soon demonstrated these inferior tusks, to be 

 mere sexual peculiarities ; a goodly proportion of the 

 jaws of the adult Mastodons being found to be thus cha- 

 racterized, but in no one single instance were specific 

 differences observable in the jaw teeth, maxillary bones, 

 or any other portions of the skeletons. 



Volume iv. p. 317 of the Trans. Am. Philos. Soc. 

 contains the lucubrations of a neophite in these matters, 

 whose laborious observations as historian of the pre- 

 tended " Tetracaulodon," would lead us to believe that 

 he had clearly elucidated this subject, and had ended 

 the dispute in question. The author occupies twenty- 

 three pages of this quarto volume in letter press, besides 

 ten plates, (with numerous figures.) With a critical acu- 

 men and depth of research peculiarly his own, he has 

 u actually discovered," from the same materials pre- 

 viously examined in vain by naturalists of less pene- 

 trating zeal, three new " species of Mastodon," and 

 two or three new species of 64 Tetracaulodon ! ! ?? 



We repeat, that with others upon whose judgment 

 reliance is to be placed, we have repeatedly examined 

 all the specimens of fossil bones noticed in the memoir 

 above referred to, and have searched in vain for any 



