GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



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a rib, to the late Mr. Clifford, of Lexington, Kentucky,* 

 and a claw to the late Professor Barton, of Philadelphia. 

 Squire F. kept the remainder for the noble purpose of 

 presenting them, together with a large number of other 

 specimens of natural history and articles found in the 

 graves of the aborigines, to a seminary which he ex- 

 pected would have been erected in Overton county, 

 but for the establishment of which that gentleman has 

 as yet labored in vain ; and as there does not seem even 

 the least probability that such an institution will be 

 formed, Squire F. had the kindness to present me with 

 these valuable relics, together with some marine fossils. 



These remains, which are in a well preserved state, 

 having the color of fresh bones, effervescing more or 

 less with acids, form now part of my cabinet, and con- 

 sist of two ribs, one of which is thirty inches long, a lit- 

 tle carious at the sternal extremity, two dorsal vertebrae, 

 an os sacrum, an unguical phalanx, and judging from the 

 latter bone, belong to the Megalonyx Jeffersonii, first 

 made known by the celebrated author of the Declaration 

 of American Independence, and at present ranked, toge- 

 ther with the Megalonyx laqueatus, Harlan, with the 

 Megatherium, an extinct animal, the remains of which 

 were discovered in South America, and lately also, ac- 

 cording to William Cooper, of New York, in the United 

 States. (See Lyceum of New York, vol. i. p. 50.) 



I found on a visit to the above mentioned cave, 

 amongst the materials collected for the preparation of 



* This rib has already been described and figured in the Journal of the Aca* 

 demy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, vol. vi. p. 269, by R. Harlan, 

 Vol. I — T 



