236 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



ON THE LOCALITIES IN TENNESSEE IN WHICH BONES OF 

 THE GIGANTIC MASTODON AND MEGALONYX JEFFERSONII 

 ARE FOUND. By G. Troost, M. D. 



[Continued from page 146.] 



Big Bone cave is situated on the county line which 

 separates White from Warren county; in fact the line 

 runs over it. Its entrance is in White county, about a 

 mile south of Ross's road, and three miles from Rock 

 island in Cany fork. It is in a spur of the Cumberland 

 mountain, or rather in the continuation of the north 

 vi^estern slope of that mountain^ which lies to the east of 

 Sparta, and runs thence after several meanders towards 

 M'Minville. This spur forms a narrow ridge which 

 separates the two mentioned counties, offering to the 

 spectator, placed on its summit above the cave, a beau- 

 tiful view over part of Warren county. 



The entrance of this cave is about half way up the 

 mountain. It is of a low, semicircular form, about 9 feet 

 high and 30 feet wide on the floor ; it is excavated in 

 limestone, and contains two principal wings or routes. The 

 left one, I am told, pierces the whole ridge, and forms in 

 Warren county what is called the Arched cave; the 

 right wing has never been traversed to its end. 



Piloted by one of the neighbouring inhabitants, who 

 had been employed a long time in preparing saltpetre 

 from materials procured from this cave, I penetrated 

 several miles into the right wing. I went in several 

 directions through it, and returned by different roads 

 towards the same entrance. These roads, which are 

 sometimes so narrow that two persons could notfgo side 

 by side, form at other places large excavations which 



