160 Notices of Big-bone Lick. 



ries of bones, undertook another, so recently as the month of Sep- 

 tember, 1830, It proved one of the most successful that has ever 

 been made. 



His example encouraged Mr. William Bullock, now also of 

 Kentucky, to undertake another search immediately after. Mr. 

 Bullock likewise obtained a rich and valuable collection ; since 

 which all further operations have been forbidden by the present 

 proprietors of the land. 



These various collections will be more particularly noticed, as 

 well as the materials now existing will enable me, when treating 

 of the animals to which the bones respectively belong. But it is 

 much to be regretted, that the intelligent men who have enjoyed 

 the opportunities, have generally omitted to furnish such descrip- 

 tions as would now be useful for our purpose. We possess no satis- 

 factory account of what was discovered previous to the visit of 

 General Clark ; and of those, even, which he obtained, no suffi- 

 cient description has yet been published. A small part is describ- 

 ed by Cuvier in his great work ; and a few have also been made 

 known by Dr. Wistar. The remainder is still preserved in this 

 country, and it is to be hoped we shall not be allowed to remain 

 long ignorant of what it consists. 



Extinct cmimals found here, and quantity of remains of each 



species. 



The remains found at Big-bone Lick, belong partly to animals 

 whose species is now extinct, and partly to others, still numerous 

 within the United States territory. Our present inquiries relating 

 principally to the former, the other will not be especially men- 

 tioned, except in the case of some which have been included 

 among the cotemporaries of those more ancient quadrupeds. Of 

 these the mastodon being the most extraordinary, and that which 

 furnishes the greater portion, by far, of these remains, first de- 

 serves our attention. 



1. Gbeat Mastodon. {Mastodon maximus,* Cuvier.) 

 Such is the quantity of bones and teeth of this species of mas- 

 todon, that has been disinterred at Big-bone Lick, that although 

 it is the most common of American fossil quadrupeds, and has 

 been found in almost every part of the United States, yet all 



* M. Cuvier having finally adopted this name, we shall make use of it, instead of 

 that formerly given, M. gigaateuin. Vide Oa^. Foss. ed. 3. cli. v. p. 527. 



