5 
of deceiving the unwary. This feeling was not shared by those 
who had examined the premises and questioned the parties con- 
cerned ; but allusions to the "Cardiff Giant " served to hold the 
ardor of the more enthusiastic ones in check. An absurd story 
was circulated the next day to the effect that, some thirty years 
before, an elephant belonging to a traveling circus had died in 
Shrewsbury, and was buried there ; and in consequence of this 
rumor, the Gazette man went over in the rain and interviewed the 
oldest inhabitants, who convinced him at once that the tale was a 
fabrication. 
On Thursday, the 20th of November, Mr. Dickinson went to 
Cambridge, and showed the teeth to Prof. Agassiz, who at once 
pronounced them to be those of a Mastodon, and introduced his 
visitor to Prof. J. A. Allen, who is regarded as an authority in 
such matters. The latter carefully examined the specimens, and 
kindly furnished the following letter : 
" Museum of Comparative Zoology, 
"Cambridge, Mass., Nov. 20, 1884, 
"Dear Sir : — 
"The teeth you have shown me, taken from a 
swamp in Shrewsbury, Mass., are teeth of the Mastodon {Mastodon ameri- 
canus), and belonged to an animal probably al)Out two-thirds grown, as 
shown by the size and conditipn of the teeth. 
"Although the Mastodon became extinct prior to historic times, its disap- 
pearance occurred at a comparatively recent date, geologically speaking. It 
is deemed probable that it may have lived in North America down to within 
a few thousand years — possibly within a few centuries — of the discovery of 
the continent by Europeans. Yours truly, 
"J. A. Allen. 
"Thomas A. Dickinson, Esq., Worcester, Mass." 
This letter, establishing the identity and genuineness of the re- 
mains, is of especial importance, as marking the first discovery of 
the Mastodon in Massachusetts. 
Mr. Dickinson also had a pleasant interview with Prof. F. W. 
Putnam, of the Peabody Museum of xA.merican Archaeology and 
Ethnology, who manifested much interest in the teeth, and ex- 
