1705, in Albany, in New England; at present in the state of New York on the Hudson river. He imagined them to be the bones of giants. No interest was excited, however, until Mr. Croghan, an English geographer, in 1767, sent several chests of osseous remains to Lord Shelburne, and other persons in London. Dr. William Hunter examined these bones, and published an accurate description of the lower jaw, in the Phil. Transactions for 1768. He demonstrated that the animal in question, while it differed from the elephant, had nothing in common with the hippopotamus. He justly concluded that the tusks and bones belonged to the same animal.

In 1802, Mr. Peale of Philadelphia, having procured numerous bones of the same animal from the neighborhood of Newburgh, on the Hudson river, formed two skeletons out of them, copying in wood those parts which happened to be wanting. One of these still remains in Mr. Peale's Museum, and is popularly known as the skeleton of a Mammoth.

At the salt springs in Ohio, called licks, and especially at the Big-Bone lick, vast quantities of these bones have been found. Mr. Croghan, more than seventy years ago, thought he saw there the remains of thirty individuals; but a much greater number from that vicinity have since been found. These bones, also occur in Ohio and Kentucky, and it is probable that they exist in all the temperate parts of North America.

In size, the great mastodon was about that of the elephant, though it does not appear, in general, to have been more than twelve feet in height, the Indian elephant sometimes being fifteen. Its tusks, trunk, and feet, and the bones of the whole skeleton were very similar to those of the elephant; the difference being chiefly in the dental system, which, with respect to the grinders, has been above described and illustrated.

The number of grinders in the adult mastodon, as already stated, is four in each jaw. Of these, the two front ones, in the upper jaw, have six points, and the other two in the same jaw have eight. In the lower jaw, the two anterior ones have also six points, and the two posterior ones, ten. But, it appears that the great mastodon had, successively, at least, four grinders on each side of its two jaws; but as in the elephant, these teeth never appeared all at the same time. Their succession took place, in both an

imals, from behind, forwards. When the posterior one began to cut the gum, the anterior one was greatly worn, and ready to drop out. In this way, they replaced one another. There does not seem to have been ever more than two on each side, at the same time, in full exercise, and in old age, only one. Thus, the effective number of grinders, in youth, was eight, and, in extreme old age, only four. The largest grinders of the mastodon weigh ten or twelve pounds.

Genus Hippopotamus. There is only one species of this animal living; but Cuvier has determined two or three others, existing in the fossil state. They are all much smaller than the existing species, one of them being only about the size of a wild boar, while the living one, is about twelve feet long, and five or six feet high, and exceedingly thick set.

There is a peculiarity in the grinders of this animal, which will immediately distinguish them from those of other animals.

The lineaments of the crown are three lobed, or trefoillike, as represented by fig. 52, which shows the form of the second grinder of the left side. This singularity will make the teeth of this genus easily recognized. The roots are concealed by a part of the jaw, the tooth being seven-ninths of the natural size.

The remains of this genus are not nearly so common as those of the elephant, though, in Tuscany, considerable numbers have been found. They have also been discovered in several parts of England, especially in the

Kirkdale cave. Possibly, the paucity of these bones may be accounted for by the circumstance of the amphibious habits of this genus, and their inability to wander to any considerable distances from the water, so that their remains might have been more exposed than those of the elephant, to have been swept into the sea.

Genus Rhinoceros. There are three existing species of this animal. 1. That of India, with a single horn on the nose, and a rugous, plaited coat; the cutting teeth being separated by a space from the grinders. 2. That of the Cape of Good Hope, with two horns, the skin smooth, and without folds, and no cutting teeth. 3. That of Sumatra, with two horns, the skin but slightly rugous, thus resembling that of the Cape, but having cutting teeth like that of India.

On comparing the teeth of the living species with those fourd in the fossil state, Cuvier determined that they were so different as to constitute another species of this animal, and whose remains are now found only in the strata of the earth.

The remains of the extinct rhinoceros were first discovered in digging a well, near Canterbury, in England, seventeen feet below the surface. This was in 1668. Afterwards Professor Pallas found, among a collection of bones at St. Petersburg, four skulls, and five horns belonging to this animal. Since that time, the bones of this animal have been discovered in various parts of England, Germany and Russia.

Megatherium. This name merely signifies "a huge wild beast." It is the most rare among all the great fossil animals.

The first skeleton of this singular beast was sent from Buenos Ayres, in South America, to Madrid, in 1789, with a notice that it was found in the ground about three leagues from that city.

This animal was set up in the Royal Cabinet of Madrid, in the manner which has since been followed by Mr. Peale of Philadelphia, with respect to the American mastodon, and Mr. Adams of Petersburg, with respect to the Siberian elephant.

A minute description of the Megatherium, was published soon after it was mounted, illustrated by five copper

plate engravings. Afterwards a Livoninan anatomist, and a German draughtsman conjointly published an exact representation, and a good description of this skeleton.

The adjoining cut, fig. 53, from Dr. Ure's Geology, is said, by the author to present an exact form of this skeleton. It is thirteen feet long, and nine feet high, its size being somewhat less than that of the mastodon.

With respect to the habits of this animal, "the teeth," says Dr. Ure, "prove that it lived on vegetables, and its robust fore-feet, armed with sharp claws, testify that it was chiefly their roots that it sought after. Its magnitude and its talons, supplied it with abundant means of defence. It was not swift in running, but this was unnecessary, as it had no occasion either to pursue or fly. It would therefore be difficult to find in its organization alone, the causes of the final destruction of this genus; and yet if it still exists, where can it be? How can it have escaped all the researches of hunters and naturalists? Its analogies approximate it to different genera of the edentel, or toothless family of animals. It has the head and shoulder of a sloth-a creature possessing both tusks and grinders; while its limbs and its feet exhibit a singular mixture of characters belonging to the ant-eaters, and the armadillos. It has no analogy, whatever, to the felis or tiger tribe."-Geology, p. 549.

This animal had neither tusks nor proboscis, like the mastodon and elephant, this is proved by the great

length of its neck, which it is apparent, could not have supported such apparatus. As its fore parts are exceedingly strong, and its teeth not formed for tearing flesh, its claws were probably employed in digging for the roots of trees, as food, and if so, there is a probability that it burrowed in earth. What a phenomenon in the imagination! An animal, of the size of an elephant running about under ground, like a mole,-leaving a path after him large enough for a horse and wagon to follow; and perhaps at the same time, throwing up a ridge on the surface, that would stop the career of a stage coach. If he only burrowed, like a rabbit, what a mountain of earth he must have thrown out.

Megolonyx. This term signifies "great clawed," the animal being so named from the great size of his claws.

This is another of the lost animals of the former world. It belongs to the same genus with the last described, but Cuvier on comparing their bones found that it was of a different species. It is not so large by one third, as the megatherium, but of the same form, in all respects.

The bones of this animal were found in a cavern, in the county of Green Briar, Virginia, much decayed, and only in sufficient number to form a small part of a skeleton.

Besides these skeletons of great quadrupeds, there have been discovered a great variety of others in the fossil state, several of them of large size, as the Elk, Tapir, and some others, but most of them are of less interest than those we have described, and for the descriptions of which, we must refer the reader to more extended works on this subject.

FOSSIL AMPHIBIOUS ANIMALS.

Of the antediluvian amphibia, the crocodile, and lizard tribes, form the most interesting groups, especially the latter.

Crocodile. Fossil bones of this animal have been found in various countries, and in many localities. In England, Germany, France, and Italy, their occurrence in strata, are not uncommon. They appear all to belong to the