ing Indian species; that on the right, the corresponding part of the fossil elephant. The sides of that of the living species, converge nearly together at the lower part, and it has a projecting point at A, furrowed with a long, narrow canal. The teeth also converge, and the inequalities, or ribands on the crowns, are waving lines, running oblique. ly crosswise. The teeth in the fossil jaw stand parallel to each other, and the canal in front is much shorter and wider and without the projecting point. The ribands also in these are not oblique, as in the living, but run transversely across the crowns.

In the two living species, the tusk sockets (alveoli,) do not extend further down than the end of the lower jaw, so that the chin has room to protrude between the tusks in a pointed projection. But in the fossil heads, on account of the great length of the tusk sockets, the lower jaw has the appearance of having been truncated, or blunted at its lower end, so as to admit of its being closed on the upper one by means of which the lips come together in the act of mastication, contrary from what takes place in the living species.

These with other differences, in the osteology of the fossil and living elephants, which need not here be detailed, make it certain that the fossil species belonged to a race of animals not now in existence.

They resembled the mastodons, in many respects, but were more nearly allied to the elephants, especially in the form of the grinders.

The grinders of the fossil elephant are often ten or twelve inches long, and have twenty-four ribands, or raised plates of enamel, crossing their crowns.

Fossil elephant bones have been found in a great number of places, and in many different countries. In nearly every part of Siberia, as high as latitude 65°, wherever a river happens to undermine its banks, the bones of these animals are dislodged. In some places, they have been found in such abundance, that large quantities have been transported to other countries, as a valuable article of commerce. Indeed, it is said, that a considerable proportion of the ivory employed in the arts, is of the fossil kind.

Lieut. Kotzebue, in his late voyage of discovery, found the bones and teeth of elephants, preserved in an iceberg, near Beering straits.

In the valley of the Arno, near Florence, so great was the accumulation of these fossil bones, that it is said the inhabitants formerly used them for making fences between their fields. These bones are also found in many parts of France, in Germany, in almost every part of Italy, the Netherlands, Holland, Russia, Bohemia, in many parts of England, and in the northern regions of North America. A remarkable locality of them was discovered at Thiede, near Wolfenbuttel, where eleven tusks and thirty grinders were disinterred within a short distance of each other. One of the tusks was fourteen feet, eight inches long, and bent into a perfect semi-circle. In nearly every gravel pit, around London, the bones of this species are found. They have also been discovered in Brentford, Kew, Wallingford, Dorchester, Abingdon, Oxford, and many other places in England.

This species must therefore have been exceedingly numerous, and widely spread over different parts of the globe.

Elephant preserved in ice. In several instances, the bones of the fossil elephant have been found embedded in ice; that of Lieut. Kotzebue has just been mentioned. In one instance, the entire body of one of these animals preserved in this manner, has been discovered. It occurred near the mouth of the river Lena, in Siberia. The flesh had undergone no decomposition, the whole animal having been entirely surrounded by the frozen mass. This discovery was originally made by a Tungusian fisherman, in 1798, who saw a large mass, projecting from the ice, but so far above his reach that he was unable to ascertain its nature. The next year, going to the same place, the mass was found partly disengaged from its bed, but still the man was uncertain what it might be, as it was more than a hundred feet above him, and inaccessible to his approach. The next year, it was again seen, by the same man, but it was not until the summer of 1803, five years after the first discovery, that it fell down on a sand beach of the Arctic ocean so as to be examined.

The fisherman now obtained a prize, for having detached the two tusks, he removed and sold them for fifty roubles.

In 1806, Professor Adams, of St. Petersburg, went to examine this animal, which still remained on the sand

beach where it had fallen, but the body was then considerably mutilated, the people in the neighborhood having taken away large quantities of the flesh to feed their dogs; and the white bears had not failed to regale themselves on this ante-diluvian delicacy. The skeleton, however, remained quite entire, except that one of the fore-legs, and the tusks were gone. The head remained covered, by the dried skin, and the pupils of the eyes were still distinguishable. The brain, on opening the skull, was found not quite filling its cavity, being somewhat dried. One of the ears was in excellent preservation, still retaining its form, and a tuft of strong bristly hair. This animal was a male, and had a mane of considerable length, still on his neck.

The skin, when detached, was so thick and heavy, that it was with difficulty ten men could remove it. More than thirty pounds of the hair and bristles of this animal were gathered from the beach, where it had been left, and trampled upon by the white bears, when tearing and devouring the carcase. This hair was of three kinds, viz. stiff black bristles, a foot long; coarse hair, of a reddish brown color, and a woolly covering next the skin, of the same color.

The skeleton of this animal was transported to St. Petersburg, and the tusks having been procured, the whole was set up in the museum of that city, where it still remains.

The annexed wood cut, fig. 50, represents the head and tusks of this animal, as drawn by Mr. Stokes, who also gave a description of the whole, in the Ed. Quart. Journal, First Series, p. 95.

It will be observed that these tusks are of enormous length, and that they form nearly a circle, differing greatly, both in shape and size, from those of the elephant of the present day. The projection of the tusk sockets, marked a, may also be observed in this cut, and which, as already noticed, are peculiar to this species.

The skeleton is about nine and a half feet high, and sixteen and a half feet long; and when it is considered how much the cartilages, flesh and skin, added to his height and dimensions, it is obvious that this must have been an animal of enormous magnitude.

The hair with which this animal was covered, would seem to indicate that it was fitted for a cold climate; and in addition to this instance, Professor Pallas mentions the discovery of an entire rhinoceros, with its skin and hair, well preserved, and which occurred on the banks of a river, not far from the Lena, where the elephant was found. The rhinoceros is described as being covered with thick hair, which was particularly long about the feet.

From these facts, it has been urged by some naturalists, that the bones of the great quadrupeds found in cold climates, and of genera which now only inhabit hot ones, were of species so different from these tribes, that they were fitted for the cold situations where their remains are found; and hence that it is unnecessary to suppose that they were either transported from warmer climates, or that the climates where their bones are now found, have suffered any change. But as already observed, there remains a difficulty fully as great, as is presented by the theories of transportation or change of climate; for if Siberia was never warmer than at present, it is impossible to believe that it should have ever produced a quantity of vegetation, sufficient to have supported such herds of enormous animals, even during the summer, and much less during the long winters of that climate. See "Change of Climate."

Genus Mastodon. This term comes from two words, which signify a 66 a little hill" and a "tooth," in allusion to the prominences, or tubercles, which the crowns of these grinders present. This form of the crown, is similar to that of carniverous animals; and hence when little was known of fossil bones, it was supposed that the mastodon had been a flesh eater, an error fully refuted by Cuvier.

The form of a mastodon's grinder, is represented by fig. 51; the hilly points being a little worn by use. It is here represented one fourth of the natural size, and is from a specimen in the Kings' cabinet, at Paris. The difference between this and the elephant's grinder, will immediately be seen. The number of such teeth in the jaws of the adult mastodon, was four in each.

The whole of the genus mastodon, are extinct; but from their bones, Cuvier has determined six distinct species. These bones have been found in various parts of the world, the species being so different, as in some instances, not even to inhabit the same countries.

The species of this animal are as follows: 1. The Great Mastodon. 2. The Mastodon with narrow teeth. 3. The Mastodon of the Cordilleras. 4. The Mastodon of Humboldt. 5. The Small Mastodon. 6. The Tapiroid Mastodon. To these, Mr. Clift has added two others, making in all, eight species.

The remains of the great mastodon have heretofore been found only in North America. That with narrow teeth, formerly inhabited South America; and at Lima, many of their grinders are preserved in the public cabinet, and shown for the teeth of giants. The bones of the other species occur in various parts of Europe, especially in Italy and Germany.

Dr. Ure states that the first account of the Mastodon, is in a letter from Dr. Mather, in America, to Dr. Woodward, in London, dated 1712, and intimating that bones and teeth of monstrous magnitude, had been discovered in