The Pleistocene of North America: and its vertebrated animals from the states east of the Mississippi River and from the Canadian provinces east of longitude 95°Hay, Oliver Perry
Science
The Pleistocene of North America: and its vertebrated animals from the states east of the Mississippi River and from the Canadian provinces east of longitude 95°
Hay, Oliver Perry
Paleontology -- North America; Paleontology -- Pleistocene; Vertebrates, Fossil
2. _Columbia, Maury County._—In the publication just referred to the
geologist G. Troost stated that he owned a tooth of _Elephas
primigenius_, found a few miles below Columbia, probably near Duck
River, but no details as to the exact locality and kinds of deposits
were furnished. Hayes and Ulrich (Folio 95, U. S. Geol. Surv.) appear
not to have recognized any Pleistocene in this quadrangle. On page 6
they stated that narrow strips of bottom lands occur along the larger
streams, particularly along Duck River. The tooth was probably that of
_E. columbi_.
KENTUCKY.
(Map 16.)
1. _Bigbone Lick, Boone County._—Remains belonging certainly to both
_Elephas primigenius_ and _E. columbi_ have been found here, and there
is no reason for supposing that any other species has ever been
collected. Many specimens have, however, been mentioned in the
literature of the subject which one may have difficulty in referring to
either of these species. The difficulty arises from the insufficiency of
the descriptions and of the illustrations when there are any.
Two elephant molars from America were figured by Cuvier (Oss. Foss., ed.
4, plate XV, figs. 9, 11), without any exact locality being given, so
far as the present writer can discover. Adams (Palæontograph. Soc., vol.
XXXIII, p. 122) says of these that one was from Mississippi, the other
from Bigbone Lick, but which is from the latter place is not indicated.
Caspar Wistar (Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s., vol. I, 1818, p. 376)
reported that in the Jefferson collection there were teeth which he
referred to the Siberian elephant. Among these were some which belonged
to a young animal.
William Cooper (Monthly Amer. Jour. Geol., vol. I, 1831, pp. 168–171)
recalled the quantity of elephant remains found at Bigbone Lick before
his visit. In the Finnell collection was a tusk with part of the base
missing, which was still 11 feet 10.5 inches long and 22 inches in
circumference. It was much curved, a fact which induced him to refer it
to an elephant. In the same collection were numerous other parts of
elephants, including 20 or more teeth. A Mr. Bullock secured a skull
nearly entire. It is pretty certain that the greater part of all this
fine material has been lost. Many of the bones and teeth collected in
early times went to the museums of Europe; some are mentioned by Leith
Adams (Palæontograph. Soc., vol. XXXIII, pp. 75, 122) and Lydekker (Cat.
Foss. Mamm. Brit. Mus., pt. IV, p. 191).
2. _Newport, Campbell County._—In 1871 Professor Shaler (Amer.
Naturalist, vol. IV, p. 160) stated that he had a tooth of _Elephas
primigenius_, which had been found in the uppermost terrace of the
alluvial plane opposite Cincinnati, at a depth of over 60 feet from the
surface.
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