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
4. _Pakenham, Lanark County._—This locality is about 42 miles
north-northwest from Welshe’s, where the whale remains just discussed
were found. At Pakenham, in 1906, there were discovered bones, including
a nearly perfect skull, of a white whale. The discovery was reported in
1906 and 1907 by Dr. J. F. Whiteaves (Summ. Rep. Geol. Surv. Can. for
1908, p. 171; Ottawa Naturalist, vol. XX, pp. 214–216). The remains were
found by a well-digger on a farm (lot 21, 11th concession), and were
embedded in blue clay at a depth of 14 feet. Immediately about the bones
was a mixture of clay and shells. The animal has been referred to
_Delphinapterus leucas_. As one of the ear-bones was secured, the
determination of the species would appear to be possible. According to
Perkins, the ear-bone in the type of _D. vermontanus_ differs from that
of the existing white whale, _D. leucas_. The writer is unable to say
more than that the whale found at Pakenham belongs to the Late
Wisconsin.
5. _Cornwall, Stormont County._—In 1870 (Canad. Naturalist and Quart.
Jour. Sci., vol. V, pp. 438–439), E. Billings gave an account of the
discovery of remains of a white whale at Cornwall. Considerable parts of
the skull were secured, including the lower jaws. Besides many vertebræ
and some other parts, 8 teeth were saved, but the ear-bones were
missing. The animal had been about 15 feet long. Whether it belonged to
_Delphinapterus leucas_ or _D. vermontanus_ may be regarded as doubtful.
Extracts from Billings’s description are to be found in Professor
Perkins’s paper (Rep. State Geologist Vermont, 1907–8, pp. 81–82).
6. _Williamstown, Glengarry County._—This place is about 10 miles
northeast of Cornwall. In Professor Perkins’s paper just cited it is
stated that Edward Ardley, assistant curator at Redpath Museum, McGill
University, Montreal, had found here a few bones of a white whale, the
hyoid, a few phalanges, and rib fragments. It is impossible from such
limited materials to determine whether the animal was _Delphinapterus
vermontanus_ or _D. leucas_. From Mr. Ardley, through Mr. Arthur Willey,
curator of Redpath Museum, the present writer has learned that these
bones were dug up from a depth of 14 feet, in a well sunken in the Leda
clay. Under the surface soil was a band of sandy clay containing shells
of _Saxicava_ and _Mya_. Beneath this was a stiff blue clay showing
stratification and containing shells of _Leda_.
QUEBEC.
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