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
21. _Scotchtown, Orange County._—On the page just quoted, Eager reported
that in 1844 some part of a mastodon had been found at the place named.
In his work on _Mastodon giganteus_ (first edition, pages 110–117,
plates XVI, XVIII, XIX), Dr. J. C. Warren described a very complete
skull which had been found at this place. He stated that the magnificent
head is remarkable for its size, whiteness, and the distinctness of its
sutures. It is known as the “Shawangunk head.” Warren wrote that the
strata covering it were: first, gravel; second, marl; third, a layer of
peat hard enough to be turned in a lathe.
Eager, in his “History of Orange County,” on page 348, stated that
remains of _Mastodon maximus_ were, in 1843, dug up from a marl-bed on
the farm of William Connor, about 0.25 mile from Scotchtown, and were
then in the cabinet of Professor Emmons, of Albany. This was quite
certainly the “Shawangunk mastodon.”
22. _Otisville, Orange County._—In Yale University there is a nearly
complete skeleton of a mastodon which was described and figured by
Professor O. C. Marsh in 1892 (Amer. Jour. Sci., vol. XLIV, p. 350,
plate VIII), but no statement was made as to its origin. Clarke (Bull.
69, New York State Museum, p. 925) stated that a mastodon found in 1874
was purchased by Professor Marsh. Professor R. S. Lull (Amer. Jour.
Sci., vol. XXV, 1908, p. 193) refers to a mastodon at Yale which came
from Otisville. In 1914 (Amer. Jour. Sci., vol. XXXVII, p. 330) he
presented some notes on the anatomy.
A newspaper account of the discovery of this skeleton stated that the
region of the stomach contained very fresh-looking, large leaves of odd
form, and blades of strange grass of extreme length, and from 1 to 3
inches in width. It seems probable that a good deal of this was pure
imagination. The vegetation which flourished there at the time the
mastodon was living was certainly not different from that of to-day.
23. _Shawangunk, near Wallkill, Ulster County._—Dr. James G. Graham,
writing in 1801 (Med. Repos. New York, vol. IV, p. 213), reported that
“a skeleton of a mastodon had been discovered about 3 miles east of his
house, in the town of Shawangunk.” The bones lay about 10 feet from the
surface and were in a very sound state. Some parts of the head, much
broken, were among the parts secured.
24. _Ellenville, Ulster County._—In 1861 (14th Ann. Rep. State Cabinet,
pp. 7, 15) the discovery at this place of some mastodon remains was
briefly reported. A large tusk and parts of the skull, with teeth, were
secured. The swamp is composed of about 2 feet of peat and 3 feet of
marl, resting on a base of clay. The bones were lying in the marl. In
1871 (21st Ann. Rep., etc., p. 128) further mention of these bones was
made. Clarke (Bull. 69, State Mus., p. 927) mentions these remains and
adds that there is also a smaller tusk in the museum.
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