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
5. _Pemberton, Burlington County._—Professor E. D. Cope (Cook’s Geol.
New Jersey, 1869, p. 740) stated that mastodon remains had been found at
Pemberton. Previously, Conrad (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila. vol. I,
1832, p. 11) had reported that bones and teeth of this species had been
found here. In the collection of the Academy at Philadelphia are a part
of a skull and some bones and teeth which were collected at Pemberton in
1887 by J. C. Saltar and E. McConnell. Rhoads (Mamm. Penn. N. J., p.
234) mentioned this skeleton and said that it was exposed in the bed of
a small stream. Mr. J. Coleman Saltar, now of Milford, Delaware, has
kindly replied to the present writer’s inquiries. He says that the
skeleton was found about 1.5 miles northwest of Pemberton, in the bank
of a small stream lying partly in the water, partly embedded in the
bank. The flood-plain is perhaps about 10 feet below the tilled land
along the stream. On the flood-plain is recent silt. Below this appears
to be a Pleistocene deposit which contains vegetable débris, including
pine cones. The skeleton was in this layer, about 3 feet below the
surface. Professor Valiant informed Mr. Rhoads that another skull was
found, a good many years ago, in a swamp near Pemberton, and for a long
time was used as a door-step before its real nature was discovered. Mr.
Saltar, in the letter referred to above, stated that his understanding
has been that this skull was found along the same stream and was used as
a stepping-stone in crossing, until some progressive person sought to
change its position.
In the collection of the Academy, at Philadelphia, are 2 good teeth and
parts of 2 others which are said to have been found at Pemberton. They
are credited to G. C. Forsyth. At Princeton University is a nearly
complete lower jaw, No. 8173, of a mastodon which was collected at
Pemberton.
Pemberton is on Rancocas River. In Salisbury and Knapp’s work of 1917,
on page 184, it is stated that sands which seem to belong to the Cape
May are found along the North branch of the Rancocas near Pemberton.
6. _Trenton, Mercer County._—Mr. S. N. Rhoads, in 1903 (Mamm. Penn. N.
J., p. 235) stated that there is in Rutgers College Museum a specimen of
tusk of mastodon which was reported to have been found in 1878
associated with stone implements in the Trenton gravels, 12 feet below
the surface. Cook (Rep. Stat. Geol. New Jersey, for 1878, p. 15) stated
that the tusk was found at a depth of 14 feet, with the gravel and
stones partly stratified over it. There may be a question whether the
tusk belonged to a mastodon or to an elephant. Professor S. Lockwood
(Pop. Sci. Monthly, vol. XXLI, p. 344) wrote that he had seen a tusk,
doubtless the one mentioned above, taken from the Trenton gravels.
Whether or not this tusk was found immediately at Trenton was not
stated, but Cook reported that it was found at Trenton.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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