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°

by Oliver Perry Hay

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.

In 1877 (Geol. Surv. Kentucky, vol. III, p. 79), the same writer stated that a molar tooth of Elephas primigenius had been found in the city of Newport, about 25 feet above high-water mark and at a depth of 40 feet. It is not improbable that the two accounts refer to the same specimen.

3. Bluelick Springs, Nicholas County.—In the collection of Mr. Thomas W. Hunter, made at this place, were several much water-worn teeth of elephants, the species not determined.

4. Eminence, Henry County.—The geologist David D. Owen, in 1857 (3d Geol. Surv. Kentucky, p. 103), reported that bones and teeth of the mammoth had, at times, been found here. They do not appear to have been preserved.