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

ONTARIO.

1. Nepean Township, Carleton County.—In 1914, Mr. L. M. Lambe, of the Canadian Geological Survey, stated (Summ. Rep. for 1913, p. 299) that Walter Billings, of Ottawa, had presented to the Survey a caudal vertebra of Delphinapterus leucas, found in Pleistocene gravel on lot 15, concession 5, of Nepean township. The locality is near Jock River, a stream which flows northeasterly and enters Rideau River about 11 miles south of Ottawa. With it was sent the lower end of a femur, supposed to belong to the bison.

2. Ottawa East, Carleton County.—In 1910, Mr. L. M. Lambe reported (Summ. Rep. Geol. Surv. Can. for 1909, p. 273) that Mr. A. Penfold had presented to the Survey a caudal vertebra of Delphinapterus leucas, which he had found at Ottawa East, at a depth of 25 feet, while digging a well.

3. Smith’s Falls, Lanark County.—In 1883 (Amer. Jour. Sci., ser. 3, vol. XXV, p. 200) Dr. J. W. Dawson announced the finding of two vertebræ, a part of another, and a fragment of a rib of a large whale, in a ballast pit at Welshe’s, 3 miles north of Smith’s Falls. This whale he identified as Megaptera longimana (M. boöps). The bones were found in gravel at a depth of 30 feet and about 50 feet from the original face of the pit. The elevation of the place is given as about 440 feet above sea-level. Dawson stated that this corresponds exactly with the height of one of the sea-terraces on Royal Mountain at Montreal. He added that this animal might have sailed past that mountain, then only a rocky islet, when a wide sea, 400 feet above the lower levels of Montreal, covered all the plain of the lower St. Lawrence. Inasmuch as the highest terrace containing marine fossils at Montreal stands at a height of about 625 feet (Stansfield, Mem. 73, Canad. Geol. Surv., 1915) above sea-level, the region had apparently risen about 160 feet at least above its lowest submergence when the whale was buried. The discovery of this whale is mentioned by Dawson in his “Canadian Ice Age,” 1894, page 268; also by Professor G. H. Perkins in his Report of the State Geologist of Vermont, 1907–8, page 83.

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.