The Portland daily press., 1878-07-18
Portland Society of Natural History.

Portland Society of Natural History.
At the regular meeting, held Monday even
ing, the president called the attention of the
| Society to the interesting discovery of the
fossil skeleton of the Morse or Walrus, Tiiche-
catS Virginianus, liz the glacial deposits of this
| city.
| Some workmen engaged in digging trench
| for drain of cellar for passenger station
about to be erected by the B. & M. r. r acct
| dentally brought to light there bones lying
upon and partially 10 the tenacious clay quite
at the bottom of the trench they were making
Mr.. Fuller, the curator of the Society, was
early notified of the fact, and upon repairing
70 the spot, found that they had recovered the
skull in nearly perfect condition, with quite
number of the ribs, some of the large and a
few of the small bones of the limbs and two or
three of the vertebra. The gentleman at the
head of the work, Mr.. Robert McCrindle. had
become impressed with the value of this dis
covery in scientific point Of view and had
given every attention to the careful removal
and preservation of the bones, and at Mr..
Fuller's suggestion very readily consented to
their being transferred as a donation to the
cabinets of the Portland Society of Natural
History.
Mr.. Samuel E. Spring, director of the road,
readily consented to whatever farther excava-
ton might be necessary, and Mr.. Fuller with
the aid of one or two woIkmen continued the
research, nor has he yet discontinued it, and
we hope soon to be in possession of the nearly
entire skeleton.
AT the present time we have upon the table
very much the largest part of it, incl uding the
skull with the tusks over five inches long and
all the teeth but two, with obliqaely truncated
crown, not ridged, bat with smooth and pol
ished surfaces. Seventeen of the ribs, eleven
of the detached bones of the vertebral coump,
nearly all of the large bones of the four limbs.
with the two scapula and good many of the
small bones cf the wrist and ankles. with one
half of the pelvis, form the principal part of
the skeleton that has as yet been recovered
Itwas found lying upon its side, partially
imbedded in layer of blue clay, very fine and
tenacious, with dark streaks running through
it. This layer of clay was one foot in thick
ness at this point and contained casts and shells
of Mya arenaria, Macoma sabulosa, Mytilus
edulis, Cardium groentaudicum, Saxicava dis
S0AS~3 ~'"SNi" 0hupuot A-Ooo tCuuioulCdbd duu
truncata, Natica CLAUSE and fusilla, Astarte
strata. Above this was layer of lighter
colored clay, two feet and two inches in thick
ness, containing Mya arenaria, Mytilus edulis
Oardum groentandicum, Astarte strata, Ma.
coma sabulosa, Nucula antigua, Natica aud
Balanus. This clay was also fue in texture
and when undermined would cleave out in
perpendicular, angular tapering sections. In
this layer portion Of the bones was found,
and whether bone came from the teDacious
blue clay or from this layer could easily be
determin by the manner in which they
washed. Those from the blue clay easily be-
came clean and quite light colored, but no
washing would remove the sand that adhered
with great firmness to the surfaces of the bones
from the layer of lighter colored clay, and
would yield only to quite hard scraping with
knife, and the color was considerably darker
than those from the blue clay. Above this
was layer one foot in thickness of clay cod
tanning wood and roots, the unused portion of |
the brick clay that once existed here, and upon |
this were two feet of gravel that had been |
placed there in grading the surface. Exten- |
sive brick yards formerly covered large space |
over and around the locality occupied by the |
skeleton and the brick clays with the everything |
gravel had been removed down to this shell |
bearing layer.
We had no means of determining what |
thickness of clsys existed between the layer in
which the bones were found and the ledge rock |
which crops out short distance below the |
railroad bridge This layer probably CORE
until tha T.ado oJa nd +bo OH |
t with the Saxicava sard, and underlying them
ire probably the hard pan or boulder clay
which we find upon Munjoy and other parts of
he city.
In Canada, in corresponding positions, or at
he RIviere du Loup, between Bic and Ma
anne, bones of the seal, morse and whale have
been found, but the president was not aware
hat other than few teeth have before been
ound in the clays of New England.
These bones are not far from the base of
3ramhaIl Hill, which rises about seventy five
eet above this level, and from which at some
period of time one or more quite
land slips have taken place. 1t is
Iuite probable, and the appearance of the
ayers of clay and sand woald almost make it
ertain, that these bones have been disturbed
y this subsistence, and that portion OF them
lave been forced up into the everything sandy
lay, and have become more or less scattered,
o that it is doubtful if the whole Of them
re recovered. 1t is hoped however, be-
ore long to be able to give all the facts 10 re-
alton to the formation in this locality, which
he discovery of these boaes has rendered
mater of no little interest to all