, 1882-06-02
Prehistoric Monsters.

The remains of the EHphds Print
genius, or ancient hairy mammoth,
whose hight was usually about six
teen feet, and whose length, includ-
ing the forward curve of the tusks,
was twenty six feet or more, are
among the earliest animal remains
now found, and are noted by writers
b. c. 300, who speak of their discov-
cry. Some curious mistakes occurred
among those who found the large
bones of these animals, and mistook
them for antediluvian giants. Such
bones brought to ancient Rome were
believed to form part of the skeleton
of Pallas, and are recorded as being
as high as the city walls, which set
up erect. Later, at Lucerne, in Switz
erland such bones were exhibited as
those of a man nineteen feet high.
As late as February 13, 1888, the
same thing was done III France, and
also Scotland rejoiced in the skeleton
of an antediluvian giant fourteen
feet high. Later, the mammoth was
supposed to be the behemoth of the
ancient Hebrew Scriptures. In 1896,
the bones of one were collected and
mounted by learned professors and
anatomists at Gotha, in Germany,
who declared it was not an elephant,
but the one they had was simply
lLsus nature. Itwas finally reserved
for that great French naturalist,
George Cuvier, to dispel the darkness
in January, 1876, when he boldly
announced that all such bones were
the remains of fossil elephants, differ
ing from any now living upon earth.
They have now been found all over
the continent of Europe, in the plio-
Gene ana post-pliocene strata. In
Asia, there are vast quantities of such
bones found on the northern limits
~ the continent, within the Arctic
Circle, Siberia, along the Yenesei and
Lena rivers, emptying into the Arctic
Basin. theLiakow or New Siberian
Islands, and the bed of the Arctic
OCEAN, crossed by the crew of the
JeuHHcite in their retreat to land; all
are said 10 be thickly covered with
bones Of this class, abOunding in fos-
al ivory Many huge masses of
bones have been piled up by freshets
from rivers running northward and
emptying into the Arctic. Huge
masses of this ivory are annually
shipped 10 England and there cut
and utillzed m the arts and manufac
tara The Yakouts, OF natives, Of
that part of Siberia formerly sup
goss-d thcse enormous animals 10 be
npcies ~ hinge moles, that lived
ard hurrUwed under ground, and be-
oause their r,mains were found be-
nesth the surfBnt they thought they
lived and died there The word
mammoth b a native Yakout word,
u,eaninr IN their language IAN ami
mal thht huTFovs under ground
and thr Wurld has adopted Il as a
faTlalsf Wurd They are most abun-
daui n the Ear North. in the tundras
f "a HiluHiA. and bsc0ma ls-s and less
frs1aeut aa the distance from the
Arrlc haan iucreaHes A mammoth
Wns discovered iruzsn In latitude ~
dszrte-. uear Tlyer. with his flesh
fTaan and skin in place In l7I2,
III antuAr "a drgrpes on the River
fsua a whule rhinoceros was disc0y.
arnA in i1kl a TunVusaan fisher
man Discovered in latitude 20 degrees,
near the mouth e che Lena a dark
mass in n h0ck q ics. but il was too
deeply mluiia,i o. st az L. In
i~4 be- returned 30 The -pot and
fuui thr ica b'0ek rent and assured
Iha Vsrirct mammoth had fallen out
hy its Own weight The hide was
hoay. and bad over Il thin bat long