St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-07-23

ivory equal in all respects. except thu
changes produced by agcs Of time, d
that taken from the elephant Of our day,
The Browns creek mastodonic remain.
are evidently those of . member Of the
order carnivora, Judging from the
structure and size Of the teeth, the In
cisors being sharp almost TO . point.
while the molars are also trenchant and
well adapted to the crushing Of bones
The animal in sixe was some twelve
feet in length, measuring from the pro-
boscis TO the termination of the verti-
bre column. The tail, - nearly as can
be estimated, was some five feet in
length. The skeleton itself IL seven
feet nine inches high at the shoulders
and six feet five inches at the rump or
hips, while the head Is exactly three
feet four inches in length, with . low,
fat mugwumpian skull and powerful
jaws.
The single tusk is three feet long, and
at its union with the plate of the skull
six inches in diameter, the diameter At
the tip being about Ave inches The
tip. instead of being pointed, - is usual
with cornicuiate animals, is blunt and
also hollow, forming . tube or cylinder
and suggesting choke-bore gun. Tho
inner surface shows in places marks Of
erosion effected by repeated and forciblc
contact with some flinty substance, the
ivory being worn in parallel grooves to
the depth of . full quarter inch. Prof
Waskish is Of the opinion that the horn
or tusk was employed in the killing Of
the animals prey, though not in tho
way of thrusting or impaling the object
of attack, and here comes his plausible
theory, which, II sustained, contributes
to geological knowledge . hitherto un-
suspected fact, At once astounding and
interesting-the fact that there once
existed q genus of animals whose in
stinct and physical makeup led them
to anticipate in crude way the modern
practice among mankind Of using ex-
plosives or compressed air for hurting
projectiles.
This tusk, he contends, was employed
for firing projectiles through the air.
He says that the animal had q proboscis
with which to gather stones of suitable
size and to place them in the hollow Of
his natural tube; that there was IN ex-
terror opening at the base Of the tuslk
for the admittance of air, and that tho
creature possessed sufficient lung power
for the expulsion Of air to propel the
projectile through the tube with enough
force and to such . distance as to easily
overcome and kill his prey. In fast he
was q dead shot The professor be-
lieves, moreover, the dinotherium shows
. certificate that the beast comes from
. fighting family, three of his ribs hav-
ing been broken at some time and
afterwards reunited by nature. The
tibla (bsne Of the right foreleR) had
also been fractured and, like the ribs,
repaired by natural forces.
Except Is before mentioned, the tusle
shows but little wear. The skeleton
head is perfect, except that two teeth
are missing. The size and formation Of
the leg bones show that the animal was
one of great strength and agility and
capable of rapid motion. Whether or
not the toes were armed with claws he
doubts, but inclines to the belief that
they were. 1t is also said that the
creatures skin was very similar in text
ure to that of the rhinocerous, but as to
that, of course, we have NO means Of
positive demonstration.
This discovery has thus far been kept
from the general knowledge Of those in
this vicinity for good aud sufficient rea-
IONS, one being the desire to first clear
away all possible doubt of the genuine
neas and significance of this almost un-
discovery. This ID now %.
No other specimen of this
yenus is to be found In any public Or
private collection throughout the world,
though Prof Waskish states that doubt
css other similar relics of this testimony
from the tertiary period lie buried in
Minnesota under the geological drift
especially between Browns
.reek and Cornelian lake. Tempting
pliers have recently been made the 30
:iety to allow the placing Of the skele-
Ton ON public and miscellaneous exhibi-
lion, but have thps far been declined
"a