The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-04-18

fAt and oval ON top. tbs grinding
surfaces are orosssG b. pAEnliei ridges Of
snamsl whish, when longitudinal go
tion 10 made. give 20 the upper edge .
slight wavy outline. The mastodon 3
tsssh are totally unlike this He won his
from two Grsek words. "mastos, breast,
and "odous," tooth. This means that
the molars OF tbs mastodon are shaped
like the breast with conisal knobhy caps,
which slick up two inches OF 20 from shs
base Of the tooth. Besides tails. the mas
todon's tusks, simply elongated incisors,
are straightsr than the mammosh's.
The remains Of the mastedon are found
in nearly ell parts OF che Riebe. He ussd
20 roam over the forests, Grabbing In
ameng the denss foliage. feeding IN
solitary massiveness or nghtins untii the
very weight Of the huge creature often
proved his ruin. Wandering into some
marshy place. ne would become mired
and slowly sink In helplsnsnsss until the
ooze closed over him, TO remain hidden
from ken for 5000 years, when chance
should uncover his mighty bones to
The sksiston OF this Newark mastodon
10 unusually complete. The vertebrae,
great ring. shaped bones with long diverg
ems srikes which heid the huge muscles
that supported the tusks, were almost all
UE8@EuNs 4H6 tans WnAUu 1uD84 iAk8 - A0Af
grown alligator, was psrfeot. The psivts,
eight or nine feet from edge to edge, the
skull, tooth and tusks were IN singu-
larry complete state Of preservation. The
legs were missing and Will have to be
supplied by che mounters. This, how
ever. 10 not 90 difficult. Leg bones Of the
mastodon are frequsntly found, and from
them may be taken plaster casts, which
when made up are 30 like the real bones
that an sxpsrt alone can tell the differ
ence. These leg bones are huge objects.
They look like water worn, knotty logs,
four fest long, twelve inches thiok, and
I nnssrsd possds :, 70 o., weight; The meas.
imagined best when one thinks what
power he must have possessed simply to
carry himself.
The mounting Of the skeleton 10 slowly
progressing. The vertebras and ribs sra
strung upon . heavy lyon bar, bsnt to
the legless barrel hangs from the ceiling
By chains and taokls. 10 looks like the
inverted keel and ribs Of broad Deamed
catboat In process OF construction.
Among the most interesting parts OF
this huge skeleton are the first few verte-
brae OF the spinal column, just back OF
the base OF the skull and neck. Their
diameter 10 neorly foot. From the top
rice spiky projections rs long again,
whose tops make an undulating curve
not unlike the top OF harp. FARTHER
back these projecting bones become
shorter and shorter. Now, between the
tallest Of these spikes and the base of the
skull Is . dip perhaps two feet down.
This was filled with thick muscles and
tepdons. their ends were welded into
the spikes SO firmly that the upper part
OF the bones is rugged as the broken end
OF wrought iron columns. These i'm
menss muscles were needed to support the
great weight Of the tusks. which, when
their own mass and the leverage caused
BY their iutting length are taken into
confederation, needed all the strength the
mastodon could summon to keep them
manageable.
When the boness are put In their posi-
tion and the missing parts replaced the
skeleton will stand about twelve feet ct
the front leg. perhaps thirty from tusk
tip to tall tip. Surmount this with o
bulky layer OF flesh, fat and hide, and
one can picture the hugensss Of his mas
todcnship when he reigned supreme.