ed aimated its size by afactor of six and gave it frig came from a Megalonyx, or giantground slot ty and ferocity of tiger,” and portrayed it in illustrations as pouncingo prey from boulders. usks otive orer screusks in upsidedooot, isfyingly aggressive aspect.
Anotusks so t t ture ic and o ancself to trees inent consideration about tum, it appeared to be extinct—afact t Buffon cs incontestably degenerate nature.
Buffon died in 1788, but troversy rolled on. In 1795 a selection of bones made to Paris, ology, tocratic Georges Cuvier. Cuvier akingiculated bones and ure of an animal from a single tooten nameto t no one in America to ea formal description of t, Cuvier did so, and ts officialdiscoverer. a mastodon (eeth”).
Inspired by troversy, in 1796 Cuvier e a landmark paper, Note on ts, in time a formal tinctions. from time to time tastropures . For religious people, including Cuvier able implications since it suggested an unaccountable casualness on t of Providence. to e species only to later? tion rary to t C t every living t abide t t o vaniso t, to evolve). So to t be scientific and political value in sending a party to explore terior of Americabeyond t at trepid adventurers sized creatures grazing on teous plains.
Jefferson’s personal secretary and trusted friend Meriuralist for tion. ted to advise to look out foro animals living and deceased ar.
In t, t tocratic and celebrated Cuvier ion t into t ions. illiam Smitruction on tCoal Canal. On tting in a coacion t ually make ation. to interpret rocks,to be some means of correlation, a basis on t o realize t t every crata certainspecies of fossils disappeared levels. By noting a, you could tive ages of rocks o make a map ofBritain’s rock strata, rials in 1815 and one of modern geology. (tory is compreer’s popular book t Cunately, , Smiterested in understanding trata and content myself it is so,” come he Province of a Mineral Surveyor.”
Smition regarding stra