535-03 Page 25Investigate Big Oxford Bones
$$—THE LONDON FREE PRESS, Thursday, August 11, 1955
Excavators Find Huge Bones
Buried On Farm In Oxford I
Members of the Bond family hold bones unearthed on their farm during excava-
tion for an irrigation pond. An, investigation of the bones is being conducted by a
sophomore geology student from the University of Western Ontario to determine
the authenticity of the find. Holding what may be part of a skull of a mastodon,
a large elephant -like hairy mammal of prehistoric times, is Vera Bond, O. J. Bond,
owner of the farm a mile east of Folden's Corners; Evelyn Bond and Marie Bond.
The girls are daughters of Mr. Bond.
A modern vintage mammal looks over what a UWO
geology student thinks may be part of the bone struc-
ture of a prehistoric mammal as if to size up how he
would get along with such a creature. Mr. Bond and
his dog stand looking at the relics, which if authentic
will be studied by geologists from the university.
(Photos by Watmough.)
i Special to The Free Press measuring two or three feet
INGERSOLL, August 10 — A across.
He said in the skull part were
preliminary investigation to de -,what appeared to him to be a
termine the authenticity of large,nostril opening and the root of
bones, thought to be of a pre -'a large tooth. One person view-
historic- creature, discovered on ing the find claimed the relics
were 2,000 years old. This has
the farm of Orville Bond, about not been substantiated.
a mile east of Folden's Corners, No similar finds of this nature
will be carried out Thursday by have been made in.. the area, Mr.
a geology student at the Univer- Bond said, but added an Indian
city of Western Ontario. skeleton was dug up on his farm
Discovery of the bones was several years ago.
made Monday while workers were If the preliminary investigation
excavating for an irrigation pond shows the bones to be authentic
on the farm. Mr. Bond said the university plans are to make de -
find included what he thought tailed sketches of the bones and
was a rib four feet long, part of send one of its geology staff to
a leg and the crown of a skull examine the find.
Geology Experts Intend
Check Of Oxford Bones
Satisfied that a preliminary re- of
port made on a discovery of large ag
bones on the ,farm of Orville do
Bond, a miles east of Folden's so
Corners, has proven the find to as
be probably parts of a mastadon,
the head of the Department of
Geology at the University all
Western Ontario and two asso-�
ciates plan to make an investi-
gation of the area and bones
I Monday.
Prof. G. H. Reavely, head of
the department, said last night
that a report made by Roberti
Hutt, of Salford, who will enter"
his junior year at the universityl'
this fall, hsa proven the find
made last Monday is a mastadon.
Area Important
Prof. Reavely, in assessing the
importance of the find said It
was difficult to tell how valuable
-
It may prove to be.
From what he had learned
through the student's report he -
said the low swampy area in
which the bones were found may
give several good geological facts[
by which more about the era in
which the mastadon lived can be
learned.
The bones themselves may not
be as important as the earth in
which they were found, he said.
Thebones only prove again that,
such an animal lived then, a fact
which is already known, 1
The mastadon probably lived a i
minimum of 5,000 years ago, the l
geologist said, and in a post -
.glacial age. t
Forerunner of Elephant I
In. speaking of the mastadon E.
itself, Prof. Reavely said it could t
be termed a forerunner of the
African elephant which exists `
today, It was a much largerl�
creature though and he said somea
femur bones (thigh bone) of '
mastadonshad been known to be
five feet high and weigh as much a
as 300 pounds... a
Prof. Reavely; in company with a
Dr, Gordon Winder and Prot. A.
Dreimanis, plan to study the area
Monday,
Prof. Reavely said the bones
were found in a clay bed covered
`by some four feet of post.. This, Iq
he contended, was why the bones
were so well preserved. He said there were no teeth found and
this was unfortunate as teeth
an are a key to determin
more accurately. Themae
i was equipped with tuska
rs species but had no in
do today's elenbRAJ2�
TO CONVENTION
Mrs. A. W. Meek will repre.
sent the West Oxford Wom-
en's Institute at the Federa-
ted Women's Institute of Can-
ada convention which gets un-
derway June 19 in Vancouver
at the University of British
Columbia. This marks the
first time that the West Ox-
ford W. I. has sent a delegate
to the National convention.
Mrs. Meek has been president
of the WOWI three times and.
is a pas) president of the
South Oxford district. She
started in institute work when
a young girl as a member of
the Ingersoll Junior Institute
which has since disbanded.
The local representative is
also one of the sixwomen who
submitted the chair seat cov.
ers which won first prize in
•FWIO competition,. She will
be accompanied on her trip
to Vancouver by her husband.
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