Messrs.

Dease and Simpson, in "Geographical Journal" volume 8 pages 218 and 220.), and does not thaw in spring so soon as the surface of the land, moreover, at greater depths, where the bottom of the sea does not freeze, the mud a few feet beneath the top layer might remain even in summer below 32 degrees, as is the case on the land with the soil at the depth of a few feet.

At still greater depths the temperature of the mud and water would probably not be low enough to preserve the flesh; and hence, carcasses drifted beyond the shallow parts near an arctic coast, would have only their skeletons preserved: now in the extreme northern parts of Siberia bones are infinitely numerous, so that even islets are said to be almost composed of them (11/20.

Cuvier "Ossemens Fossiles" tome 1 page 151, from Billing's "Voyage."); and those islets lie no less than ten degrees of latitude north of the place where Pallas found the frozen rhinoceros.

On the other hand, a carcass washed by a flood into a shallow part of the Arctic Sea, would be preserved for an indefinite period, if it were soon afterwards covered with mud sufficiently thick to prevent the heat of the summer water penetrating to it; and if, when the sea-bottom was upraised into land, the covering was sufficiently thick to prevent the heat of the summer air and sun thawing and corrupting it.
(PLATE 58.