Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-22
MAMNIoTHs IN MINIATURE.
Two Interesting Strangers from the
Malay Peninsula.

Two Interesting Strangers from the
Malay Peninsula.
The steamship Vera, from Hamburg,
due in New York last Friday or Satur-
day. SAYS the Ecening Post, has on board
two animals which the cOnsignees, Charles
Reiche & Sons, of So Chatham street,
claim to be specimens of the mammoth, a
race supposed to be extinct. The larger
of the two stands about five feet high. The
other is considerably smaller. They were
bought by Mr.. Charles Reiche, the senior
member of the firm, in Alfeld, Germany,
whence they were shipped to this country.
When they arrive they will be placed in
Mr.. Reiche's stables in HObOken, TO be
kept until disposed of to showmen.
The claim that the animals are living
specimens of the mammoth is based on
the close resemblance of the larger one to
descriptions given in the books of the fOs-
sill mammoth. Mr.. Reiche personally eX-
amined them before deciding to add them
to his stock of show animals. He had re-
ceiyed information three or four years ago
that in the mountainous interior of the
Malay Peninsula there existed some
strange and curious specimens of pachy-
derns. resembling the common elephant,
but differing from them in essential par
tIculars. From sources of information
which he could trust, he learned about
four months ago that capture Of some
specimens of these animals had been eff
tected and that they were to be taken to
Germany. On visiting Alfeld recently he
found the two he is importing, and de-
cided to ship them to America, because
the market here for such curiosities is
better than it is in Europe.
The two specimens are said to answer
the descriptions of the mammoth, hither-
to supposed to be extinct, but the charac-
teristics of the larger one are more mark
ed than those of the smaller, which is sup
posed to be very young. The larger one
is thicklV covered with coarse bristly
hair. which along the back and ridge of
the neck is so thick and long as to form a
flowing name. The head is more precipi-
tous than the elephants, from the top OF
the frontal bone to the root of the trunk.
The trunk is essentially like the common
elephants trunk. The ears are covered
with hair like that on the body, but not as
long as that of the name. There are no
tusks, notwithstanding all accounts of
the mammoth accredit it with having had
very prominent tusks turning upward,
with long graceful curve.
The fossil mammoth is so much larger
than either of the specimens which
Messrs. Reiche & Sons have captured that
the latter, if they prove to be genuine,
must be either young ones or dwarfs.
Skeletons of the mammoth carefully and
accurately put together show that their
average height was about eighteen feet.
Tusks fifteen feet long are preserved, and
the head of one specimen found near the
mouth of the Lena river weighed, exclu-
sive of the tusks, Ala pounds. If no part
but the bones of these animals had ever
been found, there would be no means of
telling whether they were covered with
hair. or with a bare skin, or with scales,
but at least one perfect specimen of the
animal is said to have been found i'm
bedded in ice in Northern Siberia. The
body was in complete state OF preserVa-
ton, so that we are in possession of accu-
rate descriptions of the beast, flesh as well
as bones, hair, eyes, feet, trunk, and all. On
a study of the description of this ice-pre-
served mammoth Mr.. Reiche bases his
claim to having discovered living speci-
men, and to have proved that the race is
not really extinct.