Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-06-13
CURIOSITIES OF NATURAL HISTORY

CURlOSITIES OF NATURAL HISTORY
Professor Frederick A. Lucas, of the
National Museum, has recently come
into possession of part of a curious
pair of elephants tusks. They be.
longed to all African pachyderm, and
were forwarded form the Cape of Good
Hope by an agent of the Smithsonian
Institution. The owner of the iyories
fell before The rifle of hunter of local
reputation in that country, and seems
to have had ali intimate acquaintance
with weapons of destruction.
The tusks, which are fully six feet
long and SIX inches in diameter at the
largest part, are SCARED by frequent
contact with hard substances, but the
most peculiar thing about them is that
they have been for many years the
repository for bullet and a spearhead
Only portions Of the tusks were re-
ceiVed at the museum, the more valu-
able parts of the ivory having been cut
away and sold to merchants. The
spearhead, which is fully two inches
long and made of soft iron, was found
in the midst of the tusk, and had been
entirely surrounded by a thick coating.
Professor Lucas says the explanation
of the matter is that forty or fifty years
ago, when the elephant was young
and trisky tusker, some one of the ma
tives speared him through the hollow
base of the tusk, where the ivory was
thin. .mfFH wa@... .r % .f. "
The spearhead went through one
side of the tusk. but did not penetrate
the oSher, remaining embedded III the
soft pulp found near the projection of
the skull. The spearhead evidently
caused serious disturbance with the
growth for u time, as shown by the
peculiar gnarly structure of the ivory,
but the tusk kept OH growing, and in IA
few years was pushed out a consider
able distance from the head and com.
pletely hidden from sight, just like the
trees of Southern battle fields which
are found to have concealed cannon
balls in their wooden hearts The bull
lets were found in another part of the
tusk, and shows that the elephant some
years later was shot at by hunter
who possessed rifle. Fortunately or
unfortunately, as it may have been, his
tusk was again a bull's-eye, but he es.
capped to carry a trophy of his expert
ence with him for life. The shape OF
the bullet shows that the hunter used
rifle of the most approved pattern.
He was probably ii titled Englishman
who invaded the country, like many
others of his class, in search of adven-
ture with big game.
This is not the only interesting fea
ture OF visit to Professor Lucas an
atomical workshop, in the rear of the
Smithsonian Institution. The posi-.
bility of securing a full dinner off an
elephants tusk might appear to the
unscientific man as quite unlikely, but
the fact is that the only problem re.
quiring solution, in order to secure the
dinner, is the extraction of the
food products. Professor Lucas says
it is surprising to see how much ami
NAL matter is present in ivory sub
stances like an elephants tusk. The
teeth of the sperm whale contain the
same possibilities. If one could readi
lY extract the gelatine, he adds, din
ner might be made even off section
of an elephants tusk. AS it is, the
cutting and dust made by workers in
ivory is carefully saved for the manu-
facture of gelatine. ......
If some wise man could discover ar
economical process it would not be
chimerical to state that it could bt
turned to excellent use if ever there
should be season of famine, for ivory
combs, toothpicks, hair brushes, and
similar articles could be utilized as ar
ticles of food.
Some bucket-shaped specimens In
Professor Lucas workshop are vel
worth looking at. They are elephant.
teeth, and are bound together, when In
the big creatures head, by what is lit
orally cement, which fastens the com
ponent parts together. They are es
pecially subject to aches, Professor
Lucas says, because of their peculiar
construction. Some idea of the mag
nitude of the pain can be imagined by
comparing one of the big things Will
a mans tooth, the SIZE of lead pencil
An elephants tooth is sometimes over
a foot long, and not unfrequently
weighs as much as six or seven pounds
| Several years ago there was an ele