The times., 1899-04-02
AFRICAN IV6Rf
GROWING SCARCE
Siberia Enters the Field With
a Great Supply.
Products of Mammoths Buried in
the Arctic Wilds.
Specimens Deposited in Royal Mu-
seums in Centuries Gone By-Col-
lection of Peter the Great.
CONDENSED from Knowledge.)

| CONDENSED from Knowledge)
| African ivory is likely to become grad
| ually scarcer and scarcer, and If there were
| no other source of supply this beautiful
substance would apparently soon reach q
prohibitive price. AS matter of fact.
| there exists, however, in the frozen tun-
dras of Siberia a supply of ivory which
will probably suffice for the worlds con-
sumption for many years to come This
ivory is the product of the mammoth
tElephas primigenius), a species nearly al
lied to the Indian elephant, but protected
from the cold of the Arctic region by q
coat OF long, coarse hair, with a finer wool
ly under fur at the base.
How the mammoths were enabled to ex-
list in region where their remains became
SO speedily frozen, and how such vast
quantities Of these became accumulated in
certain spots, are questions which do not
at present seem capable of being satisfac-
torily answered, and their discussion would
accordingly be useless, not to say out of
place, on the present occasion. 1t will
suffice to say that such accumulations do
exist, and that the soil of certain portions
of the tundras seems to be almost cram
med with such remains. 1t may, however
be remarked that the contents Of the s.om-
achs of the frozen mammoths, as also those
of the two species of rhinoceroses which
were their fellow inhabitants of the tun-
dras, contain remains OF pine needles and
other vegetable substances. And from this
1t may be inferred that the tundras them
selves were clothed with forests during
the mammoth epoch, since the theory that
the carcasses were carried down by the
rivers flowing from warmer southern reg
ions into the arctic Ocean can scarcely
merit serious attention. Possibly some
light may be thrown upon the subject by
the great accumulations of bones OF large
recent mammals which have been met
with in certain districts OF East Africa.
Although outside scientific and commercial
circles comparatively little is known with
regard to the subject in England, NAM
moth ivory in place of being a modern
discovery was known to the ancients, and
has for centuries been an article of trade
and manufacture. 1t is, however. only re-
Gently that the history of the subject has
been worked out, and for this we are
largely indebted to the labors of Sir H. H
Howorth and DR.. Trouessart, Of Paris
Baron Nordenskiold has likewise contrib
uted important informa tIpn on the sub
ject in the Voyage of the Vega" And 1t
is from these sources that the following
paragraphs are mainly compiled.
Mentioned shS Pliny.
II we may take the buried ivory" men
toned by Pliny on the authority OF The
ophrastus, disciple Of Aristotle, to be the
same as mammoth ivory, we may regard
this substance as known to the Western
world in the time OF Alexander. But apart
from this, mammoth Ivory was evidently
familiar at very remote time to the
Chinese, who spoke of the animal by
which 1t was yielded as '"thien- shu" the
mouse that hides. This mythical creature,
which was compared in size to an elephant,
was reported to lead (hbterranean ex-
istence like mole. with bones as white
as ivory, and the flesh cold but pure and
this reference to the coldness
of the flesh apparently pointing to their
acquaintance with frozen mammoth car
casses. In Europe Eginhard, the histori-
an OF Charlemangne. states that among
the presents sent TO the Emperor of the
West by the Kalif Haroun- al Raschid in
the year S07 were the horn of a 'lcorne"
and claw OF griffon. These rarities
were long preserved in the royal treasury
at st. Denis, and. from a description given
in work dated 1916. 1t appears that,
while the former was a mammoth tusk. |
the latter was the horn of the woolly 81 |
berian rhinoceros. During the ninth and !
tenth centuries Arab trades appear to have |
established trade route from Northern |
Russia or Siberia to Persia or Syria. and |
their records refer to- the occurrence of |
buried ivory near the city OF Bolghari, on |
The Nolga, which was probaly situated on |
Dr. near the site OF the modern Mini Nov |
lgorod. The first Siberian mammoth tusk |
imported into Western Europe in modern
times was brought to London in the year
l6ll by one Josias Logan, by whom ii had |
oeen purchased from the Samoyedes of the /
Pechora district. Concerning this speci-
men Baron Nordenskiold writes that as |
at that time visited Moscow |
frequently. and for long periods remark
occurring in Purchas' history appears to
indicate that fossil ivory first became
Known in the capital of Russia some time
after the conquest of Siberia.
Origin of the Word "Msmmoth"
Be this as It may, 1t is in evidence from
he account of Avril who Travelled in Rus
'ia during 1885, that fossil ivory was at
hat time imported into China and other
asiatic countries where IL was highly es-
eemed; and it is stated that it was large
y employed by Turks and Persians for
sword and dagger hits being
preferred TO Indian ivory on account of its
yhiter color and finer grain. And here it |
nay be incidentally mentioned that. ac-
,ordng TO the same author, the Russian
erm mammout is a corruption of the He
)rew beheraot. or behemoth. which the
Arabs made mehemot. Canon Trlstram is
However, of opinion that in the Bible behe-
moth often refers TO the hippotamus; and
( this be correct transferrence of the
lame would appear 10 have been made by
Arabs, this being the less improbable
ince ii is stated in Hebrew to be appIica-
lie to any large beast.
Apart from this there is record that
bout 1922 Peter the Great, ordered the
of tusks and other remains of
he mammoth for the museum of ST. Pc
ersburg. And between 1850 and 1870
russian trader, named Liakhoff. estab ish-
d an extensive Importation of mammoth
worry from the districts lying between the
and Anadyr rivers, and likewise
rom one of the southernmost islands of
~iE