The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-03-31

| come. This ivory is the product or tht
mammoth (Elephas primigenius), {
| species nearly allied to the Indian ele'
| plant, but protected from the cold OF
the Arctic region by coat of long
coarse hair, with a finer woolly under
fur at the base.
| How the mammoths We're ena bled
exist in region where. their remains
/ became so speedily frozen, and how
such vast quantities of these became
accumulated in certain spots, are ques'
/ tons which do not at present seem cap
able of being satisfactorily answered
and their discussion would accordingly
I be useless, not to say out of place, or
the present occasion. 1t will suffice tC
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. how
ever, be remarked that the contents OF
the stomachs of the frozen mammoths
as also those of the two species OF
| rhinoceroses which were their fellowin-
habitants of the tundras, contain re-
| mains of pine needles and other vege-
table substances. And from this it may
be inferred that the tundras themselves
were clothed with forest during the
| mammoth epoch, since the theory that
the carcasses were carried down by the
| rivers flowing from warmer southern
regions into the Arctic ocean can
scarcely merit serious attention. Posi-
bly, some light may be thrown upon the
subject by the great accumulations of
bones Of large recent mammals which
h1Un hpan D1at with In, a dist ripf q
of east Africa. Although outside scien-
tlflc and commercial circles compare
lively little is known with regard to the
subject in England, mammoth 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
III. Fl. Howorth and DR.. Trouessart, CT
Paris. Baron Nordenskiold has like
wise contributed important information
on the subject in the Voyage of the
Vega" And it is from these sources
that the following paragraphs are
mainly complied.
mentioned by Pliny on the authority of
Theophrastus, a 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, man.
moth ivory was evidently familiar at
very remote time to the Chinese, who
spoke of the animals by which it was
yielded as "thien-shu,' the mouse that
hides. This mythical creature, which
was compared in size to an elephant,
was reported to lead a subterranean ex-
istence like a mole, with bones as white
as ivory, and the flesh cold but pure
and wholesome, this reference to the
GOODNESS Of the flesh apparently point
ing to their acquaintance with frozen
mammoth carcasses. In Europe Egin-
hard, the historian of Charlemagne,
states that among the presents sent to
the Emperor of the West by the Kalif
Harounal Raschid in the year S07 were
the horn of a ''licorne" and claw Of a
griffon. These rarities were long pre-
served in the royal treasury at ST. Dem
is, and, from a description given in
work dated 1916, it appears that, while
the former was mammoth tusk, the
latter was the horn of the woolly Sibe-
rian rhinoceros. During the ninth and
tenth century Arab traders appear to
have established trade route from
Northern Russia or Siberian to Persia
or Syria, and their records refer to the
occurrence Of buried ivory near the city
of Bolghari on the Volga, which was
probably situated on or near the site
of the modern Mini Novogorod. The
first Siberian mammoth tusS imported
into Western Europe in modern times
was brought to London in the year 1911
by one Josias Logan, by whom it had
been purchased from the Samoyedes of
the Pechora district. Concerning this
specimen Baron Nordenskiod writes
that as Englishmen at that time visit
ed Moscow frequently, and for long pc
RODS, a 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.
Be this as it may it is in evidence
from the account of Avril, who travel
ed in Russia during 1866, that fossil
ivory was at that time imported into
China and other Asiatic countries,
where it was highly esteemed and it
Is stated that it was largely employed
by Turks and Persians for ornamenting
sword and dagger hits, being preferred
to Indian ivory on account of its whittier
color and finer grain. And here it may
be incidentally mentioned that, accord
ing to the same author, the Russian
term mammoth Is a corruption of the
Hebrew behemot, or behemoth. which
he Arabs made mehemot. Canon iris
ram is, however, of opinion that in
he Bible behenloth often refers to the |
and, if this be correct, |
l transferrence of the name would APP |
pear to have been made by Arabs, this |
1eing the less improbable since it is
stated in Hebrew to be applicable to |
my large beast.
Apart from this there is record that |
lbout 1922 Peter the Great ordered the |
collection of tusks and other remains of |
he mammoth for the museum of st. !
And between 1850 and 1770 !
Russian trader, named Liakhoff, es-
ablisheG an extensive importation of
mammoth ivory from the districts lying
between the Khotanga and Anady riv-
RS, and likewise from one Of the south
s.,1r fl.N L