Evening journal., 1900-01-26
IMMENSE ELEPHANT TUsRs


BIGCCEST l1NOW.} ARE C0MlNC
70 THE UNITED sTA1Es.
a photograph OF the largest pair Of
tusks taken from On African elephant
was exhibited laat night at the Zoo
logical Society says the London stand
ard. For some time the record has
been held by England. Sir T. G. Loder
being the possesaOr OF o tusk which
was y feet Inches along the outer
curve. exceeding the measure OF that
Just below "a by an inch and its
wcifi BIS twentyslour pounds OF the
two new spccimenb obtained we are
told in the Kilmanjaro district. tile
llrge. was 10 feet 4 inches along the
outside curve, and scaled 235 pounds:
tho second was 4 little shorter and
weighed ten pounds less. An African
firm with an African agency was IN
Ieaty for them on behalf OF a sports
man in this country. but the price ask
Cd was considered to be too high, and
Eventually they We're secured on behalf
OF a museum In the United States by
an American firm trading In Zanzibar
/ fer little over e700 Some doubt has
been expressed as 10 whether these two
tusks are really a pair, that Is, whether
lshey beth came from the same animal
but the difference in their weight, only
ten pounds, seems too small to justify
the skepticism.
The late Sir Samuel Baker. whC
knew all that was worth knowing
about African elephants, says thes'
Z animals are. to a large extent, roo
eaters. supplemenung this diet by th'
leafy tops of the mimoSa. and in ordei
to obtain this green food they over
I turn the trees. This is done by plough
ol ms up the long struggling roots will
their tusks, andi as the right tusk q
. generally used for this purpose II be
p comes lighter from continual wear
= This fact is Well known TO the Ara
hunters and dealers, who call the RICH
: tusk "the servant" Sir Samuel give
the respective weights OF a pair c
+ tusks that together scaled 40 pound
Y as Is pounds for the left tusk and g
j. for the servant" II this proportio
holds, and 1t does not seems TO hav
It been impugned, the difference betwee
y the two tusks should be sometain
, like thirty-fve pounds instead OF tel
e But, though the question Of whethe
= the same animal bore them cannot b
satisfactorily decided, there can be n
n doubt that they are the largest exam
pies OF which there IS authentic rec
Lord
d For the last seventy years elephant
II have been protected by the govern
s. ment In tho south and east Of CAP
{. Colony, but elsewhere in South Afric
r. the species is rapidly approaching e,
tinction. South OF the Zambesi, whei
9 In the middle OF the century the
u abounded, there arc now but fe
e. herds left, and Rowland Ward, VII
le has ample means OF knowing, sa,
IN there is but "A single herd In a
: khama'e country The demand Il
- ivory, TO some extent In the form
~ trophies, but to a much greater extel
e. for manufacture. accounts for the e.
IL termination OF the elephant. in son
ed parts ~ Africa. One hrm OF cutie
m. alone are said TO use from $500 10 80
i tusks every year, and to keep a stO,
>, lof eight tons OF ivory on hand. 1
u supply the needs OF this single house
or least go elephants must be slaug
Di- tered year by year. In Central Afri
nv the animal Is still abundant, and
- some districts a measure OF protectii
% Is Afforded It. The native poache
'e however set the regulations at d
nd fance. II is very desirable that SON
IL thing should be done TO utilize the e.
to plant in Africa as a beast OF burds
all as has been done for centuries ia Ash
- BAT Sir Samuel Baker pointed 0ai ~
We ago ne natives have TO aptitude
no DEMONSTRATING wild animals. and I
nd atsempt n made az all, must be ma
re, ~ ienahshmen.
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