The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-07
A WONDER OF TIME,
Natural Bed of the Mammoth mt st.
Petersburg.
London Graphic.

London Graphic.
At the scientific meeting of the Geological
Society last evening DR.. Smith Woodward
exhibited photographs illustrating the mode
OF discovery of the Siberian mammoth
which has just been mounted for exhibition
in the geological Museum at st. Petersburg.
These photographs had been given to him
for the British Museum by DIR. Salensky.
director of the st. Petersburg museum. They
are the first photographs obtained of the
carcass of a in its natural place
of burial, and were made with great skill
by DIR. Otto Herr, who was dispatched by
the st. Petersburg Imperial Academy of
Sciences to disinter and preserve the speci-
The head of the carcass in question was
exposed by a small Ilandslip on the bank of
the Beresowka, an af1uent of the Kolyma,
in latitude 81 degrees 81 minutes north. The
proboscis and other soft parts of the head
were soon eaten by carnivorous animals,
and the only remaining tusk was taken out
by the natives. After this damage had been
done the Governor of Jakutsk learned of the
discovery and arranged that ii should be
preserved for scientific examination. DR..
Herr. with ms party, arrived in good time
and accomplished the difficult task Of re-
moving the specimen to ST. Petersburg. The
carcase proved to be buried partly in ice,
partly In frozen earth, which began to thaw
as soon as the earth above was removed.
The most delicate soft parts were in a re-
markable state of preservation, and the
chief difficulties arose In preventing the It's
sues from putrefying when they were taken
out.
Excavations were begun in front Of the
head, and the two fore limbs were uncov-
cred: These were found to be sharply bent
at the wrist, and were wide apart in a
~sprawling attitude, suggesting that the ami
NAL had fallen into a hole and was trying
to scramble out at the time of its death.
Further removal of the earth confirmed
this idea, and showed that the hind limbs
were turned forward, so that the hind feet
were just behind and below the bent fore
feet. The position is well seen in the sec
Ond photograph, taken from the left side
and partly from behind. More detailed ex-
animation led TO the discovery of the tongue
hanging out of the mouth, with other indi-
cations OF a great truggle Finally, the
cavity OF the chest was found to be COM
pletely filled with clotted blood. indicating
that the unfortunate animal had died from
the bursting of a blood vessel in its efforts
to extricate itself. The accident and the
death must have been quite sudden, for the
mouth was still filled with grass, which had
been cropped but not chewed and swal-
lowed. The stomach contained only grass,
showing that this individual at least was
not feeding upon trees or brushwood. DR..
Herr thinks that the mammoth was quietly
browsing on grass land, which formed the
thin covering of a glacier, that a crevasse
in this ice was obscured by the soil, and
that the heavy animal accidentally fell
through.
The skin of the new specimen has now
been stuffed in st. Petersburg and mounted
in the attitude in which il met its death
The skeleton has been removed and mount
ed separately, while as many of the soft
| parts as possible have been preserved in
| various ways In bottles. The skin had lost
much of its hair, but some of this has now
been restored from other specimens in the
museum. The animal is a young male
and not remarkable for its size. A complete
by DR.. Salensky, and the first part, de-
| scriptive of the skeleton, has Just beer
| published by the ST. Petersburg Academy
The memoir Is issued in the Russian Ian.