THE MAMMOTH 193 



paper man learned that the Alaskans could 

 make pictures of the mammoth, and that they 

 had some knowledge of its size and habits ; so 

 with inference and logic quite as good as that 

 of the Tungusian peasant, the reporter came 

 to the conclusion that somewhere in the frozen 

 wilderness the last survivor of the mammoths 

 must still be at large. And so, starting on 

 the Pacific coast, the Live Mammoth story- 

 wandered from paper to paper, until it had 

 spread throughout the length and breadth of 

 the United States, when it was captured by 

 Mr. Tukeman, who with much artistic color 

 and some realistic touches, transferred it to 

 McClures Magazine^ and — unfortunately for 

 the officials thereof — to the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution. 



And now, once for all, it may be said that 

 there is 7io mounted mammoth to awe the visitor 

 to the national collections or to any other ; 

 and yet there seems no good and conclusive 

 reason why there should not be. True, there 

 are no live mammoths to be had at any price ; 

 neither are their carcasses to be had on de- 

 mand ; still there is good reason to believe 



