MAMMOTH IVORY. 365 



near the site of the modern Nijni-Novgorod. The first Siberian mam- 

 moth tusk imported into Western Europe in modern times was l)rouoht 

 to London in the year 1611 by one Josias Logan, by whom it had been 

 purchased from the Samoyedes of the Pechora district. Concerning 

 this specimen, Baron Nordenskiold writes that as Englishmen at that 

 time visited Moscow frequently, and for long periods, a remark 

 occurring in Purchas's 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 

 traveled in Russia during 1685, 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 hilts, being preferred to 

 Indian ivory on account of its whiter color and finer grain. And here 

 it may be incidentally mentioned that, according to the same author, 

 the Russian term ' ' mammout " is a corruption of the Hebrew behemot, 

 or behemoth, which the Arabs make mehemot. Canon Tristram is, 

 however, of opinion that in the Bible behemoth often refers to the 

 hippopotamus; and if this be correct, a transference of the name 

 would appear to have been made by the Arabs, this being the less 

 improbable since it is stated in Hebrew to be applicable to any large 

 beast. 



Apart from this there is a record that about 172ti Peter the Great 

 ordered the collection of tusks and other remains of the mammoth for 

 the museum at St. Petersburg. And between 1750 and ITTO a Russian 

 trader named Liakhoff established an extensive importation of mam- 

 moth ivory from the districts lying between the Khotanga and Anad}^- 

 rivers, and likewise from one of the southernmost islands of the New 

 Siberian group, which still bears his own name. Surveys subsequently 

 made by the government in those islands indicated that the soil is teem- 

 ing with the bones, tusks, and teeth of mammoths, while the adjacent 

 mud banks exposed at low tide are equally prolific. Some idea of their 

 abundance may be gathered from the account given b}-^ Dr. Bunge, who 

 visited Liakhoff Island from 1882 to 1884, and in the course of three 

 short summers collected no less than 3,500 selected specimens. In the 

 New Siberian Islands the thermometer now often falls to 50^ C. below 

 freezing point, so that collecting is an impossibility during the winter. 



With regard to the amount of mammoth ivory that conies into the 

 market accounts are by no means so numerous nor so accurate as 

 might be desired. It is stated, however, that in 1821 a Yakut brought 

 back 500 puds (40 pounds to the pud) from the New Siberian Islands, 

 and between the years 1825 and 1831 the amount annually sold in 

 Yakutsk ranged between 1,500 and 2,000 puds in addition to that 

 disposed of at other towns. Many writers speak of seeing boat loads 

 of tusks on the Lena and Yenisei, a steamer which carried Baron 



