614 FROZEN MAMMOTH IN SIBERIA. 



After taking some pictures 1 eominenced to open up the mammoth 

 mound. The skull was soon exposed. Unfortunately luost of the 

 head skin had been devoured by carnivorous animals during the past 

 summer. To my greatest surprise I found well-preserved food frag- 

 ments between the teeth, Avhieli serves as proof that our manunoth, 

 after a short death struggle, died in this very position. The fact that 

 what we found was food and not substance carried in recently was 

 later proved by comparing it witli the stomach contents. 



Upon the left half of the bone between the jaws I could see marks 

 of the ax whicli the Lamuts used in chopping off the tusk, and could 

 thus determine detinitely that the tusk that I had seen in Sredne- 

 Kolymsk was from this particular mammoth, for 1 had carefully 

 measured and studied the cuts upon it. The right tusk evidently had 

 fallen out long ago, for I could find no traces of its forced severance 

 from 'the head. The lower jaw. which was fast in the ground, lay 

 upon a large piece of skin, whicli appeared later to belong to the 

 upper part of the chest. 



1 first gave orders to carefully remove the mound of earth about 

 the mammoth, beginning with the head. At a depth of 68 centi- 

 meters we found the left fore leg, still covered with hair on all sides 

 up to the humerus. The epidermis had apparentlv completely rotted, 

 but on account of the moist earth the hair still clung to the skin. In 

 a frozen condition we may perhaps succeed in getting it to St. 

 Petersl)urg. 



So far as a preliminary examination can determine, the hair on the 

 upper part of the left fore leg consists of a yellowish-brown crumpled 

 under coat 25 to 30 centimeters long, with a thiyk upper bristle-like 

 coat, the hairs of which have ragged ends, are rust-brown, and 10 to 

 12 centimeters long. The left fore leg is bent, so that it is evident 

 that the mammoth tried to crawl out of the pit or crevice into which 

 he proba])ly fell, ])ut apparently he was so badly injured by the fall 

 that he could not free himself. 



Fvu-ther excavation exposed also the right fore leg, which had 

 become turned almost horizontally under the abdomen during the 

 animal's fall. Only a very insignificant portion of the upper bristly 

 coat was preserved upon this leg, while the yellowish-])rown under 

 coat was preserved in several places. Upon the left hind leg I also 

 found portions of decayed flesh, in which the muscular bundles were 

 easily discernible. The stench emitted by this extremity was unbear- 

 able, so that it was necessary to stop work every minute. A thorough 

 washing failed to remove the horrible smell from our hands, and yet 

 we were obliged to perform part of our task with bare hands. 



Septeniber P2. — After we removed the earth from under the left leg 

 the thick hair on the under side came to view, especiall}' that on the 

 foot joint. Some of this hair fell oflF with the earth, but the larger 



