Suburban Geology of Richmond, Indiana. 



301 



ing to it a twisted appearance, as represented in the following 

 figure. 



The fistular passage is evidently the work of art ; Fig. 13. 

 the spiral channel is as unquestionably the work 

 of nature. The tube appears to have been formed 

 by boring at the opposite ends of the ivory with a 

 slender and sharp fragment of flint, fitted to a han- 

 dle ; for the interior shows that the operator was at 

 first unsuccessful in bringing about a union of the 

 opposite borings, and a piece of flint was found 

 broken off at the bottom of the tube, where it had 

 passed by the bore from the other extremity : this 

 cecum was afterwards plugged with a piece of bone, 

 and the calibre, differently directed, was made to 

 inosculate with the contrary boring. 



The surface of this ivory article has been smooth- 

 ed, probably by artificial means, yet quite possibly 

 by accidental attrition. Small light brown spots 

 on several parts appear to be remains of the original 

 surface ; and in the volute, patches consisting of 

 several exceedingly thin films laid upon each other, 

 as if they had served as enamel, are very apparent ; 

 while myriads of striee scarcely perceptible to the 

 naked eye wind spirally around, crossing the vo- 

 lute at right angles, dipping down into it and pass- 

 ing under the filmy crusts, and reappearing on the 

 opposite side. The interior of this bone is of a 

 pure white color, exhibiting in a favorable light concentric and 

 rather elliptical curvatures, possessing a beautiful pearly irides- 

 cence. At the ends lines are seen running parallel with the trans- 

 verse curvature of the volute, and crossed by radiating or parallel 

 lines imperceptible to the unassisted eye ; it is heavy and exceed- 

 ingly hard, like the enamel of a tooth. 



In this connection I shall take the liberty of going considera- 

 bly beyond the limits which I have prescribed to myself in the 

 foregoing sections, for the purpose of embracing two other osse- 

 ous fossils of less dubious age — a tusk and a tooth. Both of 

 these were noticed in this Journal, (Vol. xl, p. 149, 1841,) in 

 a very brief manner, amounting to little more than a mere an- 



