ELEPHANT TUSKS 399 



The cores taken out of mammoth ivory are more acute 

 and pointed than in the case of elephant ivory, where the 

 structure is more gradually tapering. The ivory scraps 

 are sent to Japan and India in large quantities to be used 

 for inlays in wood and for other ornamental purposes, as is 

 done with the scraps of elephant ivory. 



Many mammoth tusks received here have two, three, 

 and up to five circular indentations; these are test marks 

 of the finder or buyer, who tries the surface or bark of the 

 tusk to ascertain whether the ivory beneath is in good con- 

 dition or otherwise. If the bark or outer surface has disap- 

 peared or is unsound, this is a sign that the interior ivory 

 is also unsound, and if the bark is spongy, or "dozy" in 

 commercial parlance, this is a clear indication that the 

 ivory is similarly soft and spongy. The hollow end of the 

 tusk is called the "pulp end." 



In many of the mammoth tusks the ring growths men- 

 tioned by Henry Fairfield Osborn as appearing on the War- 

 ren Mastodon are visible. On one tusk forty thin rings 

 were to be seen; these were apparent if the hand were lightly 

 passed over them. Just how these ring growths are formed, 

 whether they are strictly seasonal and give precise or ap- 

 proximate indications of age, it is impossible to determine 

 definitely, but it is quite possible that as the body develops 

 the tusk is gradually pushed out and the ringlike markings 

 become visible. 



The shippers of tusks generally find that they are de- 

 livered in better condition if they are shipped unwrapped, 

 as in this case more care is taken in handling them. How- 

 ever, tusks are sometimes wrapped in gunny bags. Mam- 

 moth tusks from Alaska are sewed with thongs in rawhide, 

 the skin side within; these skins appear to be those of the 

 dog, the yak, or some such animal. Frequently more than 

 one tusk is wrapped in a single skin. The great mass of 



