542 H, Woodward — On the Mammoth. 



broken away with their incisive alveoli. That on the right side lay 

 20 feet away from the skull, while that on the left has not yet been 

 discovered. Owing to the surprizing skill of Mr. Davies, the skull 

 and tusk were taken up and re-united, and now constitute by far the 

 finest specimen of Mammoth in the British Museum." 



Now, if this were the case, the specimen in the National Collection 

 would have no higher claim than the St. Petersburg example, to be 

 cited as positive proof of the normal curvature of the tusks. But the 

 woodcut given in Vol. I. of this Magazine (1864:), p. 243, partly 

 from a rough drawing made by myself on the spot, and partly from 

 the specimen as it was lying in the mason's shop at the Museum, 

 shows the alveolus and tusk united. The wood-engraver did not, 

 however, reverse it, hence it appears that the riglii side has the per- 

 fect alveolus instead of the left, as now correctly represented by Mr. 

 De Wilde in Plate XXIII. herewith. The rigid-hand tusk was the 

 one found detached, as mentioned by Mr. Dawkins. It is placed be- 

 side the torn alveolus, as Mr. Waterhouse was disinclined to restore 

 it; the artist has, however, represented the right-side as restored 

 in Plate XXII. The left side was that exposed in the pit and was 

 quite entire, save the zygomatic arch, which was probably broken by 

 the workmen before our arrival.-^ 



In order to remove the vast and elongated mass of friable mate- 

 rials, it was found absolutely necessary to saw off the left attached 

 tusk, about 6 inches below the alveolus, but the parts were again 

 brought into normal contact in their true position after they had 

 been placed in the gallery. The left alveolus was never broken, 

 and the curvature of the socket, as well as of the tusk itself is 

 therefore genuine and natural.^ 



A reference to Plate XXII. will show that there is a natural bend 

 in the alveoli, and it would therefore be impossible to thrust a 

 left-hand tusk into a right-hand socket ; but if the tusks were sawn 

 off helow the alveolus then the lower portions might be transposed, 

 and so placed as to have an outward curidng extremity. 



It is possible that Adams may have really obtained the actual 

 tusks belonging to the skeleton of the Mammoth which he found, 

 but not having seen them when attached to the animal, the tusks 

 may have been placed in contact with the wrong sockets. 



We know that the Ilford specimen was that of an aged individual, 

 by its having cut its last pair of molars, and by these having been 

 considerably worn. The St. Petersburg specimen is, no doubt, also 

 that of an adult. 



That the tusks in the young Mammoth were directed forwards and 

 outwards, seems certain, but in the adult they all have, near their 

 points, an upward and inward curve. 



Nor need we be surprised at this, for, as a rule, we find that the 

 continued growth of the tusks and the horns of most aged animals 

 endowed with these weapons of offence and defence, is not that best 



1 This has since been restored by modelling the right side and then reversing it. 

 « The curvature of the right tusk corresponds with the left, showing that they are 

 from the right and left side of the same head. 



