The Eastern Congo 



dark brown ivory frequently seen in and about the Ituri 

 Forest. The tusks in question are so dark,* in fact, that 

 they may best be described as looking as if they had been 

 heavily smoked, and are in such striking contrast to the well 

 known ivory colour that one is at a loss to account for it. 

 As the elephants to be found in the grass country bordering 

 on the forest have the usual white tusks and as food in all 

 animals affects to a large extent the growth of their teeth, 

 tusks and horns, it is most probably occasioned by the type 

 of food that the forest elephants prefer. 



Whether the staining process occurs externally around the 

 lip of the animal or within the tusk itself, I would not like 

 to say. The fact that the part of the tusk imbedded in the 

 head is not blackened proves nothing, as the " bark " of the 

 ivory may become dark on exposure to the atmosphere as 

 the teeth grow downwards. Although the Congo forest 

 ivory does not fetch such good prices as the white quality, it 

 is nevertheless much sought after as the "bark" of the 

 tusk only is coloured, and not the solid ivory itself. 



It is a noticeable fact and one which may have a bearing 

 on the subject, that the droppings of all the forest elephants 

 are affected to such an extent by the chemicals contained in 

 the class of food they eat, that they are, as a rule, black 

 instead of the usual brown colour. 



The Pigmies, who are located all through the central and 

 eastern portion of the Ituri Forest, are in a way indispen- 

 sable to the hunter, but too much reliance must not be 

 placed on them. They all have " their axe to grind," and 

 in their cunning way will try and make the hunter 



* Similarly dark-tinted ivory is found in the dense forests of Liberia. — 

 H. H. J. 



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