453 
blue. For this purpose its present value is £5 to £6 per 
ton ; and I am informed by a collector that about ten tons' 
weight is produced weekly in Sheffield. This appears a large 
weight; but a very considerable proportion of waste is pro- 
duced in working horn, and the waste from the makers of 
buttons from cattle hoofs is no doubt included in the 
estimate. Of Ox, Cow, and Buffalo Horn Tips, I sup- 
pose 350 tons per annum are used in Sheffield, in 
addition to those from the horns cut in the town, these 
are chiefly pressed ; but such of the Ox and Cow Tips as 
are sound and richly mottled are called self- tips, and are 
worked to the required shape by the circular saw and the 
file. The heat requisite for pressing them would damage 
the colour, and pressed horn being much more liable to 
run out of shape with use, self-tip handles make a much 
more durable handle than pressed horn, and have a very 
superior appearance. 
The import of Stag and Deer Horns is probably about 
450 tons per annum, and this import is exclusively for 
Sheffield. The chief supply is from the East Indies : and 
from Colombo (in Ceylon), Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras 
350 to 400 tons per annum are shipped. The remaining 
supply is received from Germany, Italy, Southern Russia, 
Spain, and Norway. The German is the most esteemed, 
and it is worth from £100 to £180 per ton. The supply 
from that country lessens each year as the forests decrease 
and the native cutlery manufacture extends. The present 
value of Indian Stag Horn is from £30 to £50 per ton. 
Some years ago it was £65 to £80. Stag Horn is sawn 
into scales and handles by circular and hand saws, and the 
waste pieces are boiled for sizing in the cloth-making dis- 
tricts. With the exception of the Elk (not yet extinct in 
Germany, and having the heaviest of horns), the Deer tribe 
have horns heavy and solid in proportion to the heat of the 
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