The Truth about the Mammoth

Frederick A. Lucas

IBUKI - 1995 Annals of Science #364 $6.95

This article appeared simultaneously in McClures Magazine for February 1900 and the annual report of the Smithsonian Institution for 1899. The story of this article is interesting:

[Editor's Note.--In the October number of McClure's Magazine was published a short story, "The Killing of the Mammoth," by H. Tuckerman, which, to the amazement of the editors was taken by many readers not as fiction, but as a contribution to natural history. Ever since the appearance of that number of the magazine the authorities of the Smithsonian Institution, in which the author had located the remains of the beast of his fancy, have been beset with visitors to see the stuffed mammoth, and our daily mail, as well as that of the Smithsonian Institution, has been filled with inquires for more information and for requests to settle wagers as to whether it was a true story or not. The contribution in question was printed purely as fiction, with no idea of misleading the public, and was entitled a story in our table of contents. We doubt if any writer of realistic fiction ever had a more general and convincing proof of success. The very general interest that has been shown in the subject has convinced us that our readers would be glad to know the truth about the mammoth, and acordingly we have asked Mr. F.A. Lucas, of the National Museum, to prepare the following article. If the mammoth, as Mr. Lucas knows him, is less in size and belongs to an earlier date than the mammoth as Mr. Tukeman painted him, we believe our readers will find him no less interesting.]

For your amusement, we have included both the scientific article and the original piece of fiction by Mr. Tukeman.