This mammoth, however, had disappeared from southern Europe and for many years its subsequent history remained a mystery. The late Dr. Henry Fairfield Osborn had been engaged in an extensive study of the subject, and when the nearly perfect skeleton from Angus, Nebraska, was brought to his attention he recognized it as being closely related to _meridionalis_, and considered it to be a record of the migration of that species into North America. Because of minor variations from the typical mammoth of southern Europe he regarded it as a variety or subspecies which had descended from the latter, and the subspecific name, _nebrascensis_, was added to take care of this situation, using a Latinized form of the name of the State in which the skeleton was found. With the knowledge we now have of these mammoths it becomes apparent that _Archidiskodon meridionalis nebrascensis_ is an ancestor of the imperial mammoth, currently known as _Archidiskodon imperator_, and not identical with it. This instance is typical of the manner in which prehistoric animals obtain their names. Although given a Latin form, these technical names are derived from many languages, and the root words are applied with reference to anything that happens to appeal to the author as significant. Consequently there is seldom a name of this kind which may be translated directly into natural history or science. It is a mistake to believe that these strange phrases conceal important technical information which is available only to those who are familiar with dead and foreign languages. Actually they contain nothing of the sort, and the most enlightened of the Greeks and Romans could not find it there. When a name is needed there is none better than the one provided by the specialist who is skilled in the business of naming things. Some technical ability is required, to apply the name where it properly belongs, but technical knowledge is not obtained from such sources. Names, in any form, have another purpose to serve. There is no magic in them and there need be no mystery about them. [Illustration: Molar Tooth of Mammoth This type of tooth is constructed for long continued use and will withstand the wear of more abrasive foods. The position of the white enamel plates is seen in this view of the grinding surface. These plates extend all the way to the base of the tooth, which is of the long-crowned variety and not to be destroyed by the wearing away of a single outside layer of enamel.]