What'zit Horn

[Tim Crosby]

 Jim Hays had this down at the Trade fair at Canter's Cave last weekend. Got any ideas??
We thought ball horn, bait horn, and caps. The two eye hooks are firmly planted for a carrying cord.
The stopper was well worn but fit the opening well. Over all it is about 6".

 Tim C.

[T.C.Albert]

is there any residue back in the plug end? A dental mirror and a good flash light might allow you to see inside the thing to look for clues...?
TC

[wpalongrifle]

Could it be an old grease horn?  Hung on side of a Conestoga wagon..

[Tim Crosby]

Could it be an old grease horn?  Hung on side of a Conestoga wagon..

 I have seen those and they all have been pretty good size. This is pretty small and I'm not sure how you would get it in or out. Plus it shows no residue of grease or anything else other than dirt as far as that goes.

 Tim C.

[Dennis Glazener]

Someone made a birdhouse out of an old horn.
Dennis

[Carl Dumke]

Being only about the size of a $1 bill--it must be very utilitarian.  Possibly for something like bird shot, nails or seeds maybe. 

[Pvt. Lon Grifle]

Hmmmm. The ends of the slot appear to have been drilled then connected. One wouldn't have to do that for shot, ball,  or most seeds. Good tight stopper with no tether.  Must not have worried about stopper loss.     

Could you get a pinch of chew or snuff out? I can't tell without scale.   

The horn stopped being used long ago. Are the iron bits forged or machine made ? I didn't think iron eyes were very common in older horns. This horn would likely followed powder horn practice if really old. 

Home made because a little tin or box could not be had as easy as making a "container".  Maybe used in connection with a tool box or some kind of bag, since is old and cruddy but not especially beat up. 

How about a bag horn for the old hunting pouch to hold those  modern  22 cartridges  used in the first 22 rifle in the cove?    Lon 

[Tim Crosby]

  I saw no type of residue in the horn and I even gave it a good sniff to see if I could detect an odor that may have been left by whatever was in it. From the looks of them the little eye hooks were either cast or forged, I say that because they are continuous, you can see a flat on the one in the base. They were threaded though, you can just barely see a thread or two at the tip. I don't think it was tobacco or snuff, too hard to get in and out.  Lots of possibilities, probably never know  for sure. If there were a couple of air holes I would say bait, crickets or grasshoppers.

 Tim C.