382 SYSTEMATIC ZOOLOGY. 



jaw. These molars are flat-crowned, the surface of the 

 crown being crossed by several ridges of harder enamel. 

 Only two, or at most three, of these molars are in use at 

 once, but as the old ones wear out they drop out at the 

 front of the jaw, and are replaced by new ones from behind 

 until the seven are gone. The skull is enormous, but it is 

 comparatively light on account of the numerous cavities in 

 the bone. Most striking of all is the proboscis, which is 

 merely an enormously developed nose, with capacities 

 which only one who has studied an elephant can realize. 

 The skin is almost entirely naked, hairs being scarce, and 

 on the tail taking the shape of long wiry bristles. 



To-day two species of elephants exist, one having its 

 home in India, the other in Africa. In the later geological 

 ages there were several others, one, the mammoth, having 

 lived in America and others in Europe. Towards the 

 end of the eighteenth century remains of hairy elephants 

 even the flesh being preserved were found imbedded in 

 the ice in northern Siberia. Another has recently been 

 found equally well preserved. Allied to the elephants were 

 the somewhat larger mastodons, in which the molar teeth 

 bore conical cusps, while the tusks were frequently enor- 

 mous. Some mastodons had incisors in the lower jaw 

 as well. 



ORDER IX. HYRACOIDEA (Coneys). 



This order contains but two or three species, distributed 

 from Syria south into Africa. In having long curved 

 incisors and absence of canines they recall the rodents; 

 in other points their structure is like that of the rhinoceros, 

 while the foot-pads on their feet recall those of the cat or 

 dog. The Hyrax of Syria is probably the coney of the 

 Old Testament. 



