482 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Reference has already been made to the paucity of existing species 

 of elephants, only two distinct species being included in the lists of 

 modern naturalists. These are the African elephant (Loxodon [or Ele- 

 phas] Africanus) and the Indian elephant (Elephas Indicus). But 

 the elephantine race is not without its variations and digressions from 

 the ordinary type. We discover that among the elephants of each 

 species " varieties " are by no means uncommon. These varieties ap- 

 pear as the progeny of ordinary animals. Thus the Sumatran elephant 

 and that of Ceylon are regarded as constituting a distinct species, one 

 authority (Schlegel), indeed, affixing to it the distinctive appellation 

 of Elephas Sumatrensis. The balance of zoological opinion, however, 

 is in favor of the Ceylon form being simply a " variety " of the Indian 

 species ; in other words, the differences between these two forms are 

 not accounted of sufficient merit to elevate the former to the rank of a 

 distinct animal unit. The famous "white elephants," whose existence 

 has given origin to the proverbial expression concerning the disadvan- 

 tage of unwieldy possessions, have a veritable existence. In Siam, as 

 is well known, these animals are regarded with the utmost reverence, 

 and are held in sacred estimation and kept in royal state by sovereign 

 command. They are to be regarded, however, merely as an albino or 

 colorless " variety " of the Indian species. Their production depends, 

 like that of albinos or white varieties of birds or other animals, on 

 some undetermined conditions affecting development. We occasion- 

 ally find white varieties of birds even including that paradoxical 

 anomaly, a white blackbird and albino cats are as familiar objects as 

 are albino rabbits and white mice. Darwin remarks on the fact that 

 albinism is very susceptible of transmission to offspring, and it is 

 so even in the human race. It is not known whether the white 

 elephants exhibit any special peculiarity of structure or life ; but the 

 interesting correlation has been observed that almost all white cats 

 which possess blue eyes are deaf. The nature and origin of this 

 association of characters are unknown, but the occurrence of such 

 apparently unconnected states serves to remind us that great as 

 yet are the mysteries which environ the becoming of the living 

 worlds. 



The characters of the Indian and African elephants, respectively, 

 are by no means difficult to bear in mind. The Indian elephant (Fig. 

 1, 2) has a concave or hollow forehead, and the ears are of relatively 

 moderate size. The eye is exceptionally small, while there are four 

 nails or hoofs on the hind-feet, the number of toes on each foot being 

 five in all elephants. The color of the Indian species is, moreover, a 

 pale brown, and is of a lighter hue than that of the African species ; 

 and, while the former has " tusks " in the males alone, the latter pos- 

 sesses tusks in both sexes. The African elephant ( Fig. 1, 1) has a 

 rounded skull and a convex forehead, and the ears are of very large 

 size. It possesses only three nails on the hind-feet, and four hoofs on 



