Journal of Travel and Natural History 265 



A NINE-TUSKED ELEPHANT. 



IF the reader will take the trouble to turn to our review of 

 Chapman's Travels in South Africa he will find there mention 

 made of a most remarkable abnormality in the dentition of the 

 Elephant, which occurred in an individual killed near the Zambesi. 

 The phenomenon appeared to us to open up too wide a field of 

 inquiry to be satisfactorily disposed of as a digression in the midst 

 of a review, and we therefore reserved it for discussion in a separate 

 article. The passage in Mr Chapman's work is as follows : — 



"The elephant killed by Molefi, otherwise called Rapiet, six years ago, on 

 the Teouge, and which attracted notice from the singularity of its having no less 

 than nine perfect tusks, was, he told me, a male. The tusks were ranged five 

 on one side and four on the other. I purchased some of the tusks at the time ; 

 but they had been rnixed up -vyith many others, and, when I lieard of the 

 peculiarity, they could not be identified. I got Molefi to describe the affair 

 over again, and Bainesmade a sketclifrom liis description. " — (Chapman's Travels, 

 vol. ii., p. 98.) 



The reader will remember that Mr Baines accompanied Mr 

 Chapman on the journey referred to, and that Mr Baines had 

 already, some years since, published an interesting account of his 

 travels, entitled "Explorations in South Africa." In that work he 

 speaks of the same elephant in the following passage : — - 



' ' One of the most wonderful freaks of nature I have heard of, is an elephant 

 with nine tusks, shot about the year 1856 by this man. It had on the right 

 side five and on the left four, all growing as usual out of the upper jaw. The 

 pair occupying the usual place were of about thirty pounds weight each ; just 

 behind them were a pair somewhat larger, pointing downward and backward ; 

 between these was another smaller pair, and before and behind them in the 

 right jaw were two others, but in the left only one behind, all these being much 

 smaller. I made two sketches, one of each side in his presence ; and there is 

 no doubt of the fact, as Mr Edwards, the partner of Chapinan, bought six of the 

 tusks ; the head unfortunately was broken up." — (Baines' "Explorations in South 

 Africa," p. 454.) 



Mr Chapman is in South Africa, beyond reach of our interpolla- 

 tions, but Mr Baines fortunately resides in London, and we have 

 thus been able to obtain some additional details from him per- 



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