THE ELEPHANT. 659 



also mentions a skeleton where the trunk could be distinguished. All 

 the varieties resemble our present elephant. Some were larger, others 

 smaller. Indian traditions called them the " Fathers of the Buffaloes," 

 and relate that they lived at the same time as men of huge size, and were 

 both destroved by the thunderbolts of the Great Spirit. The Powhatan 

 tribe in Virginia stated that the " Great Man " with his lightnings once 

 smote the whole herd of these monsters because they were destroying 

 the deer, bison, and other animals destined for the use of man. One 

 large bull, however, caught the thunderbolts on his head and turned 

 them aside, till at last he was struck in the flank. He fled, wounded, into 

 the Great Lake, where he will live for ever. 



European traditions, speaking of the bones of giants, refer to the 

 remains of either the Mastodon or the Mammoth. The Spartans saw 

 the bones of the hero Orestes in some bones twelve feet long, found in 

 Thrace. A gigantic kneepan found near Salamis was attributed to Ajax, 

 and other huge bones discovered in Sicily were confidently assigned to 

 the one-eyed giant, Polyphemus. 



THE ELEPHANT. 



The most remarkable characteristic of the Elephant is its trunk. 

 This organ, which is an organ at once of smell and touch, is an elonga- 

 tion of the nose, very remarkable for its mobility and sensibility. It 

 contains an immense number of circular and longitudinal muscles, which 

 enable it to turn in every direction, and to contract and elongate. It 

 ends in a finger-like projection about five inches long, and in the ordi- 

 nary actions of life is an instrument that performs all the functions of a 

 hand. It seizes and picks up the smallest objects ; it can uncork a bottle, 

 or fire off a pistol. In the natural state, the Elephant makes use of it 

 for conveying food to its mouth ; for lifting heavy weights, and putting 

 them on its back ; for drinking, by filling it with water, and then letting 

 the water pour down its throat. With this instrument it defends itself, 

 and attacks others ; it seizes its enemies, entwines them in its folds, 

 squeezes them, crushes them, and tosses them into the air, or hurls them 

 to the ground, afterwards to be trampled under its broad feet. The 

 trunk is a conical tube, of an irregular form, very elongated, truncated 

 and funnel-shaped at the end. The upper side is convex, and fluted 

 along its breadth ; the underside is flat, and furnished with two Ion- 



