NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PAEK HOLLISTER. 545. 



THE UNGULATES, OR HOOFED MAMMALS. 



Modern systematic maimnalogists divide the existing "hoofed 

 animals" into four orders — the Proboscidea (elephants), Hyracoidea 

 (hyraxes), Perissodactyla (horses, tapirs, and rhinoceroses), and the 

 Artiodactyla (cattle, sheep, antelopes, deer, camels, swine, and hip- 

 popotamuses). The Perissodactyla are called the "odd-toed" ungu- 

 lates, and usually have an uneven number of toes; as the existing 

 horse with one functional toe, and the rhinoceros with three. The 

 main axis of the foot passes through the third digit. The tapii^s, 

 although having four toes on the fore limb, have only three be- 

 hind. The Artiodactyla are loiown as "even-toed" ungulates and 

 have either two or four toes on each foot. These include the true 

 "cloven hoofed" animals. 



The ungulates are important and popular mammals in zoological 

 parks and are peculiarly suitable for exhibition purposes because 

 many species can be shown in open yards or paddocks which approx- 

 imate in many instances the natural surroundings inhabited by the 

 animals. No less than 50 species are usually shown in the National 

 Zoological Park, many of which are represented by small breeding- 

 herds. 



THE ELEPHANTS. 



There are many points of difference between the Indian elephant 

 {ElepTias maxlmus) and the African elephant {Loxodonta africana), 

 but the most conspicuous mark to separate them is the considerable 

 diversity in the size and shape of the ear, that of the African elephant 

 being much larger than the ear of the Asiatic species. Both kinds 

 are divisible into a number of forms, no less than 11 subspecies of 

 the African elephant having been recognized by one authority. 

 African elephants attain a greater bulk than their Asiatic kindred, 

 but are not commonly seen in shows or parks, almost all the elephants 

 exhibited in circuses being of the Indian species. 



Perhaps no single animal in the park was better known to the 

 people of the vicinity of Washington than " Dunk," an Indian ele- 

 phant. Hundreds of the present day business and professional men 

 of the District knew "Dunk" when they were children. He was the 

 first animal to be placed in the Zoological Park when the present 

 site was occupied, and was a gift from James E. Cooper, the pro- 

 prietor of the Adam Forepaugh Shows, April 30, 1891. He was then 

 about 25 years old, and he lived to an age of over 50 years. 



The little African elephant now on exhibition in the park was 

 brought from the Government Zoological Garden at Giza, Egypt, 

 by head keeper Blackburne in 1913. At the time of her arrival she 



