Membir upon living and fossil. Elephants. 159 
‘ and even in places where they could not subsist at present, 
has struck every one with astonishment, and has given rise 
te a number of hypotheses in order to account for them: 
but it would have been highly proper if as much activity 
had been shown in determining the conditions and the na- 
ture of the problem, as there has been in resolving its and 
perhaps this very negligence in fixing the bases, and even 
the terms of the question, has been one of the causes-why 
the most ef these solutiens have been so unfortunate. it 
must be admitted, at least, that we have been rather too 
late in- occupying ourselves with questions which ought te 
have been answered before trying cur strength in resolying 
the problem. 
Are the elephants of the present day of the same species ? 
Supposing that there are several species, are the fossil ele~ 
phants of different countries indiscriminately of all. these 
different species? or rather, Are they divided into different 
countries, according to their species? or are they of species 
which are now lost? 
It is evident that we can say nothing demonstrable upon 
the problem, before resolving all the preliminary questions ; 
and we are as yet hardly in possession of the elements ne- 
cessary for the solution of some of them. 
The osteologies of the elephant hitherto published are so 
little detailed, that. we cannot as yet say of several of them if 
they belong to the osteology of any of our living elephants; 
and of the innumerable quantity of fossil ossifications so 
much talked of by authors, we have scarcely obtained passa- 
ble drawings of two or three. Daubenton, who had_an 
African skeleton before his eyes, perceived none of the enor- 
mous differences of its grinders from’ those of a fossil ske~ 
leton; and he confounds a fossil thigh of the animal of the 
Ohio with that of the elephant. The comparisons made by 
Tentzelius, by Pallas, and so many others, of fossil bones 
with fresh ones, were never expressed, except in general 
terms; and were never accompanied with exact drawings, 
rigorous measurements, nor those abundant details ‘which 
such important inquiries necessarily require, 
7 
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