153 Cjujcchircl Ohservations on the Mammotfu 



of its combating with the larger serpents, as the neck a'p-* 

 pears the only portion vuhierable in the mammoth by tliC 

 writhing?, of those reptiles, whlcli if perhaps not well de- 

 fended by the tusks of the former, might endanger its stran- 

 gulation : the prominent ridgy baek, and allowance of con- 

 ?iderable motion on the part of the head, would certainly 

 be favourable circumstances when viewed in the present 

 light. Whether the hide of the mammoth may or may 

 not have been susceptible of being pierced by the teeth of 

 serpents I will not pretend to conjecture ; but if it were so, 

 it is to be recollected that the bite of venomous serpents is 

 dangerous in proportion as the animal bitten is more or less 

 of a hot-blooded temperament * : hence the amphibious- 

 nature, together with the food of the mammoth, rendering, 

 him a cold-blooded animal, fits him still better as the op- 

 ponent of the serpent tribe. 'Tis motu probable, that as the 

 quickness of siy;ht in serpents is even proverbial, the enemy 

 of these formidable reptiles would be endowed with equal- 

 perfection in some other organ the better to search them out : 

 perhaps the notorious odour of the majority of serpents will 

 warrant us in concluding that the organs of smell would 

 be destined for that purpose. As a serpent when desirous 

 of evading the view of its natural enemy would most pro- 

 bably retreat to the neighboviring swamps, burying himself 

 with all possible speed therein, so the latter should be ca- 

 pable of exerting a considerable desiree of activity for at 

 least a short space of time; and in this respect also the 

 manunoth v>'ell corresponds. 



With regard to the strength of the opponent of this' 

 tnbc of deleterious creatures, we rnu^t at once see the pro- 

 priety of it; but referring to his bulk, it certainly appears 

 not so immediately necessary, were it not that, upon anore 

 ntature consideration, it secuis requisite that this opponent 

 of the serpent kind should feed on the flesh of the same ;, 

 otherwise the putrefying carcases of so bulky a class of be- 

 ings as many of these are, would prove perhaps as delete- 

 rious to the inhabitants of the vicinity, human or brutal, as' 

 though their destruction had not taken place; not to men- 

 tion also the necessity of his feeding on sonie such kind of 

 diet tji) stamp him as a cold-blooded amphibious animal j 

 otlierwise b.z would not be adapted for the purposes of hi* 

 creation, ncr could he under contrary circumstances feed on, 

 ihc fle-h of the vmomuus classes without deadly hazard. 



li the mannnotlj. is allowed to be the natural enemy of 



• Asiatic Rcscarclies, voL vi. p. no. 



the 



I 



