546 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1917. 



weighed 875 pounds and measured only 4 feet 3 inches in height at 

 the shoulder. She is known as " Jumbina." She was captured in 

 the region of the Blue Nile and is of the geographical race known 

 as the Abyssinian elephant (Loxodonta africana oxyotis) . In " Jum- 

 bina's " house will be seen a picture of the famous African elephant 

 " Jumbo," probably the largest elephant ever shown in captivity, and 

 a representative of this same Abyssinian race. Near the picture is 

 a marked pole which shows graphically the great height of that 

 enormous elephant — nearly 11 feet at the shoulder. There are, how- 

 ever, authentic records of wild African elephants of greater size than 

 Jumbo; the highest reliable record is of one which measured 11 feet 

 G^ inches. 



Tusks of female elephants are much smaller and more slender 

 than those of males, but sometimes grow to a great length. In the 

 National Museum is a pair of tusks from a female collected by Mr. 

 Paul J. Rainey near Mount Marsabit, British East Africa, one of 

 which measures 5 feet 10 inches in length, and is supposed to be the 

 record female tusk. 



The tusks of elephants are the incisor teeth and are the chief 

 source of commercial ivory. Some of the extinct elephants, as the 

 mastodon, had tusks in the lower as well as the upper jaws. A single 

 tusk of an East African bull elephant has been known to weigh 235 

 pounds, but this of course is far in excess of the normal weight even 

 for a large animal. Heller says the average tusk weight to-day for 

 old wild bull elephants is not more than 40 pounds for each tusk; 

 but before the biggest males were shot off by the professional ivory 

 hunters the average was probably about 80 pounds. The female tusk 

 mentioned above as of extraordinary length weighs only 28 pounds. 



THE TAPIRS. 



Two pairs of the Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris) are living 

 in the Zoological Park under very different conditions. One pair, 

 quartered near the elephants in outdoor yards with warm but unheated 

 shelter, have withstood the winter weather of Washington since 1911. 

 These animals came from the Zoological Gardens at Buenos Aires 

 when about 2 years of age. They appear quite unmindful of the 

 cold and are in perfect condition. It is not at all unusual in winter 

 to see them out enjoying themselves in the snow when other animals, 

 even those from temperate or colder climates, have retired to their 

 shelters. The other pair, with quarters in the lion house, have been 

 much longer in the park — the male since 1899. This pair has been 

 of more than usual interest to visitors and to the management of 

 the park for they have reared no less than nine young since 1903. 

 Their progeny now live in zoological gardens in several American 



