THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT. 109 



in a very curious manner in both kinds of elephants, 

 more than a portion of the two in use never pro- 

 jecting from the gum at the same time, the remain- 

 der being hidden in the jaw, and moving forward as 

 the exposed portion is worn away by mastication. 

 When the anterior tooth is thus worn out, absorp- 

 tion of its fangs and sockets ensues, while the pos- 

 terior molar takes its place, its position being in 

 time occupied by a third, which undergoes the same 

 process, and so on for at least seven times. An 

 elephant's molar tooth, therefore, is never to be seen 

 in a perfect state. 



Mr. Corse, speaking of the Asiatic elephant, 

 states that the first, or milk-tusks (corresponding to 

 the incisor teeth), never grow to any size, but are 

 shed between the first and second year ; the time 

 at which the tusk cuts the gum seems to vary in 

 different individuals. He also mentions a young 

 male which cut his tusks when about five months 

 old, while those of another did not appear till he 

 was seven months old. He gives the following 

 examples of the progress of this part of the denti- 

 tion : " A young elephant shed one of his milk- 

 tusks when nearly thirteen months old, and the 

 other about three weeks later ; they were merely 

 two blackish stumps when shed, but two months 

 afterwards the permanent tusks cut the gum, be 

 ing at first black and ragged at the ends. When, 



