398 MERISTIC VARIATION. [part I. 



on the hind foot, and I am not aware that variations from this 

 number have been seen. 



In the Indian elephant there is variation, and though I cannot 

 give any complete account of the matter the following particulars 

 may be of interest. 



According to Buffox the ' Elephant ' has generally five hoofs 

 on both fore and hind feet, but sometimes there are four, or even 

 three 1 . He gives a particular case of an Indian elephant with 

 four hoofs on each foot, both fore and hind feet. 



Tachard 2 , to whom Buffon refers, was desired by the French 

 Academy to notice on his journey in Siam, whether elephants had 

 hoofs, and he states that all that he saw had five on each foot. 

 Possibly the four- toed variety does not occur in Siam. 



I am indebted to Mr W. T. Blanford for the information that 

 the natives of India attach importance to the number of hoofs, 

 and also for the following references. Hodgson 3 gives a sketch 

 of elephants with four hoofs on each foot, marked " Elephas 

 Tndicus, var. isodactylus nob., Hab. the Saul forest," together with 

 the following note : " The natives of Nepal distinguish between 

 the breeds with four toes [sic] on all the feet and those with five 

 to four toes." Sanderson 4 speaking of this says that some 

 elephants have but sixteen hoofs, the usual number being five on 

 each fore foot and four on each hind foot ; and that in the native 

 opinion 'a less number than eighteen hoofs in all disqualifies the 

 best animals.' Forsyth 5 also alludes to the same fact. 



Taken together these accounts seem to shew that five on the 

 fore foot and four on the hind foot is the most usual number, but 

 that both the number on the fore foot may diminish to four and 

 that on the hind foot may increase to five. Several text-books 

 mention the subject but I know no statistics regarding it. In 

 view of the different number characteristic of the African elephant 

 this variation has some interest. In particular it would be of use 

 to know whether the variation exhibits Discontinuity, and also 

 to what extent it is symmetrical. 



Inheritance of digital Variation. 



614. Recurrence of digital Variation in strains or families is frequent, 

 but though many observations on the subject have been made no 

 guiding principle has been recognized. To the general statement that 

 digital Variation, whether taking the form of poly dactyl ism or other- 



1 Buffon, Hist. Nat., xxviii. p. 201. The mention of three hoofs must I think 

 refer to the African species, which Buffon does not distinguish from the Indian. 

 In the Cambridge Museum (Catal. 699) is an old preparation of the skin of an 

 elephant's foot having three hoofs. This is declared by the Catalogue to be the 

 fore foot of an Indian elephant. Perhaps this is a mistake. 



2 Tachard, Voy. de Siam, 1687, p. 233. 



3 Hodgson, B. H., Mammals of India, MS. in Zool. Soc. Library. 



4 Sanderson, G. P., Wild Beasts of India, p. 83. 



5 Forsyth, J., Highlands of India, 1872, p. 286. 



