ELE 



ELE 



covered with palm-leaves. Whon distill- 

 ed in a water bath, elemi affords about 

 p'jth of essential oil, in which all the fra- 

 grance of the substance resides, the re- 

 sidue is inodorous and brittle. It is used 

 in medicine as a liniment, and is employed 

 in the arts us an ingredient in some var- 

 nishes. 



ELEPHANT. SeeEi-KPHAS. 



ELEPHANTOPUS, in botany, ele- 

 phatift foot, a genus of the Syngenesia 

 Polygamia Segregata class and order. 

 Natural order of Compositx. Capitals 

 Corymbiferx, Jussieu. Essential charac- 

 ter : calyx four-flowered ; corolla tubular, 

 hermaphrodite ; receptacle naked ; down 

 bristle-form. There are four species. 

 The American species are two : E. caro- 

 liiikinum, and E. tomentosa. 



The stems of these plants are woody ; 

 involucres three-leaved, containing three 

 calyxes, sometimes large, boat shaped, in 

 very loose corymbs, and on long pedi- 

 cles ; frequently smaller, in the shape of 

 bractes and axillary, sessile and In 

 spikes 



ELEPHAS, the elephant, in natural his- 

 tory, a genus of Mammalia of the order 

 Bruta. Generic character : no fore-teeth 

 in either jaw ; tusks of the upper jaw 

 elongated, none in the lower ; proboscis 

 very long and prehensile ; body with few 

 hairs. This animal is not to be met with 

 in its natural state throughout Europe or 

 America, and is to be found in its great- 

 est perfection of size and strength be- 

 tween the river Senegal and the Cape of 

 Good Hope in Africa. Its height is, gene- 

 rally, from twelve to fifteen feet. Its ears 

 are so large, that from the shoulder of a 

 middle-sized man they will extend to the 

 ground. In a state of tranquillity these 

 are pendulous, but during the agitation 

 of passion they are erected, and pointed 

 forwards with extreme intenseness. Its 

 legs resemble massy pillars, above five 

 feet in height, and sometimes sixteen 

 inches in diameter. The most curious 

 characteristic of the elephant is its pro- 

 boscis, which is an instrument of feeling 

 and of motion, and which it can contract 

 or lengthen at pleasure, and apply with 

 extreme flexibility and promptitude in 

 every possible direction. With this most 

 singular assistance, it grasps every object 

 with both the feeling and tenacity of the 

 human fingers. It thus picks up herbs 

 and roots from the ground, unties the 

 knots of cords, opens pates, and raises, 

 without hesitation and difficulty, from the 



VOL. IV. 



ground, the smallest coins. The nostrils 

 are situated at the end of this instrument, 

 which is the vehicle of its food and the 

 weapon of its defence ; and, in a full 

 grown animal, is generally of the length 

 of eight feet, and about five feet in di- 

 ameter at the base. In the south of 

 Africa, near the territory of the Cape, 

 elephants are seen occasionally in herds 

 even of several hundreds, and the set- 

 tlers in the Cape territory are often en- 

 gaged in the diversion, or rather, indeed, 

 the profitable occupation, of shooting 

 them, in which practice has rendered 

 them particularly skilful. It is an occu- 

 pation, however, of no little adventure 

 and peril, and the most perfect caution 

 must be used to advance near enough to 

 take the fatal aim unperceived, as, if the 

 elephant observes his enemy, he will 

 rush on him, not improbably, to his de- 

 struction. The weight of the tusks of a 

 full grown elephant is about a hundred 

 and fifty Dutch pounds, and they are sold 

 for at least as many guilders ; so that the 

 temptation to this exercise is not only 

 great to bold spirits, animated by the love 

 of danger, but to mercenary ones, who 

 can be stimulated to exertion merely by. 

 the love of gain. 



The food of elephants consists of leaves* 

 herbs, roots, the tender branches of trees' 

 especially the plantain tree, and also of 

 grains and fruits. A single one will eat 

 in the course of twenty -four hours a hun- 

 dred and fifty pounds of grass ; and the 

 quantity destroyed or spoilt by their 

 trampling must be considered as far 

 greater. As they act in concert, both 

 for forage and protection, they fre- 

 quently break through the strong fences 

 erected to keep them out, both by the 

 Indians and the Negroes, laying waste, 

 in one night, the most blooming pastures, 

 overturning numerous habitations, blast- 

 ing tiie hopes of harvest, defying the most 

 hideous noises of the people to alarm 

 them off, and disregarding the immense 

 fires which are kindled for the same pur- 

 pose. The usual motion of the elephant 

 is not more rapid than the walk of a 

 horse ; but when urged by fear or anger, 

 his celerity is little inferior to a gallop, 

 and he advances in a straight direction 

 with this speed for a considerable time, 

 without difficulty. In turning himself, 

 however, he labours extremely ; when 

 confined within a small compass, and 

 where it is practicable, he always de- 

 scribes a circle of no small extent to 



Ss 



