801 



ELENCHUS. 



ELEPHANT. 



502 



be cut on one side, the power of that organ will be destroyed, but 

 that of the other may remain uninjured. If the nerves be partially 

 destroyed on either or both sides, the power is retained by the portion 

 of the organs still in connection with the centres. The same effects 

 are produced by tying the nerves as by cutting them. Even slices of 

 the organ entirely separated from the body, except by a nervous 

 fibre, may exhibit electrical properties. Discharges may be excited 

 by irritation of the brain when the nerves are entire, or of the part of 

 the divided trunk distributed on the organ ; but on destroying the 

 electric lobe of the brain the electric power of the animal ceases 

 entirely, although all the other ganglionic centres may be removed 

 without impairing it. It is remarkable however that after the section 

 of the electrical nerves Torpedoes appear more lively than before the 

 operation, and actually live longer than others not so injured, which 

 are excited to discharge frequently. Poisons which act violently on 

 the nervous system have a striking effect upon the electrical mani- 

 festations of these fish ; thus, two grains of muriate of morphia were 

 found by Matteucci to produce death after about ten minutes, du-ring 

 which time the discharges were very numerous and powerful ; and 

 strychnia also excited powerful discharges at first, succeeded by 

 weaker ones, the animals dying in violent convulsions. When the 

 animals were under the influence of strychnia it was observed that 

 the slightest irritation occasioned discharges ; a blow given to the 

 table on which the animal was placed being sufficient to produce this 

 effect. If the spinal cord were divided however, no irritation of the 

 parts situated below the section called forth a shock. It has also 

 been ascertained by Matteucci that the electric power is suspended 

 when the Torpedo is plunged into water at 32, and is recovered 

 again when it is immersed in water of a temperature from 58 to 68; 

 and that this alternation may be repeated several times upon the 

 same fish. But if the temperature be raised to 86 the Torpedo soon 

 ceases to lire, and dies while giving a great number of violent 

 discharges. (Carpenter.) 



From these facts it is evident that the electric force is developed 

 as the result of nervous agency. From this it has been sometimes 

 hastily inferred that the electric and nervous forces are identical. 

 This however is not more probable than that the contractile force of 

 the muscles is identical with the nervous force. The best explanation 

 of the phenomena appears to be the correlation of these forces. 

 They are convertible forces, the one being capable of generating the 

 other; the force generated being always the representative of the 

 force generating it. The uses of these electric organs it is somewhat 

 difficult to explain. The Gymnotiu eats very few of the fishes which 

 it kills by its shocks, and this is the case with the Torpedoes. Dr. 

 John Davy conjectures that the electric discharges decompose the 

 water, and supplying oxygen assist in respiration. Dr. Carpenter 

 suggests that this peculiar action may assist the digestion of the fish, 

 as animals killed by electricity are more digestible. The electrical 

 condition of the animal itself he also thinks may conduce to the easy 

 digestion of its food. 



(Carpenter, Principle! of Phynnlogy, General and Comparative; 

 Professor Matteucci, Electro- Phynoloyical Researches; Philosophical 

 Tratuactiont, 1850; Matteucci, Lecture* upon the Physical Phenomena 

 of Living Beings, translated by Pereira ; Du Bois-Raymond, On Mat- 

 teuccit Letter to Dr. Bence Jonei, editor of Dr. Du Bois-Raymond's 

 Jtetearchei in Animal Electricity ; H. Bence Jones, A bitract of Da, Boi- 

 Saymmd't Retcarchet in Animal Electricity.) 



Kl.KXCHUS. [RHISSOPTERA.] 



ELEO'CHARIS, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order 

 Cyperacea and the tribe Scirpeie. It has fertile glumes, the lower- 

 most layer with one or two of the lowest empty ; 3-6 bristles. The 

 nut compressed, crowned with the persistent dilated base of the style. 

 There are 3 species of this genus, known by the name of Spike-Rushes, 

 found in Great Britain. 



E. paluttrii has a creeping root, and the stem clothed with mem- 

 branous obtusely-truncate sheaths : it grows in marshy places, forming 

 sometimes a large proportion of the peat found in bogs. E. multi- 

 caulu has slightly creeping roots, with the stem clothed with 

 obliquely truncate rather acute sheaths. E. acicv.la.rii has a fibrous 

 root, and numerous slender erect stems, and very small spikes. It is 

 found in damp places upon heaths. 



(Babington, Manual of British Botany.) 



KLKOTRAGUS. [InitorM.] 



ELEOTRIS, a genus of Acanthopterygious Fishes belonging to 

 the family Gubioda. Like the Gobies the species have flexible spines 

 in the first dorsal fin, and an appendage behind the vent, but they 

 have the ventral fins separate and six gill-rays. The species are inha- 

 bitants of the fresh waters of warm countries, and conceal themselves 

 in the mud. 



. dot-matrix, the Sleeper, is a large fish. It is found in the West 

 Indian marshes. Other species have been found in Africa, India, and 

 the Mediterranean. 



ELEPHANT (in Latin Elephas and Elephantus, in Greek 'E\(>as, 

 in Spanish Elefante, in Italian Klefante, in French Elephant, in German 

 Klephant, in Dutch Olyphant), the name of the well-known genus 

 which forms the only living type of the family of true Proboscidians, 

 or Pachydermatous Mammifers with a Proboscis and Tusks. It is 

 the largest of existing terrestrial animals. 



The Proboscis or Trunk, from which the name of the family is 

 derived, demands some attention previous to our inquiry into the 

 rest of the structure, habits, and history of the Elephants. 



The great size of the alveoli necessary for the lodgment of the tusks 

 renders, as Cuvier observes, the upper jaw so high and shortens the 

 nasal bones to such a degree, that in the skeleton the nostrils are 

 placed towards the upper part of the face ; but in the living animal 

 they are prolonged into a cylindrical trunk or proboscis composed of 

 thousands * of small muscles variously interlaced, so as to bestow on 

 it the most complicated powers of mobility in all the varieties of 

 extension, contraction, and motion in every direction. It is of a 

 tapering sub-conical form, and has internally two perforations. On 

 the upper side of the extremity, immediately above the partition of 

 the nostrils, is an elongated process, which may be considered as a 

 finger ; and on the tinder edge is a sort of tubercle, which acts as ail 

 opposeable point ; in short, as a thumb. Endowed with exquisite 

 sensibility, nearly 8 feet in length, and stout in proportion to the 

 massive size of the whole animal, this organ, at the volition of the 

 elephant, will uproot trees or gather grass raise a piece of artillery 

 or pick up a comfit kill a man or brush off a fly. It conveys the 

 food to the mouth, and pumps up the enormous draughts of water, 

 which by its recurvature are turned into and driven down the capa- 

 cious throat, or showered over the body. Its length supplies the 

 place of a long neck, which would have been incompatible with the 

 support of the large head and weighty tusks. A glance at the head 

 of an elephant will show the thickness and strength of the trunk at 

 its insertion; and the massy arched bones of the face and thick 

 muscular neck are admirably adapted for supporting and working 

 this powerful and wonderful instrument. 



The following cuts will convey some idea of the form and action of 

 the termination of the proboscis : 



Anterior termination of Elephant's Trunk (profile). 



Anterior extremities of the trunks of male (A) and female elephants (B). 



Action of anterior extremity of i-roboscis in gathering long herbage. 



Mode of holding hcrbaje when gathered. 



Mode of holding a root till enough is collected for n mouthful. 



Curled action, when a powerful 



ml muchjbrce is required. 



* Cuvier gives the number of muscles having the power of distinct action as 

 not far short of 40,000. 



