AND PERSONALITY 



Dissection of the Elephant 



The skin of the elephant was beautifully reticulated. It 

 was soft slate-gray in color and blended curiously into the 

 landscape the green foliage, the dead foliage, and the rock. 

 Looking closely at the surface of the skin, one could see a 

 beautiful interlacing of depressions or little grooves. These 

 perhaps are for giving spaces for elasticity in bending. 



A few scattered hairs on the surface of the skin attested 

 the ancient phylogeny of this great pachyderm. When the 

 skin was cut there was a darkish area about an inch and a 

 half in thickness, which faded into a white rubberlike sub- 

 stance. The skin seemed bloodless. The weight of the skin, 

 except that of the four legs from the knees down and the 

 tail, was 2,005 pounds. 



The ears were enormous. They measured 3 feet 1 1 inches 

 by 5 feet 10 inches. The tusks weighed 85 pounds. Their 

 entire length was 67 inches, the length from the point 

 where they emerged being 43 inches. The eyes were incon- 

 spicuous and, related to the mass of the elephant, small. 

 Obviously, better vision would contribute nothing to the 

 present security of the elephant. But the elephant would 

 have little use for especially good vision. What would an 

 elephant do with the eye of an eagle ? The elephant does not 

 search for distant food or danger. His food is immediately 

 before him. His enemies are only other elephants and man. 

 On the other hand, the elephant has a most highly devel- 

 oped sense of smell and a good sense of hearing. 



The great legs resembled Grecian columns. The front 

 foot was round, measuring 60 inches in circumference. The 

 hind foot was elongated, 57 inches in circumference. One 

 could see that as the elephant placed his weight on his foot 

 the foot would expand, and if it was in the mud the foot 

 would elongate as he drew it out, thus allowing him to 

 extricate it more easily. 



The trunk was indescribably adaptable and flexible, the 



105 



