TUK AY,A7'// I \ T. '7 



THE ELEPHANTS. 



Tin: imi-ortant famih of th<> Elephant ida* is allied, according to the catalogue of the 

 Hriti-h Museum, to tin- Elephants, Tapirs, Swine, Hyrax, Rhinoceros, an<l Hi]>poputumuB. 

 All these animals, however different their aspect, are nearly related to each other by means of 

 certain members of the family, which, although now extinct, have U-en recovered through the 

 assistant at pBObgtal i- Maid* -. 



Of Elephants, two distinct species ore found in different continents, the one inhabiting 

 Asia. an<l the other taking up its residence in Africa. According to some zoologists, these 

 aninmls belong to different genera, but the distinctions U-t \\een tin- two creatures are not suffi- 

 ciently ! t'Tiiiiii.-.i t wiirnuit such a suggestion. Although the Asiatic and African Elephants 



are \-T\ -imilar in external form, they may at once be distinguished fro ach other by the 



dimensions <.f tin- head ami the size of the ear. In the Asiatic animal, tin- head is elongated, 

 tin- f>ivliead concave, and tlie ears of ordinary size, while in tin- African Elephant the head is 

 much shorter, the forehead convex, and the ears of enormous magnitude, nearly meeting on 

 tli.- hack of the lii-ad. and hanging with their tips In-low the neck. 



The molar t-eth also afford excellent indications of the country to which their owner has 

 iN'longi-d. for the enamel upon the surface of the teeth of the Asiatic Elephant is moulded into 

 a numU-r of narrow bands like folded ribands, while that of the African species is formed into 

 live or six diamond or lozenge shaped folds. Indeed, each molar tooth seems to be composed 

 of a number of Hat, broad teeth, which are fastened closely together, so as to fonn a .single 

 large mass. Only a portion of each tooth is externally visible, the remainder being hidden in 

 the jaw, . hi movii fj : : rd i - \; - i |K>rtion is won tanj, \Vh.-n ih-- \\ ho|.- i..th i- 

 thus woni out, it falls from the jaw, and its place is taken by another which has been forming 

 U-hiii'i it. In this manner the Elephant sheds its molar teeth six or seven times in the course 

 of its life. The tu-k-. however, are permanent, and are retained during the whole of the ani- 

 mal'- exigence. Then- are a juiir of small "milk-tusks" when the Elephant is in it- child- 

 hood, t-iit these are soon shed and replaced by the true tusks. In the Indian Elephant only 

 the males are furnished with tusks, and not evei y individual of that sex, whereas in the Afri- 

 can sjieejes both sexes are supplied with these valuable appendages, those of the male being 

 much larger and hea\ ier than those of his mate. 



The Elephant, whether Asiatic or African, always lives in herds, varying greatly in num- 

 bers, and being always found in the dee^-st forests, or in their near vicinity. Hot h species 

 are fond of water, and an- never found at any great distance from some stream or fountain, 

 although they can and do make tolerably long journeys for the purpose of obtaining the need- 

 ful supply of liquid. They have a curious capability of laying up a store of water in their 

 interior, somewhat after the fashion of the camel, but possess the strange accomplishment of 

 drawing the liquid supply from their stomachs by means of their trunk-, and scattering it in 

 a shower over their backs in order to cool their heated bodies. When drinking, the Klephant 

 inserts the tip of his tnmk into the stream, fills its cavities with water, and then, turning 

 his trunk so as to get the extremity well into his throat, he discharges its contents fairly into 

 his stomach, where it may be heard to splash by any one who is in near proximity to the 

 animal. 



The strangest portion of the Elephant's form is the trunk, or proboscis. This wonderful 

 appendage is in fact a development of the upper lips and the nose, and is j^-rf orated through 

 ntire length by the nostrils, and is furnished at its extremity with a kind of finger-like 

 appendage, which enables the animal to pluck a single blade of grass, or to pick a minute 

 object from the ground. The value of the proltoscis to the Elephant is incredible ; without its 

 aid the creature would soon starve. The short, thick neck would prevent it from stooping 

 to graze, while the projecting tusks would effectually hinder it from reaching any vege- 



