ELEPHANTS. 223 



can, to prevent their coming in contact with any hurtful 

 substance. With them food is procured and conveyed 

 to the mouth ; and they pull down, not only branches 

 of trees, but in many instances the trees themselves. 



The immense skull and neck, and in fact the size 

 of the body, required to sustain the weight of this 

 ponderous organ, and the tusks with which they are 

 provided, give elephants a clumsy, heavy look. The 

 proportions of the head cause the eyes to look small. 

 The weight of the head itself is, however, much dimi- 

 nished by the hollow cavities in front, which make it 

 almost a vain attempt to try to kill an elephant by 

 shooting him in the forehead, for the balls lodge in 

 these cells. They so protect the brain, which is the 

 seat of feeling, that fearful buttings are practised with 

 impunity by these animals. 



The teeth of elephants are remarkable ; for they con- 

 sist of only one large grinder on each side and in each 

 jaw, which looks like a bundle of smaller teeth fastened 

 together by intervening and surrounding plates of 

 enamel. These grinders change frequently during the 

 life of the animal, perhaps even six or eight times, as 

 long as the jaw grows ; and the new arrivals do not 

 come from below, but are formed behind the old one 

 and push it out. There are no other teeth, properly so 

 called ; but in the upper jaw are two tusks which supply 

 the ivory of commerce, and which are changed once 

 during the life of the animal. Their enormous weight 

 and size are almost fabulous, and, combined with the 

 trunk, make us cease to wonder that the whole body 

 should have strength alone as its attribute, and be 

 entirely wanting in grace. One of these tusks, sold 

 at Amsterdam, weighed 350 pounds ; and with such 



