218 



of Datura! g? 



lated to combat not only with other Ele- 

 phants, but with various wild animals : in 

 short, were it consistent with the limits of 

 this work, we might fill many pages with 

 matter, both historical and anecdotical, 

 relating to the uses of this noble animal. 

 We may, however, observe that, its strength 

 being equal to its bulk, it is able to carry on 

 its back three or four thousand weight ; on 

 its tusks alone it can support near one thou- 

 sand ; and its ordinary pace is equal to that 

 of the horse at an easy trot. 



In the preceding part of this article we 

 have dwelt particularly on the Elephant's 

 trunk and tusks, as deserving especial no- 

 tice : the organ of hearing would scarcely 

 appear to deserve less. The structure of 

 the Elephant's ear has been investigated 

 with great accuracy by Sir Everard Home. 

 The drum, and every other part of the 

 organ, is much larger in proportion than in 

 other quadrupeds, or in man ; and there is 

 a remarkable difference in the arrangement 

 of the muscular fibres of the drum of its ear, 

 when compared with some quadrupeds and 

 the human species. In the human ear, 

 those fibres are radia of a circle ; and in the 

 horse, the hare, and the cat, they are of an 

 uniform length ; but in the Elephant's ear 

 these fibres are so placed that some are more 

 than double the length of others. Sir E. 

 Home argues, from this remarkable con- 

 struction, that the Elephant has not a 

 musical ear ; but that it has a peculiar com- 

 pensating power in this length of fibre, as 

 its slower vibrations enable it to hear sounds 

 at a great distance. 



The tusks of the Elephant have long been 

 applied, under the denomination of ivory, 

 to a variety of important uses in the arts. 

 From the fossil remains which have been 

 discovered, it is apparent that they must 

 have been abundantly distributed over the 

 earth ; and some of them appear to have 

 been adapted to a much more northern cli- 

 mate than is now inhabited by the Elephant. 

 It is, indeed, a most curious fact, that skele- 

 tons nearly allied to, if not quite resembling, 

 those of Elephants are occasionally found in 

 a fossil state, and in large quantities, at a 

 great depth under the surface, in Russia and 

 Siberia. " All the arctic circle," says Pen- 

 nant, " is a vast mossy flat, formed of a bed 

 of mud or sand, apparently the effect of the 

 sea, and which gives reason to think that 

 that immense tract was in some distant age 

 won from it. With them are mixed an in- 

 finitely greater number of marine bodies 

 than are found in the higher parts of that 

 portion of Asia. I give the fact : let others, 

 more favoured, explain the cause how these 

 animals were transported from their torrid 

 seats to the Arctic regions : I should have 

 recourse to the only one we have authority 

 for ; and think that phenomenon sufficient. 

 I mention this, because modern philosophers 

 look out for a later cause : I rest convinced, 

 therefore, to avoid contradicting what can 

 never be proved." Dr. Falconer and Major 

 Cautley have brought from the Sewalik Hills 

 in India numerous fossil remains of Ele- 

 phants, some of them of enormous size. 

 They are all in the truly magnificent collec- 



tion ot'thc British Museum, and are described 

 by the donors in their well-kno\vnwork, the 

 Fauna Antiqua Sivalensis ; the illustrations 

 of which by Mr. Ford will hereafter be cited, 

 like the work of Lyonet (alluded to under 

 Cossrs), as a perfect example of excellence 

 in the drawing of Fossils. 



EL.MIS : ELMID.E. A genus and sub- 

 family of aquatic Coleoptera, small in size 

 and of an ovate form, found adhering on j 

 the under sides of stones lying at the bottom j 

 of running water. They are unable to swim, ! 

 but are provided with very powerful tarsi 

 and ungues, by which they are enabled to ! 

 retain firm hold on the stones in the most ! 

 boisterous currents. Twelve or thirteen ! 

 species belonging to three genera have been ! 

 found in thia country. 



ELOPS. (Elaps saurus.') A small fish, 

 known in the West Indies by the name of 

 the Seiu-fish, or Sea Gaily -Wasp. It is | 

 about fifteen inches long ; in the middle five j 

 inches round, and tapering to both ends ; the \ 

 head is smooth, and without scales ; the tail j 

 much forked, and armed both above and ' 

 below by a strong spine, forming a first or ! 

 spiny ray on each side the tail. Its gene- j 

 ral colour is a silvery gray : dusky on the I 

 back, the head slightly tinged with yellow, 

 the fins of a bluish brown, and the belly ! 

 white. 



EMARGINTJLA. A genus of small Mol- 

 lusca, inhabiting the seas of all climates, I 

 and having two short tentacula, with eyes I 

 at the base ; foot large and thick. The shell I 

 is patelliform, oblong, or oval ; anterior ! 

 margin notched. The Emarginulae may be ' 

 known from Patella? and other approximat- 

 ing genera, by the notch or slit in the ante- 

 rior edge. Recent species, though widely 

 diffused, yet not numerous ; fossil species, 

 rare. 



EMBERIZA. The name of a genus of 

 Passerine birds. [See BUNTING.] 



EMBLEMA PICTA, or PAINTED 

 FINCH. This Passerine bird is a native of i 

 the north-west coast of Australia. It is de- I 

 scribed and figured by Mr. Gould ; and exhi- ! 

 bits a singularity in colouring which is rarely 

 ever witnessed among the feathered tribes, 

 the upper parts of the plumage being remark- I 

 ably plain, while the under surface is ex- I 

 tremely beautiful. The face and tliroat are 

 deep vermillion-red ; crown of the head, all 

 the upper surface, and wings, brown ; the 

 base of all the feathers of the throat black, 

 giving to that part a mingled appearance of 

 black and red ; rump deep vermillion-red ; 

 tail dark brown ; chest and all the under 

 surface jet-black ; the flanks thickly spotted 

 with white ; and the centre of the abdomen 

 deep vermillion-red ; upper mandible black, 

 under mandible scarlet ; feet light red. 



EMERALD [MOTHS.] A name given 

 by collecto s to Moths of the genus Hippar- 

 fJiia. 



EMPEROR [MOTH]. The name of a 

 species of Saturnia ; a genus of nocturnal 

 Lcpidoptera. [See SATUKNIA.] 



