338 THE ELEPHANT. 



pliant as to embrace any body it is applied to, 

 and yet so strong that nothing can be torn from 

 the gripe. To aid the force of this grasp, there 

 are several little eminences, like a caterpillar's 

 feet, on the under side of this instrument, which 

 without doubt contribute to the sensibility of the 

 touch, as well as to the firmness of the hold. 

 Through this trunk the animal breathes, drinks, 

 and smells, as through a tube ; and at the very 

 point of it, just above the nostrils, there is an ex- 

 tension of the skin, about five inches long, in the 

 form of a finger, and which in fact answers all 

 the purposes of one ; for, with the rest of the 

 extremity of the trunk, it is capable of assuming 

 different forms at will, and, consequently, of being 

 adapted to the minutest objects. By means of 

 this, the elephant can take a pin from the ground, 

 untie the knots of a rope, unlock a door, and even 

 write with a pen. " I have myself seen," says 

 ^Elian, " an elephant writing Latin characters 

 on a board, in a very orderly manner, his keeper 

 only showing him the figure of each letter. While 

 thus employed, the eyes might be observed stu- 

 diously cast down upon the writing, and exhibit- 

 ing an appearance of great skill and erudition." 

 It sometimes happens that the object is too large 

 for the trunk to grasp ; in such a case the ele- 

 phant makes use of another expedient as admir- 

 able as any of the former. It applies the ex- 

 tremity of the trunk to the surface of the object, 

 and, sucking up its breath, lifts and sustains such 

 a weight as the air in that case is capable of 

 keeping suspended. In this manner this instru- 



