252 



ANATOMY. 



complicated than the elephant's stupendous trunk. 

 It consists of no less than five distinct branches ; 

 namely, a central trunk, or tongue, and four horny 

 scales, tapering to a point, convex outwards and 

 concave towards the trunk ; the two outer ones so 

 sheath the inner as to appear but one single tube : 

 by a joint in the middle they bend, or extend all at 

 once, carrying with them the unarticulated tongue, 

 which is cylindrical, and about the size of a man's 

 hair, and appears through a magnifier to be com- 

 posed of successive rings. It has probably as many 

 short muscles as the tongue of a fish, which are ca- 

 pable of moving it in all directions ; and towards its 

 termination is furnished with hairs or villi, some 

 of which at the point are very long, and seem to act 

 like capillary tubes. MR. WILDMAN assures us, 

 that he has seen the trunk growing bigger and 

 less by turns, swelling the instant the bee sucked ; 

 and this alternate lessening and enlargement pro- 

 pagated from the extremity to the root. What a 

 delicate apparatus of invisible muscles must per- 

 form this office ! The tongue is capable of being 

 contracted and folded up at pleasure ; for if it 

 were constantly extended, it would be exposed to 

 injury : when at rest, therefore, it is doubled up by 

 means of its joint, and lies in a very small com- 

 pass ; the first portion being brought within the 

 lip, and the second part folded under the head 

 and neck, protection is given to it by a double 



