4- 



THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



between them. Thus, as the tooth is used in grinding 

 down the food, the softer parts wear away, leaving 

 ridges of enamel standing. These grinders, too, are 

 changed several times ; for, as each molar is worn, it gives 

 way to another, which is pushed into its place. 



The well-known tusks of the Elephant are two teeth, 

 which project downward and forward from the upper 

 jaw, and grow from a pulp which is continually forming 

 new ivory. 



The weight of a pair of tusks is from four to five 

 hundredweight, and to support this a short neck is 

 necessary, which is compensated for by the trunk. 

 This is merely the nose or snout elongated, and is 

 made up of some forty thousand small muscles, inter- 

 laced on all sides, which give it such an amount of 

 flexibility that it can be turned about in every direction. 

 It consists of a double tube, and at its end it has a curious 

 appendage something like a short finger. By the aid of 

 this it can pick up a pin, untie knots, and has even been 

 taught to hold a pen. The Elephant feeds and drinks by 

 means of its trunk, for of course it would be impossible, 

 with such projections as its tusks, to get its mouth near 

 any food. Dr. Lankester tells us that 50,000 elephant 

 tusks, weighing 10,000 hundredweight, are imported every 

 year. 



Only two specimens of Elephants are now known to 

 exist. 



(1) The Indian, which has a long head, ears of 

 middling size, very short tusks, and has four nails on the 

 hind feet. 



(2) The African, which has a rounder head, very 

 large cars, and but three nails on the hind feet. It is 

 much more fierce than the Indian elephant, and its tusks 

 are much longer. 



The ridges of enamel are nearly parallel to each other 



