OF THE CLASS MAMMALIA. 267 



Finally, the ordinary pachydermata have the feet terminated 

 by fingers or toes, varying from two to four ; the wild boar, 

 the tapir (Fig. 179), the rhinoceros (Fig. 175), the hippo- 

 potamus (Fig. 24), belong to this class or group. 



Fig. 210. The Zebra. 



The genus elephant (Fig. 178), the largest of all land 

 animals, is of a mild and gentle nature, arid hence the ease 

 with which it may be domesticated. The great size of 

 the head and weight of the tusks necessitate a proboscis to 

 enable the animal to feed (page 231). By means of this 

 singular instrument the elephant uproots trees, unties the 

 knots of a cord, picks a lock, or uses a pen. Their sight is 

 tolerably good, their hearing fine, and their sense of smell 

 acute. Their caution is extreme, and their intelligence re- 

 markable. They remember injuries, and are not forgetful of 

 favours. Though of heavy gait, their speed is considerable, 

 owing to the length of their pace. Although the elephant is 

 the most powerful of quadrupeds, he is naturally neither 

 cruel nor formidable. Courageous in defence, he seldom 

 attacks. By nature he is gregarious, living in troops, vary- 

 ing from fifty to one hundred, and is seldom seen solitary. The 

 oldest leads the troop, and the next in age brings up the rear. 



Taken when young, they are readily trained to carry enor- 

 mous weights ; 2000 pounds' weight is the load of the adult, 

 and they will perform with this a march of fifteen or twenty 

 leagues. They swim well, and live to nearly two hundred years. 



Two species of elephants have been described, 1, the 



