THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT 



nevertheless, in the remote districts considerable 

 numbers of these animals continue to be destroyed. 



The ivory is from the tusks, and it is of two kinds, 

 viz. hard and soft. The hard ivory is from the 

 Elephants which inhabit the dry western side of 

 Africa ; and the soft kind is from the Elephants 

 living in the moist, densely-wooded, eastern side 

 of the Continent. The soft ivory commands a higher 

 price than the other. Apart from its hardness or 

 softness, Elephant ivory varies in quality. The tusks 

 of old bull Elephants vary considerably in size, and 

 attain a length of about 1 1 feet. They may weigh 

 from 50 to 100 Ibs. or more. Average herd bulls 

 possess tusks weighing about 50 Ibs. each, while the 

 average for old bulls is from 60 Ibs. to 80 Ibs., and 

 measure about 6 feet in length, one-third of which 

 is embedded in a socket in the skull. These large 

 tusks vary in circumference from about 18 to 24 

 inches at the base. 



The largest tusk on record is II feet 5J inches 

 long, 1 8|. inches in circumference, and 293 Ibs. in 

 weight. This is in the American National Col- 

 lection, and came from East Africa. 



The tusks of average adult cows weigh from 12 to 

 24 Ibs. each. Tuskless Elephants are rare in East 

 Equatorial Africa, but are not uncommon in the 

 south. 



The African Elephant is larger than the Indian 

 species ; it differs also in the shape of the skull and 

 the ears, which are very large. It also has a more 



VOL. in 257 17 



