THE ELEPHANT. 



Grinders Tasks Skin, of the elephant. 



The grinders of the elephant are of such a 

 thickness, both in the upper and lower jaw, as 

 contributes to render the mouth narrow; nor 

 need it be broader, because the strength of the 

 grinders is so great, as to comminute the aliments 

 at once in such a manner, that they do not want 

 to be moved to and fro in the mouth, in order to 

 be farther masticated, as is usual with other ani- 

 mals; and therefore the tongue is small, short, 

 and round, (not thin and flat, as in an ox) and 

 has a smooth surface. 



The tusks of this animal, which are what we 

 call ivory, vary in size ; but the longest imported 

 into England are about seven or eight feet long, 

 and weigh from a hundred, to a hundred and 

 fifty pounds. It is but rarely that they are seen 

 in the females; and when they do appear, they 

 are small, and their direction is somewhat down- 

 ward,, 



The skin of the elephant, where not callous, is 

 extremely sensible. Indeed the animal feels so 

 acutely the stinging of flies and other insects, 

 that he not only employs his natural motions, 

 but even the resources of his intelligence, to rid 

 himself of this annoyance. He strikes them with 

 his tail, his ears, and his trunk; contracts his 

 ,skin, in order to crush them between its wrinkles; 

 drives them off with branches of trees, or bun- 

 dles of long straw ; and when all these artifices 

 prove unavailing, he collects dust with his trunk, 

 and covers all the more tender parts of his skin 



