286 After Big Game in Central Africa 



verse branch, or any other support, when they go to sleep. 

 They have only four or five molars in each jaw. 



I will add that about half the tusk only protrudes from 

 the elephant's mouth. One-third is let into a powerful 

 bony socket situated at the base of the trunk ; a sixth is 

 surrounded by the gums and lips ; the rest is outside. 

 Almost half its length, which tapers to a point like that 

 of a horn, is hollow. 



The trunk, although possessed of great strength, is the 

 most delicate part of an elephant. Whenever there is 

 danger, and the animal dashes on an enemy, it carefully 

 folds and draws in its trunk, leaving its tusks alone pro- 

 minent. Pictures can be seen in which an elephant is 

 represented charging a hunter with its trunk raised in the 

 air ; but this is pure imagination on the part of the artist, 

 and shows his complete ignorance of the habits of the 

 pachyderm, which, even when running, half rolls up its 

 trunk so as not to come into contact with obstacles. The 

 opening, by means of which it scents and directs itself, 

 is curled under the head and turned to the front. The 

 trunk is then protected by the tusks. In places where 

 the animal walks slowly and with suspicion, its trunk 

 hangs down to the ground, and feels the way ahead. Its 

 sense of smell is so keen that, if the wind is favourable, it 

 can scent a man three or four miles away. 



It uproots trees by leaning against them with its fore- 

 head, and not by using its trunk, which is used for taking 

 hold of smaller objects. The trunk is a kind of hand 

 which searches for fruit, smells, chooses, and carries food 

 to the mouth ; it delicately seizes a branch as thin 

 as a pencil, stripping it of bark, and throwing away the 

 wood ; it seeks in the long grass for fallen fruit. The 

 elephant uses it in the water as a pump. It fills it half 

 full, closes it, curls it round, and squirts the water into its 

 mouth ; it transforms it also into a shower-bath for all 

 parts of its body ; or else, if there is no water, it collects 



