^8 THE PHILOSOPHY 



his thoughts. His ears are very large, and much longer, 

 even in proportion to his body, than thofe of the afs. They 

 lie flat on the head, and are commonly pendulous •, but he 

 can raife and move them with fuch facility, that he ufes 

 them as a fan to cool himfelf, and to defend his eyes from 

 dud and infedls. His ear is likewife remarkably fine ; for 

 he delights in tli« found of mufical inflruments, and moves 

 hi cadence to the trumpet and tabour. 



But, in the ilirudture of the elephant, the mofi: fingular 

 organ is his trunk or probofcis. It is compofed of mem- 

 branes, nerves, and mufcies ; and it is at once an inflrument 

 of feeling and of motion. The animal can not only move and 

 bend the trunk, but he can contract, lengthen, and turn it on 

 all fides. The extremity of the trunk terminates in a pro- 

 tuberance that ftretches out on the u pper fide in the form of 

 a finger 5 by means of which he lifts from the ground the 

 fmalleft pieces of money ; he fele6ls herbs and flowers, and 

 picks them up one by one ; he unties the knots of ropes, 

 opens and fliuts gates by turning the keys or pufiiing back 

 the bolls. In the middle of the protuberance or finger, 

 there is a cavity in the form of a cup, and, in the bottom of 

 the fup are the apertures of the two organs of fmelling and 

 refpiration. This hand of the elephant poffefTes feveral ad- 

 vantages over that of the human. It is more flexible, and 

 equally dexterous in laying hold of objecSts. Befides, he has his 

 nofe in his hand, and is enabled to combine the power of his 

 lungs with the action of his finger, and to attra(Sl fluids by a 

 ikrong fu(Slion, or to raife heavy bodies by applying to them 

 the edge of his trunk, and making a vacuum within by a 

 Tigorous infpiration. Hence delicacy of feeling, acutenefs 

 of fmelling, facility of movement, and the power of fu6i:ion, 

 are united at the extremity of the elephant's trunk. Of all 

 the inftruments which Nature has beitowed on her mofh 

 favourite produdions, the trunk of the elephant feems to be 



