QUADRUPEDS. ^ll 



In this division are included the elephant, the tapir, the 

 rhinoceros, the hyrax, or Cape marmot, the pecaris, the 

 babyroussa, the wild boar, the African boar, the hippopota- 

 mus, and the horse. 



The most gigantic of all living terrestrial animals, the 

 elephant, combines superhuman strength with almost human 

 wisdom, in a manner otherwise unequalled among the brute 

 creation. Many instances are on record of its retentive 

 memory, its grateful and affectionate disposition, and its 

 general intelUgence as a discriminating, if not reflecting 

 creature. From the earliest ages its stupendous size and 

 unexampled sagacity have formed a theme of wonder and 

 admiration to mankind. Elephants in the wild state are 

 gregarious and herbivorous. They are naturally averse to 

 the extremes of heat and cold ; and, although inhabitants 

 of some of the most sultry regions of the earth, they shelter 

 themselves from the overpowering heat of the midday sun 

 in the comparative coolness of those umbrageous forests 

 which, both in Africa and Asia, are their chosen places of 

 abode. 



Of the Asiatic elephants, the Ceylonese are the most 

 celebrated. Indeed, the torrid zone seems the most favour- 

 able for the production of the largest races. Along the 

 coast of Malabar, elephants occur as far north as the terri- 

 tories of Coorgah Rajah ; but these, according to Mr. Corse 

 (Scott), are inferior to the breed from Ceylon. 



The African elephant is easily distinguished from the 

 Asiatic, by his rounder head, his convex forehead, his enor- 

 mous ears, and the lozenge-marked surface of his grinders. 

 His tusks are also longer, and those of his female are 

 equally great ; whereas the female of the Asiatic elephant 

 has very small tusks. He inhabits a wide extent of Africa, 

 from Senegal to the Cape, and abounds in the forests of the 

 interior. The x\frican elephant has not been rendered ser- 

 viceable to man, like that of Asia. This, however, arises 

 from no defect in the docihty of the animal, but rather from 

 a difference in the social and political conditions of the hu- 

 man tribes of Africa, and their inferior civilization. The 

 ancient Carthaginians made use of elephants, which there 

 is no reason to suppose were otherwise than of African 

 origin, in like manner as the Asiatic variety was used by 

 IPorus and the Indian kings. In modern times, the inven- 



