ANIJIALS V <tG3 



ground, untie the knots of a rope, unlock a door, and even write 

 with a pen. " I have myself seen," says iElian, " an elephant 

 writing Latin characters on aboard, in a very orderly manner, his 

 keeper only showing him the figure of each letter. While thus em- 

 ployed, the eyes might be observed studiously cast down upon the 

 writing, and exhibiting an appearance of great skill and erudi- 

 tion." It sometimes happens that the object is too large for the 

 trunk to grasp ; in such a case the elephant makes use of an- 

 other expedient, as admirable as any of the former. It applies 

 the extremity of the trunk to the surface of the object, and, sucking 

 up its breath, lifts and sustains such a weight as the air in 

 that case is capable of keeping suspended. In this manner this 

 instrument is useful in most of the purposes of life,; it is an or- 

 gan of smelling,* of touching, and of suction ; it not only pro- 



* Cuvier considers that the trunk is not in itself an organ of smell, but 

 that the sense of smell is confined to that part of the nostrils which is in- 

 closed in the bones of the head. As an organ of touch, the proboscis of the 

 elephant is exquisitely fine. Elephants sometimes go blind ; and under 

 that privation, the poor animal can not only collect its food, and discrimi. 

 iiate i\s to its quality, by this wonderful instriunent, but can travel without 

 much difficulty, over unequal ground, avoiding lumps and hollows, and 

 stepping over ditches. The creature, under such circumstances, rarely 

 touches the ground with its trunk; but projecting it forward as far as pos- 

 sible, lets the finger, which is curled inward to protect the nostrils, skim 

 along the siuface, to the inequalities of wliich this organ adjusts itself with 

 wonderful exactness. 



The great care of the ele|)hant, whether he be in a state of nature, or un- 

 der the control of man is, invariably to put his trunk out of harm, as far 

 as he can, when any danger presents itself. If he is attacked by a tiger, 

 iT any other wild animal, he carries his trunk as high as he can in the air, 

 and if this delicate organ be in the slightest degree injured, the elephant 

 becomes wild with rage and terror. He is even afraid of a dead tiger, and 

 carefully puts his trunk out of reach. The instinct by which the creature 

 defends and preserves this precious instrument, is in proportion to its para- 

 mount importance. Mr Williamson saw an elephant whose trunk had been cut 

 through with a bill-hook ; and though the wound was healed, the animal wsis 

 perfectly helpless— iiuable to supply its own food, and incapable even of tra- 

 vidling without danger. He was fed with bundles of grass «'hich were put 

 into his mouth ; had he been in a state of nature, he must have perished. 

 An affecting example of the instinct with which the elephant preserves hia 

 trunk, is exhibited in the death of the poor animal who was burned at Dub- 

 lin. The author of the anatomical account says—" Doubtless the ele- 

 phant's care to preserve the proboscis was great ; for when we dissected him, 

 JVC found it thrust near two feet into a very hard ground ; upon which ac- 

 count we thought it had been burned, till the head was divided from tJie 

 tudy, aiid then we found it kept fast to the groimd by the proboscis." The 



