VOL. LXXXIX.] PHILOSOPHICAL. TRANSACTIONS. 5 17 



from the enamel of each tooth being indented and puckered, as it were, 

 all round. Having thus attempted to explain, in a clear and satisfactory 

 manner, the progressive growth and regular succession of the grinders, I will next 

 point out the periods in which I conceive these respective changes to take place. 

 Here, however, I am in considerable doubt and uncertainty; but will fairly state 

 the circumstances which first drew my attention particularly to this subject, as well 

 as the grounds on which my conclusions have been made. In Nov. 1795, I 

 sent a couple of elephants' heads, through my friend Mr. Fairlie, of Calcutta, to 

 D. Scott, Esq., of Upper Harley-street, to be placed by him in some public 

 museum*. In my letter, dated the 17th of that month, I mentioned the most 

 remarkable peculiarities of these heads, and particularly the grinders; but at the 

 same time made this remark, " there is only 1 tooth in each side of either jaw, 

 till an elephant attains its full growth." On examining afterwards the heads of 

 some younger elephants, I perceived I had made a mistake, and that there was not 

 always only one grinder in each side of the jaw. This want of uniformity in the 

 appearance of the grinders of young elephants, of the same size, and nearly of 

 the same age, showed me my mistake, and puzzled me a good deal; nor did I per- 

 ceive any means whereby I could satisfactorily and rationally account for it, till I 

 had carefully compared a number of heads, of different ages, with each other. 



To effect this, I immediately began to collect the heads of such elephants as died 

 at Tiperah, with the size and qualities of which I was perfectly acquainted : in the 

 course of the year 17 96, I procured above 30 heads, and, beginning with the 

 youngest of these, I arranged them as nearly as possible according to their respective 

 ages. As it may be satisfactory to many members of the r. s., to learn the means 

 by which I was enabled to collect the heads of so many elephants, whose heights and 

 qualities I had accurately ascertained, I shall just observe, that between the beginning 

 of Nov. 1795, and the 1st of April, 1796, there were 4 herds of elephants taken in 

 Tiperah. Three of these herds were taken under my immediate inspection: the 4th, 

 consisting of about 50 elephants, was taken by the Rajah's hunters, but was after- 

 wards so terribly neglected, and almost starved to death, that I was requested by the 

 Rajah to take them under my management; to this I consented, and his servants 

 were ordered to obey implicitly my directions. In consequence, however, of the 

 former ill treatment the elephants had received, above half of them died in the 

 course of a few months; these, with some other casualties, enabled me to form the 

 numerous collection above-mentioned. 



The elephants from which the heads were taken being well known to me, I was 

 enabled to form a tolerable estimate of the ages of several of them ; those young 

 ones whose ages are particularly specified, were brought forth after their dams were 

 secured. After arranging and comparing the heads with each other, I endeavoured 

 to ascertain the different periods necessary for the formation of the grinders, in 



* These were afterwards sent to the Right Hon. Sir Jos, Banks, Bart., and by him to the British 

 Museum, where they now are.— Orig. 



