378 QUADRUPEDS. 



tinguishable by important particulars, which has rendered it ne- 

 cessary to divide them into the following groups : Proboscidian 

 Pachyderms, Ordinary Pachyderms, and Solipedes. 



SECTION OF PROBOSCIDIAN PACHYDERMS. 



The Proboscidian Pachyderms are furnished with a pro- 

 boscis : they have five toes on all the feet, but so enclosed in a 



FIG. 418. HEAD OF INDIAN ELEPHANT. 



hoof of callous skin that their nails only are visible. This family 

 includes but one living genus, namely, 



The Elephants (Elephas\ animals of gigantic size, but mild and docile in 

 their disposition. The proboscis of the elephant is a prolongation of its nos- 

 trils ; it consists of a double tube surrounded with muscles variously interlaced, 

 so that it is moveable in every direction, and terminates in a curious appen- 

 dage resembling a finger. This trunk enables the elephant to seize hold of 

 everything he wishes to convey into his mouth, also to pump up water, and 

 then to pour it into his throat, thus compensating for the shortness of the neck. 

 By means of this wonderful instrument, elephants can uproot trees, untie . 

 knots, open a lock, or even write with a pen. These animals possess a sharp 

 sight ; their hearing is quick, their sense of smell delicate. They are very 

 intelligent, and remember kindness as well as harshness. Elephants usually 

 live together in herds, consisting of from forty to a hundred individuals. The 

 oldest marches at the head of the troop, and the next in age watches the rear. 

 They are easily tamed when taken young, and are employed as beasts of 

 burden. They carry about two thousand pounds weight, and will travel, with- 

 out being very much fatigued, thirty or forty miles a day. These animals 

 swim well : they live to the age of nearly two hundred years. Conscious of 

 their own massive strength, they feared no enemies, till the aggressions of 

 man taught them his superiority. Inoffensive and peaceful, they rarely use 

 their gigantic powers of injury ; but when irritated, they often exhibit a furious 



