$6 THE ELEPHANT. 



it to the very root of the tongue*, feemingly 

 with the intention of puihing back the epiglottis 

 to prevent the water, which nifties out with im- 

 petuofiry, from entering into the larynx ; for he 

 forces out the water by the fame air which he 

 employed to fuck it up, and it rufhes out of the 

 trunk with ndile, and precipitantly enters the 

 gullet. The tongue, the mouth, and the lips, 

 are of no ufe to him, as in other animals, to 

 fuck or lap his drink. 



from this defcriptiori, the fingular confequence 

 remits, that the young elephant muft fuck with 

 its nofe, and afterwards convey the milk to its 

 gullet. We are told, however, by the ancients, 

 that he fucks with his mouth, and not w T ith his 

 trunk f. But there is reafon to believe that they 

 never were wifcnefTes. of the fa£t, and that they 

 reafoned folely from the analogy of other animals. 

 If the young elephant ever acquired the habit of 

 fucking with his mout'i, why mould he lofe it 

 during the reft of his life ? Why does he never 

 employ the mouth to fuck in water ? Why does 

 he uniformly employ a double action, when a 

 fingle one would anfwer the purpofe ? Why does 

 he never feize any object with his mouth, ex- 

 cept 



* Mem. pour fervir a l'hift. des animaux, part. 3. p. 109. 



f Pullus editus ore fugit, non promufcide, et ftatim cum na- 

 tus eft cernicet ambu'at ; Arift. hiji. anitn.tib. C. cap. 27. — An- 

 niculo quidem vituloaequalem pullum edit elephantus, qui fta- 

 tim, ut natuseft, ore fugit; Mllar.. de nai. anirt. lib. 6. cap. 3. 



