yo THE ELEPHANT. 



as the capacity of his breaft and belly is large, as 

 the fize of his lungs and inteftines is enormous, 

 and as all the great parts of his body are filled 

 with air, or matters lighter than water, he links 

 not fo deep as other animals. He has, therefore, 

 lefs refiftence to overcome, and, confequently, is 

 enabled to fvvim more quickly with imaller ef- 

 forts of his limbs. Of courfe, he is of great uie 

 in the paiTage of 1 ivers. When employed on thefe 

 occafions *, befide two pieces of cannon which' 

 admit three or four pound balls, he is loaded 

 with great quantities of baggage, independent 

 of a number of men fixed to his ears and his 

 tail. When thus loaded, he enters the river, and 

 fwims fo much below the water that no part of 

 his body is feen except his trunk, which he 

 raifes in the air for the benefit of refpiration. 



Though the elephant generally feeds on herbs 

 and tender wood, and though prodigious quan- 

 tities of this aliment are necelTary to afford a 

 fufficient number of organic particles to nourifli 

 fo vaft a body, he has not feveral flomachs, like 

 moft animals who live on the fame fubftances, 

 He has but one iiomach, does not ruminate,' 

 is formed rather like the horfe, than the ox 

 and other ruminating animals. The want of a 

 paunch is fupplied by the largenefs and length 

 of his inteftines, and particularly of the colon, 

 which is two or three feet in diameter, by fifteen 



■ twenty in length. The ftomach is much 



fmall 



* Notes of M. de Buff 



