43 



tic circle, would carry the existence of these supposed 

 ele[)hants 250,000 years back ; a period far beyond our 

 conception of the duration of animal bones left expos- 

 ed to the open air, as these are in many instances. 

 Besides, though these regions would then be supposed 

 within the tropics, yet their winters would have been 

 too severe for the sensihility of the elephant. They 

 would have had too but one day and one night in the 

 year, a circumstance to whicli we have no reason to 

 suppose the nature of the elephant fitted. However, 

 it has been demonstrated, that, if a variation of obli- 

 quity in the ecliptic takes place at all, it is vibratory, 

 and never exceeds the limits of 9 degrees, which is not 

 sufficient to bring these bones within the tropics. One 

 of these hypotlieses, or some other equally voluntary 

 and inadmissible to cautious ])hilosophy, must be adopt- 

 ed to support the opinion that these are the bones of 

 the elephant. For my own part, I find it easier to be- 

 lieve that an animal may have existed, resembling the 

 elephant in his tusks, and general anatomy, while his 

 nature was in other respects extremely different. From 

 the 30th degree of south latitude to the 30th of north, 

 are nearly the limits which nature has fixed for the ex- 

 istence and multiplication of the •ele[)Iiant known tons. 

 Proceeding thence northwardly to 36^ degrees, we en- 

 ter those assigned to the manmioth. The further we 

 advance north, the more their vestiges multiply as far 

 as the earth has been explored in that direction ; and 

 it is as probable as otherwise, that this progression con- 

 tinues to the pole itself, if land extends so far. The 

 centre of the frozen zone then may be the achme of 

 their vigour, as tliAt of the torrid is of the elephant. 

 Thus nature seems to have drawn a belt of separation 

 between these two tremendous animals, whose breadth 

 indeed is not precisely known, thougli at |)resent we 

 may suppose it about 6J^ degrees of latitude ; to have 

 assigned to the elephant the regions south of these con- 

 fines, and those north to the mammoth, founding the 

 constitution of the one in her extreme of heat, and that 

 of the other in the extreme of cold. When the Crea- 



