No. XL THE ELEPHANT. 



THE Elephant belongs to the curious family of the 

 Pachyderms, or ' thick-skinned ' animals, which 

 also includes such apparently dissimilar creatures as 

 the little Hyrax, or ' Coney ' of the Scriptures, and 

 the various swine. 



At first sight, and judging by their outward forms, 

 these animals do not appear to have very much in 

 common, and it may seem somewhat strange that they 

 should have been included in the same family. An 

 examination, however, of the fossil animals of the 

 group supplies the requisite links, and affords conclu- 

 sive proof that all these animals really belong to one 

 and the same division. 



As is well known, there are two distinct species of 

 elephant, the one inhabiting Africa, while the other is 

 a native of various parts of the continent of Asia. As 

 far as their chief characteristics are concerned, the two 

 animals are sufficiently alike to allow of a single 

 description sufficing for both. 



The most singular part of the structure of the ele- 

 phant is, of course, the proboscis, or ' trunk ' as it is 

 popularly called, upon which the very life of its owner 

 depends. This wonderful organ is, in reality, merely 

 a development of the nose and the upper lip, the 

 nostrils running through its entire length. The ex- 

 tremity is furnished with a curious finger-like append- 



