142 Anecdotal Natural History. 



Stout, and comparatively short, they are set perfectly 

 upright like so many pillars ; the hinder pair, also, are 

 without the elongated cannon-bone, so that the so- 

 called ' knee-joint' is absent, while the real knee is 

 very conspicuous. 



The elephant is a far more active animal than might 

 be supposed, judging by outward appearance, his 

 speed when excited being almost equal to that of a 

 fleet horse. On rocky and mountainous ground, 

 too, he is perfectly at home, notwithstanding his 

 bulky proportions, and will ascend and descend 

 acclivities where a horse is utterly unable to gain a 

 foothold. 



His method of descending precipitous ground is 

 very singular. Kneeling down, with the fore legs 

 stretched out in front and the hinder ones bent back- 

 wards, he gradually lowers himself towards the ground, 

 making use of every little inequality in the surface, 

 or scraping a foothold with his hoof, should a con- 

 venient one not be otherwise attainable. If the 

 declivity be very steep, he pursues a winding course, 

 just as does a horse in ascending a hill. 



The foot of the elephant is wonderfully suited 

 to the work it has to perform. The hoof which 

 encloses it is formed of a vast number of horny 

 springs, similar to those found in the hoof of the horse, 

 which protect the foot from any concussion against 

 the ground, and enable the animal to move with sur- 

 prising ease and silence. Notwithstanding the huge 

 bulk of the body, the tread of an elephant is perfectly 

 noiseless, and as the animal possesses the faculty of 

 forcing its way through the thickest jungle without 

 snapping even a twig, a hunter may be in close prox- 

 imity to a herd of moving elephants, and yet not be in 

 the slightest degree aware of their presence. 



The toes, five of which are found in each foot, are 



