9 8 Gleanings from the 



and dirTeminated it through the Weftern countries 

 and Europe. The native country of the Eaftern 

 elephant is the peninfula of India. Egyptian 

 ivory was largely brought from Ethiopia, though 

 their elephants were originally from Afia. 1 



Sir Thos. Browne has a fenfible chapter in the 

 main on elephants, in his " Vulgar Errors," con- 

 demning feveral " old and gray-headed errors " 

 on it. His own credulity, however, is amufing 

 to the prefent generation, efpecially when he deems 

 it ftrange that the curiofity of man, which had 

 tried to induce many beafts to fpeak, had never 

 attempted to tutor an elephant, for " the ferpent 

 that fpake unto Eve, the dogs and cats that 

 ufually fpeak unto witches, might afford fome 

 encouragement." 



The elephant occafionally appears upon coins ; 

 as on one of Tarentum, probably connected with 

 the invafion of Pyrrhus ; alfo on one of Vefpafian. 

 It is found, too, on the coins of Metellus, who 

 brought many Carthaginian elephants to Rome in 

 the Firft Punic War ; alfo on thofe of Csfar, 

 from the legend that that name was the Car- 

 thaginian word for an elephant, and was originally 

 applied to the firft of the Julian gens who had 

 flain one of thefe creatures. It meant, as a fymbol 

 on a coin, eternity ; and fometimes munificence in 

 giving games to the populace. Cacfar is amufingly 

 connected, by the Rev. J. Coleridge, a man of 



1 See " Dift. of Bible," sub voe. " ivory." Polydore Vergil 

 has a proverb alluding to the flow geftation of elephants 

 " citius clcphanti paricnt." 



