THE EDINBURGH 



JOIIENAL OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



AND OF 



THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 



FEBRUARY, 1837. 



ZOOLOGY. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATE. THE ELEPHANTS. 



The Elephants constitute a genus belonging to the order Pachijdermata, and are 

 characterised by their vast size, in which they excel all the terrestrial Mammalia, their 

 lonT flexible proboscis, forming an instrument of prehension as well as an organ of 

 smell, and their large recurved tusks. Their most distinctive character, however, as 

 Cuvier remarks, is to be found in their grinding teeth, of which the body is composed 

 of a certain number of vertical plates, each formed of bony substance, enveloped with 

 enamel, and connected by a third substance, named cortical. These grinders succeed 

 each other, not vertically, as our second or permanent teeih succeed the first or milk 

 teeth, but from behind forwards, so that in proportion as a tooth is worn down, it 

 is pushed forwards by its successor. An Elephant may thus have one or two teeth 

 o:i each side of each jaw, according to the period of growth. The first teeth have 

 comparatively few plates. Some individuals are said to change or renew their 

 grinders as many as eight times; but ihc tusks are not renewed more than once. 



Two species only exist at the present day, one belonging to India, the other to 

 Africa; but the bones of another occur, buried in diluvium in many parts of America, 

 as well as the old continent. 



Tooth of the .! ,, ; , nhani. 



^'3- ^ — The Indian Elephant, Elephas Indian; is distinguished from the 

 African species, by the following external characters:— The head is oblong, the fore- 

 head concave, the crown or face of the grinding teeth marked with transverse, 

 jiarallel, undulating bands, the cars, although very large and pendulous, proportion- 

 ally smaller than in the next. It has four naUs or hooflets on the bind feet. The 

 colour is generally dark brownish-grey, but var-ies considerably, and sometimes, 

 although very rarely, albino individuals are met with. It inhabits India and the 

 adjacent islands, where it has been domesticated from time immemorial. But it is 

 remarkable that the species has never been propagated in captivity, and all the indi- 

 \-iduals subjected to man have been caught in the woods and jungles. The use of 

 the ivory of the tusks for handles for knives, musical and mathematical instruments, 

 plates for miniatures, billiard balls, and toys, gives rise to a great annual destruction 

 of these animals, so that it is a matter of wonder that the race has not been extir- 

 pated. Although the docility and sagacity of the Elephant has been greatly exag. 

 gerated, they are yet piobably superior to those of any other animal excepting the 

 Dog. 



Fig. 2. The African Elephant, Elephas Jfricamis, has the head round, the 

 forehead convex, the ears excessively large, so as sometimes entirely to cover the 

 shoulder, and the crown of the grinding teeth marked by rhomboidal or diamond- 

 shaped ridges, by which they are readily distinguished from those of the Indian 

 species. It has frequently only three nails on the hind feet. The colour is lighter 

 than that of the Indian Elephant, generally yellowish-brown, sometimes reddish. 

 It inhabits Africa, from Senegal to the Cape of Good Hope. The tusks are larger 

 than thjse of the Indian species, and in the female are nearly of the same size as in 

 the male. Although it is probable that the African Elephant was the fp^'cics sub- 

 JGc ed by the Carthagenians, it is not now any where domesticated. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATE. — THE TAN'AGEItS. 

 The Tanagers are a family of Birds peculiar to America, and belonging to the 

 order Passtrcs of Cuvier, or Insessores of many other natuialists. They arc in some 

 respects nearly allied to the Finches and Buntings, although by the author just re- 

 ferred to placed among the Dentirostres. The bill is conical, short, pentagonal 

 at th&*base, its dorsal outline arched. The wings are of moderate length, and sharp, 

 the tail rather short, and even or slightly forked. ISIany of the species are remark- 

 able for the brilliancy of their colours. In their manners they resemble the Finches, 

 and live upon seeds and berries, as well as insects. 



Figs. 1 and 2. The Summer Red-bird. — Tanagm testiva. The male of this 

 species is of a rich vermilion hue, the female yellowish-brown above, yellow beneath. 

 It inhabits South America and the United States, being found plentifully in the 

 warm season in Florida and the Carolinas, although it seldom proceeds farther nortli 

 than Boston. It feeds principally on insects, especially coleoptera, which it pursues 

 on the wing, seldom alighting on the ground. 



Figs. 3 and 4. The Scaulet Tanager. — Tuiiagra rubra. The male is equally 

 distinguished for the brilliancy of its plumage as that of the preceding species, while 

 the female is of a plain green tint above, and yellow beneath. It migrates from 

 South America into the United States, proceeding as far as Canada, feeds on 

 large winged insects and berries, lives chiefly in the depth of the woods, rarely ap- 

 proaching the habitations of man, and returns southward about the end of August. 



Fig. 5. The Louisiana Tanager. — Tanagra Columbiana of ^'ilson, 2'. Ludo- 

 viciana of Bonaparte. This species was discovered in Louisiana by Lewis and Clark, 

 in their expedition to the F'acific Ocean. Only a few imperfect skins were obtained 

 by these travellers, and little more is known of its history than that it inhabits the 

 extensive prairies between the territories of the Osage and JIandan Indians. 



Bats. — Although not many years ago, the number of Bats known to occur in 

 Britain amounted only to six, there are at present described in our more recent 

 works on the Zoology of this country not fewer than sixteen species. The char- 

 acters of these are briefly given in Jenj'ns' Manual of British Vertebrate Animals, and 

 inore4\illy in Air Bell's beautiful work on the British Jlammalia, of which six num- 

 bers have appeared. Many of tlie species have been found only in the southern counties 

 of England; and it is somewhat remarkable, that hitherto the species observed in 

 Scotland do not exceed three at most. The common bat of this country is the 

 Pipistrelle, Vesperiilio Piphtrellus of Gmelin and Desmarest, although, previous to 

 Jlr Jenyns' researches, it was considered as the V. mttriiius of Linnaeus, a much 

 larger species, which has also been found in England. The Pipistrelle we have de- 

 termined from species obtained in various parts of the south of Scotland. The only 

 other species which we have hitherto met with, north of the Tweed, is the Plecutits 

 atiritus, the Long-eared Bat, which in some places is neai'ly as plentiful as the Pipi- 

 strelle. Dr Fleming, besides these, mentions the F. emarginatus as having been 

 found in Fife; but it is probable that the information is not to be depended upon, 

 especially as the characters which he gives ai-e vague, and equally applicable to the 

 Pipistrelle, and as he considers the V. murinus, which is the Pipistrelle, to be the 

 common Bat, although that has not been found in Scotland. The determination of 

 our Scottish Bats is therefore a desideratum ; and we shall feel obliged for the com- 

 munication of specimens. 



Peculiar affection of Gallixules. — The "Water Hen, Gallinula Chloropus, 

 and the Corn Crake, G. Crex, are both subject to an affection, apparently resulting 

 from terror, which some observers have attributed to epilepsy, and others to a 

 feigned semblance of death. We remember once to have caught a Water Hen, which 

 fell to the ground from fright induced by a shot, although it was not in the least in- 

 jured, and after carrying it home end keeping it for a night, allowing it to escape 

 next morning, when it flew off with great speed. On another occasion, having fired 

 at and missed a Corn Crake, we were surprised to see it fly directly out to sea and 

 alight in the water, where it floated buoyantly, and seemed indisposed to rise again. 

 Unfortunately for it, a Idi'ge black-billed Gull, Larus marinusy which happenctl lo 

 be flying along the yhore, observed It, and descending with a scream, caught it in its 

 bUl, and carried it ofi^. We have caught the Corn Crake alive, and have known th.- 

 same f^at performed more than once, in the Hebrides, where that bird is very com- 

 mon. In the sixth number of this Journal, a case of feigned death is related ; but 

 we are of opinion, judging from the timidity of this bird, that the phenomena there 

 described could have resulted only from terror. 



