XITHl 



in judging. Thus tte aged elephant has the end of the trunk 

 mottled and its bend worn and cakey (Onchterlony) and " legs 

 almost uniform in girth throughout." Instead of walking firmly 

 and planting the feet flat he brings them to the ground some- 

 what in the manner of a plantigrade animal, touching with the 

 heels first,* a method of progression which frequently results 

 from the animals being put to draught work prematurely ; the 

 ears fi-aycd and the top lapping over ; skin wrinkled shiny and 

 shrivelled (often beset with peculiar stellate warts) ; head lean, 

 deep hollows above the eyes ; tail hard and caked ; and with 

 little hair left on it, body hairs worn short by friction. With 

 regard to size, the maximum is attained at about 35 years of 

 age, before when the animal is often timid and deficient in 

 powers of endurance. Teeth : The tushes afford indications of 

 a^e appreciable to natives — Sanderson eiToneously afiirms they 

 are never renewed or shed. They vaiy much in different vari- 

 eties, and, no doubt, his remark applies to some — however, in 

 others the milk tusks are shed between one and two years of 

 age and replaced by the permanent ones which often attain 

 seventy lbs. weight in the male. The nonoccurrence of tusks 

 in many Indian elephants of course tends materially to reduce 

 their value as indicative of age. Thus in many Ceylon Elephants 

 small Tusks distinctively called Tushes are found. In some 

 animals the tusks grow so large as to become cumbersome or 

 to split lengthwise. In such cases (vide Commissariat Code, para. 

 1782) they are to be cut every 1st April, and the ivory sold. 

 The price of metal bands to be fastened round to prevent 

 splitting is authorized as a legitimate charge. The tusks of 

 all animals which die are to be sold and the price realized to be 

 credited to Government. 



" The first set of grinders or milk teeth are not shed, but are 

 gradually worn away during the time the second set are coming 

 forward, and as soon as the body of the grinder is nearly worn 

 away the fangs begin to be absorbed. From the end of the second 

 to the beginning of the sixth year the third set come gradually for- 

 ward as the jaw lengthens, not only to fill up this additional space 

 but also to supply the place of the second set, which are, during 

 the same period, gradually worn away and have their fangs ab- 

 ♦Thirteen years among the Wild Beasts of India." 



