solo of the liorse's lioof is with the wall. The upper surface of the 

 horny sole has all over it pin-hole depressions for accomraodation 

 of villi of the sensitive sole— its under surface presents a number 

 of more or loss regular cracks. Although five toe-nails to each foot 

 are looked for in the Wiiite elephant, five to each fore foot and 

 four to each hind foot is the general number in the Indian species, 

 the African having one less to each limb. -They are not hoofs in 

 the correct sense of the term, and bear but little weight. 

 Occasionally they are extremely numerous, twelve or thirteen 

 haviug been seen on one foot. A high-bred elephant of Ceylon 

 may have twenty toe-nails on the hind feet (Tennent). The 

 peculiar structure of the foot of the elephant enables him to pro- 

 gress with very little noise and so assists to hide his presence in 

 the jungle. The natives consider their number and regularity 

 a matter of import as bringing fortune or disgrace to the owner. 

 The bones of the foot are so arranged that the true Knee and 

 Hock cf the elephant are a little distance from the ground — and 

 the digits run obliquely downwards, the end bones each lying 

 within one of the toe-nails and being but a poor and aborted 

 representative of the hoof bone we find so well developed in the 

 ox, for instance. On the anterior surface of this small bone are 

 attached the sensitive laminte which fit in between the homy 

 laminaa of the toe-nail ; they much i-esemble those of the finger 

 nail of man . There is nothing very special in the ari-angement 

 of the tendons and ligaments of the foot — but between those 

 behind the digits and the sole is a large quantity of fibrofatty 

 substance constituting an important . Elastic Cushion. The 

 footing of the wild elephant is generally in soft soil, or over 

 accumulations of fallen leaves, and so the hoof slipper suffices to 

 protect the sole. Nevertheless, in wild as well as tame elephants 

 this sole is sometimes penetrated by thorns, and Ouchterlony in 

 his description of the structure of the foot, shows how these gra- 

 dually become reduced in size as they are deeper penetrating, 

 and he attributes this to a special fluid. Whether he is correct 

 or in error in this surmise it is certain that often injuries of this 

 kind cause but little or no lameness ; sometimes, however, the 

 thorns require to be cut down upon and. removed and the 

 foot put in a poultice. Circumstances are very different with the 

 transport animal worked along hard roads and over rocky ground ! 



