118 EINAE LONNBERG, MAMMALS COLLECTED BY THE SWEDISH ZOOLOGICAL EXPEDITION ETC. 



molar apparatus. The nuts of the doum palms are often eaten, but he does not 

 appear to be able to crush them as they are found in great number whole in the 

 droppings. Sometimes comparatively big trees are uprooted and pushed down to 

 give the Elephants access to the branches. An acacia of as large size as these trees 

 attain in the thornbush and which has been broken down by Elephants is shown 

 on PL VII, fig. 1. It happens at such occasions that the Elephants break, their 

 tusks and a big piece of ivory was found by one of our boys. A rather big Elephant 

 with only one tusk was seen by Cunninuhame at Njoro. 



The Elephants probably did not drink but every second night at Njoro to judge 

 from the spoors at the waterholes, but it might be possible that they knew more 

 than one water-place so that they alternately visited different pools. It appears, 

 however, certain that they can provide themselves with so much water that it lasts 

 for more than one day. I make this conclusion in consequence of an observation 

 on the Elephant which was shot at Njoro. It was killed about 12 at noon and had 

 probably not drunk since the evening before as it took us between 5 and 6 hours 

 to follow the spoor and the Elephant had walked slowly hither and thither feeding, 

 and was resting under an acacia when we first saw him. Nevertheless its ventricle 

 was found to contain great quantities of water which was as pure as the water in 

 the pool from which it originated. The water in the ventricle was not mixed with 

 the food material, although the Elephant as already mentioned had been feeding 

 almost all the way from the water hole to the place where it was shot. This fact 

 that the water contained in the ventricle can be kept in some way or other without 

 mixing with the food material explains that they can »put the tips of their trunks 

 into their mouths, and drawing about a bucket full of water from their stomachs, 

 squirt it over their shoulders* (Sblous as quoted by Lydekker 1. c. p. 15). 



The Rendiles told us that the Elephants probably would remain near the water- 

 holes at Njoro during the dry season but go away when the rains begun. 



It has been repeatedly stated by sportsmen that the eye-sight of the Elephants 

 is weak. I had the good opportunity of verifying this myself. The locality where 

 we found my Elephant was covered with scattered bushes most of which were only 

 about 120 cm. in height. We were thus well visible over the tops of these bushes, 

 especially to an eye situated so high above the ground as that of an Elephant, but 

 he did not see us, although we did not crouch except when we moved. And it was 

 no difficulty to reach within about 70 m. from him. 



It has been stated in the literature by A. H. Neumann, and perhaps by others 

 as well, that the right tusk »is almost always more worn than its fellow*. I can 

 make the same statement about my own specimen. Its right tusk is more worn and 

 somewhat chipped at the end, while the left is intact (PI. IV, fig. 3). An Elephant 

 skull in this museum from Cameroon, thus probably of Elephas afr. cyclotis, has the 

 right tusk badly broken while the left is in good condition. This is, no doubt, a 

 result of the same agency, viz. the propensity of the Elephants to use the right tusk 

 more than the left. Although this is not a rule without exceptions (e. g. a South 

 African Elephant in this museum has both its tusks just as perfect), it is of interest 



