82 EINAR LONNBBRG, MAMMALS COLLECTED IN CENTRAL AFRICA. 



the posterior, proximally flat, distally concave posterior surface of the trunk there is a 

 considerable number of hairs, but none on the posterior surface itself. On the anterior 

 surface scattered hairs are found, chiefly growing in the transverse folds of the skin, which 

 latter, however, extend across the lower surface, or posterior surface as well. On the 

 proximal portion of the trunk the hairs are very few. 



On the lower lip the hairs are, as the figure (PI. IX) shows, very numerous. The 

 greatest number of them are white, but some of the posterior ones are black. On the 

 upper lip there are very few hairs, all small and black. The hairs at the eye form a longi- 

 tudinal series on the upper eye-lid, but not at its margin, and four hairs on the lower 

 eye-lid are also situated in a row about the middle of the lid. Thus they do not occupy 

 the place of whimpers as is the case in the Indian Elephant foetus according to Toldt 

 J:r.^ These hairs are comparatively long and apparently of sensory function. 



At the tip of the tail the hairs grow on the narrow sides of the laterally flattened 

 terminal portion. On the posterior side there are two rows of hairs, and one of these 

 (the left) continues around the tip on the anterior edge of the tail-end. The pther (the 

 right) does not extend beyond the end of the tail. As K. Toldt J:r describes in his 

 interesting and carefully written memoir, »Uber die aussere Korpergestalt eines Fetus von 

 Elephas Maximus)),^ the hairs do not grow single at the tail-end, but are arranged in 

 small groups which in this case contain 2 — 4 hairs. 



Otherwise the hairs are not developed as yet. The outer layer of epiderm is dark 

 as usual, and has a tendency of peeling off in flakes. The hoofs or nails are lighter than 

 the skin. The soles of the feet have already the peculiar structure which I could not help 

 admiring when I saw it in the footprints of the Elephant which I had the good fortune of 

 tracking in the northern wildernesses of British East Africa. It exhibits a very intricate, 

 labyrinthic pattern of small winding and meandering furrows, which with narrow inter- 

 spaces spin over the whole lower surface of the sole. It is rather difficult to describe this 

 accurately, but the drawing of the foetus on the accompanying plate (PL IX) displays 

 this pattern to some extent so that an idea of the same may be conceived. Undoubtedly 

 this structure is of very great importance for the Elephant, as it prohibits him from 

 slipping, when the elastic pads are stemmed against the ground by the weight of the 

 animal. 



Bratjer has stated^ that already in a quite young (7,25 cm.) foetus of Elephant 

 from Cameroon a »schon scharf hervortretende Perissodactylie » is to seen and that the 

 middle toe is much more strongly developed than the lateral. In this foetus as well 

 the middle toe is largest both in front and behind. On the fore feet, however, the differ- 

 ence in size between the middle toe (the third) and the fourth is not great to judge 

 from the size of the hoofs. The proportion of the hoofs is expressed by the following 

 measurements of their breadth: 



1 Denkschr. d. Math. Naturwiss. Kl. d. K. Akad. d. Wiss. Wien 1913, Bd. XC. 



2 Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde, Berlin, 1910. 



