OEDEE OF PACHYDEEMATA. 



123 



musicians. Grand sjonphonies were less to its taste. It seemed 

 to understand melody more easily than scientific harmony. I 

 know more than one man who is an Elephant in this respect. 

 When the concert was over, the sensible Pachyderm approached 

 one of the musicians, who, by his performance on the horn, had 

 particidarly affected it. The animal knelt down before him, caressed 

 him with its trunk, and ex- 

 pressed to him in all sorts 

 of pretty ways the pleasure 

 which it had felt in listen- 

 ing to him. 



After these general con- 

 siderations on the organi- 

 zation and the habits of 

 Elephants, we will pass on 

 to consider more particu- 

 larl}' the different species of 

 this family. Those now 

 existing, however, are only 

 tvro in number, the Ele- 

 phant of Asia and the Ele- 

 phant of Africa.* 



The Asiatic Elephant at 

 present inhabits nearly the 

 whole of the Indian regions, 

 inclusive of Siam, the Bur- 

 mese Empire, and India 

 propeidy so called. It is 

 found also in the island of 

 Ceylon, in Sumatra, and 

 there are some in the great 

 island of Borneo. Its head is broad, flattened on the front of its 

 forehead, swelling out on its sides ; its ears are much smaller than 

 j;hose of the African Elephant, and differ a little in their propor- 



* The Sumatran Elephant is regarded as a peculiar species by some naturalists, 

 but the late Br. Falconer has shown clearly that it is one and the same with that of 

 continental Asia. We have lately seen a living Sumatran Elephant in the Zoological 

 Garden at Rotterdam, and assuredly could not perceive any difference from the 

 Indian Elephant. We have had manj' opportunities of studjnng the variations 

 observable in the latter species, of vfhich, upon one occasion, -n-e examined 294, which 

 were ranged for the inspection by the local head of the military commissariat. — Ed. 



Tig. -31. — Head of Asiatic Elephant 



