WHALES. 53 



and the ears far smaller than those of its African rela- 

 tive. The Asiatic form has been tamed from very 

 early times, and many stories are told of its strength 

 and sagacity. The African Elephant was tamed by 

 the ancient Egyptians, but no nation at present employs 

 it in domestic service. The Elephant rarely breeds in 

 captivity, and the supply is kept up by annual hunts 

 for new animals, which are soon tamed and set to work. 

 The Elephants are now far less widely distributed 

 over the world than in former times. The Mastodon 

 and Elephant were formerly found both in America 

 and Europe, even after the coming of man to those 

 regions. In France a piece of the tusk of the Elephant 

 has been found with a picture scratched upon it of the 

 Elephant, drawn by some prehistoric artist. 



Whales, or Cetaceans. 



These Mammals live in the water, have their limbs 

 paddle-like and fitted for swimming, and their whole 

 appearance is fishlike ; but they are true mammals, 

 nourishing their 3'oung with milk, breathing air for 

 which the}^ come often to the surface of the water, and 

 their blood is warm. Most of them arc large, some 

 being the largest of living animals. They are covered 

 with a smooth skin. They breathe through a hole, or 

 holes, on the top of the back part of the head, through 

 which some kinds spout spray to great heights. 



Right and Sperm Whales. 



The Greenland, or Right, Whale attains the length of 

 sixty or seventy feet. It has no real teeth, but in the 

 upper jaw are rows of upright horny plates, called 



