NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



93 



* I 



AFRICAN ELEPHANTS. 



which belonged Jumbo, and also the bearer of the enormous 

 tusks presented to the Zoological Society by Mr. Charles T. 

 Barney. Like all elephants newly arrived from Africa, 

 they are young, and small; but if they have good health 

 they will grow very rapidly, and about A. D. 1927 they 

 should attain full stature, — 11 feet at the shoulders for the 

 male, or thereabouts. 



The different species of elephants are most easily recog- 

 nized by their ears. Compare the enormous "sail-area" of 

 the ears of this species with the small, triangular ear of the 

 Indian elephant, and the small, round ear of the next species. 



The West African Elephant, (Elephas cyclotis), of equa- 

 torial "West Africa, especially the Congo country, is appar- 

 ently a small species, not exceeding .seven feet in height, — 

 even if that height is ever attained. Mr. Carl Hagenbeck re- 

 ports that out of nearly 300 pairs of tusks of this species 

 examined by him in the German ivory market, not one pair 

 exceeded two feet in length, and many measured only 10 

 inches. 



On July 25, 1905, we received a male specimen represent- 

 ing this species, as a gift from Mr. Barney. It is strikingly 

 marked by its small round ears, and the presence of 5 toes 

 on each fore-foot and 4 on the hind foot, the number in the 

 East African species being 4 and 3, respectively. At the 

 time of its arrival, little "Congo" stood 43 inches in shoulder 

 height, his weight was precisely 600 pounds, and his tusks 



