NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



lanky appearance, and its back between the shoulders 

 and the rump is concave ; whereas in the Indian 

 Elephant it is convex. 



It is the largest and heaviest of all land animals. 

 An adult bull stands from lo to ii feet at the 

 shoulders, and about I2| feet from the eye to the 

 root of the tail, and the circumference of a fore-foot 

 averages 5 feet. The skin is rough slate-colour and 

 sparsely covered with black bristles, which are hardly 

 noticeable. The trunk is divided at the tip so as 

 to form two small, sensitive, grasping fingers, which 

 are capable of being used for picking up quite tiny 

 objects. The front feet have four hoofs, and the 

 hind ones three. The female Elephant is smaller 

 than the male, and the tusks are shorter and thinner. 



The tusks are present in both sexes, although 

 females are sometimes without them, and on rare 

 occasions even males are tuskless. Tuskless females 

 are common in the Addo Bush. 



A dwarf race (Elephas Africanus pumilis) exists in 

 the Congo regions. 



African Elephants have been divided up into 

 several sub-species or local races. 

 . A gentleman related a most interesting episode. 

 He was lying concealed watchinjg for the appearance 

 of a Bushbuck in the Addo Bush. Presently several 

 Elephants passed across the glade he had under 

 observation. A cow was seen to sit down on her 

 haunches with one back leg bent, and the other 

 extended on the ground to suckle its baby. When 



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