124 ELEPHANTS 



coverings to make them look bigger. In India the skin 

 of domesticated individuals is polished and carefully 

 stained, like an old boot, by the assiduity of their 

 guardians, so that a museum specimen of exceptional 

 size, fit for exhibition and study, cannot be obtained. On 

 the other hand, the African elephant not unfrequently 

 exceeds a height of 1 1 ft. at the shoulder. With some 

 trouble I obtained one exceeding this measurement direct 

 from East Africa for the Natural History Museum, where 

 it now stands. It seems highly probable that this species 

 occasionally exceeds 1 2 ft. in height. On the ground, 

 between the great African elephant's fore and hind legs, in 

 the museum, I placed a stuffed specimen of the smallest 

 terrestrial mammal — the pigmy shrew-mouse. It is worth 

 while thus calling to mind that the little animal has practi- 

 cally every separate bone, muscle, blood-vessel, nerve, and 

 other structure present in the huge monster compared with 

 it — is, in fact, built closely upon the same plan, and yet is 

 so much smaller that it is impossible to measure one by 

 the other. The mouse is only about one fifth the length 

 of the elephant's eye. According to ancient Oriental 

 fable, the mouse and the dragon were the only two 

 animals of which the elephant was afraid. 



The African elephant has much larger tusks relatively 

 to his size than the Indian, and both males and females 

 have them, whereas the Indian female has none. A very 

 fine Indian elephant's tusk weighs from 7 5 lb. to 8olb. 

 The record for an African elephant's tusk was (according 

 to standard books) 1 8o lb. But I obtained ten years ago 

 for the museum, where it now may be seen, an African 

 elephant's tusk weighing 2 2 8-^ lb. Its fellow weighed a 

 couple of pounds less. It measures loft. 2 in. in length 

 along the curvature. This tusk was recognised by Sir 

 Henry Stanley's companion, Mr. Jephson, when he was 

 with me in the museum, as actually one which he had last 



