98 YOUNG ELEPHANT CAPTURED. Chap. IV. 



knife across it in a sort of frenzy peculiar to the chase. The 

 wound was skilfully sewn up, and the young animal soon 

 became quite tame, but, unfortunately, the breathing pre- 

 vented the cut from healing, and he died in a few days from 

 loss of blood. Had he lived, and had we been able to bring 

 him home, he would have been the first African elephant 

 ever seen in England. The African male elephant is from 

 ten, to a little over eleven feet in height, and differs from the 

 Asiatic species, more particularly in the convex shape of his 

 forehead, and the enormous size of his ears. In Asia many 

 of the males, and all the females, are without tusks, but in 

 Africa both sexes are provided with these weapons. The 

 enamel in the molar teeth is arranged differently in the two 

 species. By an admirable provision, new teeth constantly 

 come up at the part, where in man the wisdom teeth ap- 

 pear, and these push the others along, and out at the front 

 end of the jaws, thus keeping the molars sound by renewal, 

 till the animal attains a very great age. The tusks of 

 animals from dry rocky countries are very much more dense 

 and heavier than those from wet and marshy districts, but 

 the latter attain much the larger size. 



The Shire marshes support prodigious numbers of many 

 kinds of water-fowl. An hour at the mast-head unfolds 

 novel views of life in an African marsh. Near the edge, 

 and on the branches of some favourite tree, rest scores 

 of plotuses and cormorants, which stretch their snake-like 

 necks, and in mute amazement turn one eye and then 

 another towards the approaching monster. By-and-bye the 

 timid ones begin to fly off, or take "headers" into the 

 stream ; but a few of the bolder, or more composed, remain, 

 only taking the precaution to spread their wings ready for in- 

 stant flight. The pretty ardetta (Herodias bubulcus), of a light 



