79 



the elasticity of the cheek, counteracthig each 

 other, have constantly directed the food in the 

 proper manner, so that the teeth have con- 

 stantly acted against the inner edge (of the 

 shell for instance) until sufficiently broken, 

 consequently the teeth of the low^er jaw are only 

 worn next the cheek 5 besides, the tusks could 

 not answer a better purpose than that of rooting 

 up such food, or in assisting the animal, in 

 the manner of the Walrus, to ascend the 

 banks: both the jaws resemble those of the 

 Walrus more than the Elephant, and so do 

 the tusks in substance, position and use — but, 

 in speaking of position, I do not so much mean 

 my conjecture of their position downwards, as 

 of the relative situation of their sockets with 

 respect to the condyle of the neck, which evi- 

 dently requires such an arrangement of tusks, 

 as much as the Elephant, whose sockets are 

 so much lower than his neck, requires his 

 nearly straight tusks to be directed towards the 

 earth : any other position in the Mammoth 

 would render them more cumbersome and in- 

 convenient, without any obvious purpose to 

 be answered. 



