82 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[Elephants. 



the old one, and which gradually becoming de- 

 veloped advances forwards as the old one wears 

 away, till its last remnant is pushed out. The posi- 

 tion of the new tooth, with respect to the old one, 

 in progress of wearing will be seen by referring to 

 the section of the skull, Fig. 329 ; the characters of 

 the young teeth when forming and before worn 

 down are delineated in Fig. 331, c, d. In the 

 skull (Fig. 329) h shows the anterior tooth reduced 

 almost to nothing by detrition, and by the compres- 

 sion of the succeeding tooth ; i shows a full-formed 

 tooth in activity, already partially ground down on 

 it face k, but with the posterior laminse as yet un- 

 touched ; l, is the germ of a tooth, to succeed the 

 former (i) — it is enclosed in a membraneous capsule, 

 and lodged in a cavity at the back of the jaw. 

 ■On this subject we might enlarge, but our limits for- 

 bid. The tusks of the elephant (upper incisors) are 

 destitute of true roots, and have no other union to 

 their deep sockets than that of close contact ; they 

 resemble a nail driven into a plank ; and by gentle 

 and continued pressure may have their direction al- 

 tered. They consist of concentric layers of ivory, 

 .and grow by the continued deposition of these layers 

 added internally, for the pulp or core which deposits 

 the ivory fills the cavity at. the base of the tusk, and 

 arises from the bottom of the socket ; it is of great 

 size, and has no organic union with the tusk it se- 

 cretes. We have seen several instances in which 

 bullets have, on cutting the tusks, been found im- 

 bedded in the ivory, to the astonishment of those 

 who know not the manner in which the tusks are 

 produced. In these instances the bullet, has en- 

 tered the socket, and lodged in the bottom of the 

 hollow base of the tusk, and the pulp or core in that 

 hollow has kept covering it with layer after layer 

 of ivory, the tusk growing all the time, till at last, 

 from being in the hollow, the bullet attains the solid 

 centre of the full-grown tusk, being moved farther 

 and farther forwards by each deposit of ivory from 

 within. The tusks are not shed, as are the molars, 

 but a permanent pair succeed a deciduous pair, shed 

 between the first and second year of existence. 

 These tusks vary in size and curve : we learn from 

 Mr. Corse that one variety of Asiatic elephant is 

 characterized by straight tusks pointing downwards ; 

 it is termed Mooknah : another variety has large 

 heavy tusks inclining more or less upwards, and is 

 termed Dauntelah. Independently, however, of the 

 shape and size of the tusks in the male, the Asiatic 

 species is divided into two main or principal castes, 

 between which there are many degrees of inter- 

 mixture. These two castes are called respectively 

 Koomareah and Merghee. The Koomareah is a 

 deep-bodied, strong, compact elephant, with a large 

 trunk, and legs short in proportion to the size of the 

 animal. The Merghee when fully grown is gene- 

 rally taller than the former, but he has not so com- 

 pact a form, nor is he so strong or so capable of bear- 

 ing fatigue ; his legs are long ; he travels fast, has a 

 lighter body, and his trunk is both short and slender 

 in proportion to his height. A large trunk is always 

 esteemed a great beauty in an elephant, so that the 

 Koomareah is preferred not only for this, but for its 

 superior strength, by which it can undergo greater 

 fatigue, and carry heavier loads than the Merghee. 



The external characters of the elephant, which 

 we have not as yet noticed, need not long detain us. 

 The skin is dark-coloured, rough, and nearly desti- 

 tute of hair; a tuft of bristles laterally disposed 

 terminates the tail ; the eyes are very small, but 

 lively and intelligent ; the tusks project on each 

 side of the base of the proboscis. On each temple 

 .are situated certain glands with ducts opening on 

 the surface of the skin, whence exudes an unctuous 

 secretion; but beyond this nothing appears to be 

 .ascertained. The udder of the female is placed on 

 the chest between the fore-legs, and the young ele- 

 phant sucks with the side of its mouth, compressing 

 the udder with its trunk, to increase the flow of milk 

 (Fig. 339). 



The young elephant at its birth is about thirty-five 

 inches in height, and it arrives at maturity when be- 

 tween eighteen and twenty-four years of age. The 

 average ratio of growth, as ascertained by Mr. Corse 

 (' Phil. Trans.' vol. xviii.), is eleven inches in the 

 first year, eight inches in the second, six the third, 

 five the fourth, five inches in the fifth, three inches 

 and a half in the sixth, and two inches and a half 

 in the seventh. The males are probably longer in 

 attaining their full growth than the females ; but 

 the females produce young before they have ceased 

 to grow. Mr. Corse mentions one instance in which 

 the increase of growth during pregnancy amounted 

 to five inches. The period of gestation is twenty 

 months and eighteen days. The' elephant possesses 

 the senses of smell and hearing in great perfection, 

 and musical sounds evidently produce pleasure. 



Heavy and clumsy as is the form of this animal, 

 yet its pace is tolerably quick, especially over level 

 ground ; indeed, when irritated, the elephant rushes 

 on with great rapidity, and many are the instances 

 on Tecord in which the hunter, unsuccessful in his 



shot, has been pursued, overtaken, and trodden to 

 death. The gait of the animal is, however, peculiar, 

 and destitute of elasticity, and on reference to the 

 skeleton (Fig. 341) the reason will be immediately 

 perceived. In the first place the bones of the limbs 

 have an almost perpendicular bearing with respect 

 to each other ; and in the next place there is no 

 canon-bone (a long metacarpal and metatarsal 

 bone) as in the fore and hind limbs of the horse, 

 which may thus be said to have three bones in the 

 leg, those of the hinder limbs in particular being all 

 oblique ; whereas the elephant has the metacarpal 

 and metatarsal bones five in number in each foot, 

 short, and restricted to the foot itself, instead of 

 adding to the length and elasticity of the limbs. 

 In the horse the thigh-bone is very short, the true 

 knee-joint is as high as the flanks, and the whole of 

 the limb from the hock-joint to the hoof, which really 

 constitutes the foot, consists of tarsal or instep 

 bones, a long metatarsal or canon-bone, and three 

 phalangal bones, the last cased in horn ; these are 

 commonly called the pastern bones and coffin-bone. 

 The arrangement of these bones in the limb of the 

 elephant is very different ; and the knee, from the 

 length of the thigh-bone, is lower than in the horse, 

 so that the animal kneels in the same way as man 

 (see Fig. 338). 



The haunts of the elephant in his native regions 

 are forests along the borders of rivers, well watered 

 and fertile plains, where vegetation attains its ut- 

 most luxuriance, and green savannahs. There he 

 reposes in the shade of the trees, or cools himself in 

 the waters. Bathing, indeed, is one of the favourite 

 enjoyments of this beast. Even in our climate 

 during the summer months the bath is a luxury : 

 we have often seen the elephant in the gardens of 

 the Zool. Soc. plunge into his tank, draw the water 

 up into his trunk, and spout it in showers around ; 

 then immerse himself completely, the end of the 

 trunk alone appearing above the surface, and there 

 flounder about in the exuberance of health and 

 spirits. In his native country he crosses the broad- 

 est rivers, the body, while swimming, being sub- 

 merged, and nothing seen but the extremity of the 

 upraised proboscis. Nor is it to water only that the 

 elephant displays a partiality : he luxuriates in the 

 ooze and mud of swamps and marshes, and rolls 

 and wallows in the half-fluid mire. We have seen 

 him fill his proboscis with this mixture, and dis- 

 charge it over every part of his body so as to invest 

 himself with a layer of mud. In the hot regions of 

 which he is a native, he may find this a means of 

 protecting the skin from the scorching of the solar 

 rays, as well as a defence against the annoyance of 

 insects, for the skin, thick and coarse as it is, is 

 nevertheless extremely sensitive. The same par- 

 tiality for the mud-bath is also displayed by the 

 rhinoceros and the hog. 



Bishop Heber has described the bathing of wild 

 elephants which he saw upon his approach to Decca ; 

 "At the distance of about half a mile from these 

 desolate palaces, a sound struck my ear, as if from 

 the water itself on which we were riding, the most 

 solemn and singular I can conceive. It was long, 

 loud, deep, and tremulous, something between the 

 bellowing of a bull and the blowing of a whale, or 

 perhaps most like those roaring buoys which are 

 placed at the mouths of some English harbours, in 

 which the winds make a noise to warn ships off 

 them. 'Oh!' said Abdallah, 'there are elephants 

 bathing. Decca much place for elephant.' I 

 looked immediately, and saw about twenty of those 

 fine animals with their heads and trunks just ap- 

 pearing above the water. Their bellowing it was 

 which I had heard, and which the water conveyed 

 to us with a finer effect than if we had been on 

 shore." Besides the water and mud-bath for cool- 

 ing the skin and keeping off flies, the elephant, as 

 is often seen in India, will fan himself with a large 

 bough, and use it with ease and dexterity. The 

 beautiful description by Mr. Southey of this habit 

 is so appropriate, that we hesitate not to introduce 

 it:— 



" Trampling his path through wood and brake, 

 And canes" which crackling fall before his way, 

 And tassel grass whose silvery feathers play, 

 O'ertopping the young trees, 

 On comes the elephant, to slake 

 His. thirst, at noon, in yon pellucid springs. 

 Lo! from his trunk upturn'd, aloft he flings 

 The grateful shower : and now 

 Plucking the broad-leafed bough 

 Of yonder plume, with waving motion slow, 

 Fanning the languid air, 

 He waves it to and fro." 



A herd of elephants headed by their mighty 

 leaders feeding in calm security in the secluded 

 depths of the forest, or on the banks of a river in 

 some secluded valley, forms one of the most imposing 

 pictures in nature. Such a scene is beautifully 

 described by Pringle ; but willingly as we would 

 quote it, our limits forbid. One point, however, we 

 may notice — the use, as observed by that traveller, 

 to which these animals apply their tusks as levers 

 in uprooting trees. It was in the valley of the 

 Koonap River that the narrator came upon the 



track of a herd : " Foot prints of all dimensions from 

 eight to fifteen inches in diameter were everywhere 

 visible, and in the swampy spots on the banks of 

 the river it was evident that some of them had been 

 luxuriously enjoying themselves by rolling their 

 unwieldy bulks in the ooze and mud. But it was in 

 the groves and jungles that, they left the most 

 striking proofs of their recent presence and peculiar 

 habits. In many places paths had been trodden 

 through the midst of dense thorny forests otherwise 

 impenetrable. Among the groves of mimosa-trees, 

 which were thinly sprinkled over the grassy meadows 

 along the river margins, the traces of the elephants 

 were not less apparent. Immense numbers of these 

 trees had been torn out of the ground, and placed in 

 an inverted position, in order to enable the animals to 

 browse at their ease on the soft and juicy roots, which 

 form a favourite part of their food. I observed that, 

 in numerous instances, when the trees were of con- 

 siderable size, the elephant had employed one of 

 his tusks exactly as we should use a crow-bar — ■ 

 thrusting it under the roots to loosen their hold of 

 the earth, before he could tear them up with his 

 proboscis." 



This account refers to the African species, but 

 will also apply to the Indian. The noble elephant 

 in the garden of the Zool. Soc. has at different 

 times used his tusks in wrenching down the boards 

 which line his apartment, and that with such effect 

 as to demolish no small portion of the inner wood- 

 work, which is of great strength and thickness. 



The African elephant equals, if it does not sur- 

 pass, its Indian relative in size. Major Denham saw 

 one killed which measured 12 feet 6 inches in 

 height, and mentions others which appeared to be 

 considerably larger. Mr. Pringle saw one which 

 two officers of engineers agreed in stating at 14 feet. 

 The Indian elephant seldom exceeds 10 feet. 



From the earliest times this noble beast has been 

 employed by man ; and multitudes have been 

 drafted from their native forests, and with little 

 training brought to implicit obedience. It has 

 served him as a beast of burden, or as an auxiliary 

 of war, and has added by its presence to swell the 

 pomp of kings and conquerors. Setting aside the 

 rude method of taking these animals in pits, now 

 seldom or never practised, it is remarkable that in 

 every mode man avails himself of the assistance of 

 individuals of the same species which he has already 

 subdued. 



It is well known that large male elephants, from 

 some cause not ascertained, occasionally wander 

 about alone ; they are of large size and great fero- 

 city, and wherever they pass do much mischief. 

 Being the finest elephants, and best adapted for 

 sale, great as the risk may be, the hunters eagerly 

 endeavour to capture them. They follow them 

 cautiously, by day and night, with two or four 

 trained females, called koomkies. If it be dark 

 they can hear the animal striking his food, to clean 

 it, against his fore-legs, and then they approach 

 tolerably close: if it be light they advance more 

 cautiously. The females gradually move towards him 

 apparently unconscious of his presence, gathering 

 herbage and feeding on it with great complacency, 

 as if they were, like him, inhabitants of the wild 

 forest. It is soon seen by them whether he is likely 

 to be entrapped by their arts ; the drivers remain 

 concealed at a little distance, while the koomkies 

 press round the unfortunate goondah, or saun (for 

 so these solitary males are called). If he abandon 

 himself to the caresses of his new companions, his 

 capture is almost certain. The hunters cautiously 

 creep under him, and during the time that his 

 attention is thus absorbed they fasten his fore-legs 

 with a strong rope. It is said that the wily females 

 will not only divert his attention from their mohouts, 

 but absolutely assist them in fastening the cords 

 (see Fig. 352). The hind-legs are also secured, 

 and, if the situation permits, lashed to a large tree. 

 The hunters then leave him, and the faithless 

 females retire : he tries to follow, and discovers his 

 condition. If fastened to a tree (Fig. 353), he ex- 

 hausts himself with rage and vain efforts to break 

 loose ; but if not secured, still he moves with diffi- 

 culty in his shackles, and as long cables are left 

 trailing behind him, the mohouts soon seize the 

 opportunity of lashing them round a tree of suffi- 

 cient strength. Sometimes he breaks his bonds and 

 rushes madly to the forest, where the hunters dare 

 not follow him. But if adequately bound, his 

 struggles are useless ; and, worn out by the violence 

 of his anger, his exertions, and hunger, he sub- 

 mits at length, and is conducted under the escort of 

 his treacherous friends to an appointed station, and, 

 after a few months' discipline, becomes reconciled to 

 his fate. 



In the 'Asiatic Trans.,' vol. iii., Mr. Corse gives 

 an animated description of the mode of conducting 

 the operation of elephant-catching on a great 

 scale, as practised at Tipperah, where thousands of 

 people assemble to drive a herd of these superb 

 animals with the clang of drums and trumpets, and 



