624 
VERTEBEATA. 
they enjoy the refreshing coolness, or, wallowing in the soft mud of the morasses, acquire an ad- 
ditional protection against these, their most formidable, though tiny foes. Conscious of their own 
massive strength, they feared no other enemies until the aggressions of man taught them his su- 
periority; inoffensive and peaceful, they rarely use their gigantic powers of injury; but when 
irritated, they often exhibit a furious and revengeful ferocity. Heavy and massive in their struc- 
ture, their pillar-like limbs seem ill-calculated for speed; yet, "their pace, when they have fairly 
commenced it,, from the length of their stride, and the great propelling weight of their bodies, is 
for a time very rapid, and bears before it all ordinary obstacles, clearing a way through the thick- 
est and most matted underwood." 
In many of the species the canine or incisor teeth are developed into curved tusks, which in 
some attain a monstrous size. The nose also is greatly lengthened, sometimes into a broad, flex- 
ible muzzle, and sometimes into a long snout or trunk. The Elephants are the best examples of 
both these peculiarities of structure. It is probable that this order contains the longest lived of 
all the land animals; Mr. Hodgson informs us that the Indian Rhinoceros is believed to live for 
a hundred years, and that one, taken mature, was kept at Katmandoo for thirty-five years with- 
out exhibiting any symptoms of approaching decline. It is the common opinion in India that 
the Elephant sometimes lives three centuries ; this is improbable, though several now in the ser- 
vice of the East India Company were old when they came into possession of the Europeans, up- 
ward of ninety years ago. Most of the species, especially those of gigantic size, inhabit the con- 
tinent and great islands of Asia and the continent of Africa. Some, however, are peculiar to 
America, and others have a very extensive range. 
The various species are divided into six families, as follows: the Elephantidm^ Rhinoceridce, 
Hipiwpotami^ Tcqyiridce^ Suedce, and HyracidcB, 
THE ELEPHANTID^ OR PEOEOSCIDJE. 
Of this family there is a single genus, ELEPHANT, Elephas, the species of which are the 
largest of living quadrupeds. They are distinguished by having five toes to each foot, very com- 
plete in the skeleton, but so enveloped by the callous skin which surrounds the foot that their 
only external appearance consists in the nails attached to the extremity of this species of hoof. 
They have no canines nor incisors, properly speaking; but in the incisive or intermaxillary bones 
are implanted two defensive tusks, which project from the mouth, and frequently attain enormous 
dimensions. The magnitude of the sockets necessary to hold these tusks renders the upper jaw 
so high, and so shortens the bones of the nose, that the nostrils in the skeleton are placed near 
the top of the face ; but in the living animal they are prolonged into a cylindrical trunk, com- 
j)osed of more than forty thousand small muscles variously interlaced, flexible in all directions, 
endowed with exquisite sensibility, and terminated by an appendage like a finger. This trunk 
imparts to the elephant as much address as the perfection of the hand does to the monkey. It 
enables him to seize whatever he wishes to convey to his mouth, and to suck up the water he 
is to drink, which, by the flexure of this admirable organ, is then poured into the throat, thus 
supplying the want of a long neck, which could not have supported so large a head with its 
heavy tusks. The trunk also is the organ of the voice, and through it the animal utters strong, 
trumpet-like tones. Within the parietes of the cranium are several great cavities, which render 
the head lighter; the lower jaw has no incisors whatever; the intestines are very voluminous; 
the stomach suxiple; coecum enormous; the mammaj, two in number, placed under the chest. 
The young suck with the mouth and not with the trunk, as was asserted by Buflbn. The period 
of gestation is twenty months ; the young at birth are three feet high; they are able immediately 
to ibllow their mother. There are only two species. 
The Asiatic Elephant, E. Indicus^ difi"ers from the African species, not only, in its greater 
size and in the characters of the teeth and skull, but also in the comparative smallness of the ears, 
the paler brown color of the skin, and in having four nails on the hind-feet instead of three. The 
sagacity of this species is also supposed to be greater than that of the African elephant. But 
thouo-h many wonderful stories are told, and some of them are as true as they are wonderful, of 
