646 
Supplement to the M Tropical Agriculturist." [March 1, 1895. 
The order Proboscidea is now only represented 
by the elephants. The order is characterised 
by the total absence of canine teeth ; the molar 
teeth are few in number, large, and transversely 
ridged or tuberculate ; incisors are always present, 
and grow from persisting pulps, constituting long 
tusks. In existing species these tusks only oc- 
cur in the i upper jaw, the lower being destitute 
of incisors. The nose is prolonged into a 
cylindrical trunk, movable in every direction, 
highly sensitive, and terminating in a finger-like 
prehensile lobe. The nostrils are placed nt the 
extremity of the proboscis. The feet are furnished 
with five toes each, and witli a thick pad of 
integument ; there are no clavicles : and the 
teats, two in number, are placed upon the chest. 
Only two living species of elephants are known: 
the Asiatic (Elephas Indicus) and the African (B. 
Africanus). In the Indian and Ceylon elephant the 
males alone have well-developed tusks, but both 
sexes have tusks in the African species, those of 
the males being the largest. The Indian elephant 
is distinguished by its concave forehead, small 
ears, and the character of the molars. Its skull is 
pyramidal, and it has five hoofs on the fore feet 
aiid only four on the hind feet. The African 
elephant has a strongly convex forehead and great 
flapping ears. Its colour is darker, its skull is 
rounded, and it has four hoofs on the fore feet 
and only three on the hind. The elephant of the 
East is tolerably easily domesticated, and it is 
often used for performing heavy draught work, 
and even occasionally for ploughing. Elephant 
tusks yield a good deal of the ivory of commerce. 
The Carnivora are distinguished by their canine 
teeth which are much larger and longer than the 
incisors and are well adapted for tearing flesh; the 
clavicles are either altogether wanting or merely 
rudimentary ; the toes are provided with sharp 
carved claws ; the teats are abdominal. 
Section 1. Pinnigrada or pinuipeda comprises 
the seals and walruses, with their short legs 
expanded into broad webbed swimming paddles- 
Seals are largely captured for the sale of their 
blubber and skins; while the walrus is hunted 
by whalers, both for its blubber which yields 
an excellent oil, and for the ivory of the tusks. 
Section 2. Plantigrada comprises the bear and 
its allies, in which the whole or nearly the whole 
of the foot is applied to the ground, so that the 
animals walk upon the soles of the feet. From 
the structure of the foot the Plantigrada have 
great power of rearing themselves upon their 
hind feet. They are comparatively slow of 
movement, and more or less nocturnal in habits. 
The claws are formed for digging, large, strong and 
carved, but not retractile; the tongue is smooth; 
the ears small, erect and round ; the tail short ; the 
nose forms a movable truncated snout ; and the 
pupil is circular. Bears are hunted for the sake 
of their skins and fat. 
Section 3. Digitigrada. This section comprises 
the lions, tigers, cats, dogs &c. in which the heel 
of the foot fs raised off the ground, and the 
animal walks on the tips of the toes. The weasel, 
pole cat (Putorius foetid us) and ferret are the best 
known of the Mustelidse, being characterised by 
their short legs, worm-like bodies and peculiar 
gliding mode of progression. Nearly-allied is the 
ermineor stoat, and the sable. The Mustelidae 
Are of commercial importance as yielding beauti- 
ful and highly-valued furs. Closely related to 
the above are the otters distinguished by their 
webbed feet adapted for swimming. Many of the 
otters yield valuable fur. 
The family Viverridce includes the civets and 
geuettes. 
The HyeentdflB are distinguished by having 4 toes 
on eacli foot, a rounded muzzle and rough tongue, 
and include the various specie* of Hyaena. 
C i nidi*.* comprise* the dogs, wolves, foxes and 
jackal*. They have pointed muzzles and smooth 
tongues. The fore feet have live t'ies each, the 
hind feet have only four. 
Pelidoe (or Cits tribe) Comprises the most typical 
members of the whole order carnivora, such us 
lions, tigers, leopard*, cats and panthers. They 
all walk upon the tips of their toes. The hind 
feet have four toes each, while the fore feet have 
Ave. All the toes are furnished with strong, 
curved repartite claws, which, when not in use 
iire drawn within sheaths by the action of elastic 
ligaments, so us not to be unneces6urily blunted. 
The tongue is rough and the juws short. 
TUB PREPARATION OF ESSENCKS. 
Among the many miscellaneous manufactures 
which are capable of being developed in the Island, 
the preparation of essences from the numerous 
aromatic shrubs and flowers found here, cannot 
but prove to be of great value and profit if 
properly taken in hand. Ceylon, no doubt, has 
been for a long time exporting two essential oils, 
viz., Cinnamon oil and Citronella oil. Both these 
industries have so far been almost over-done, and 
owing to the large output of the materials, prices 
have come down to such an extent as to hardly 
leave a sufficient margin of profit to manu- 
facturers for the capital they invest and for 
the trouble and labour they undergo in the 
preparation of the articles. It is positively 
asserted in some quarters that the manufacture of 
Citronella oil would altogether cease to be a profit- 
able industry according to the current prices obtain- 
able for the article, were it not for the considerable 
adulteration of the essential oil which is almost 
openly resorted to now. The adulterant used 
being nothing less than petroleum, or kerosine oil, 
and in the proportion of almost one to one. The 
device was, no doubt, first resorted to by dishonest 
traders, and when it was found that detection 
of the adulteration was a matter of great diffi- 
culty, most of the traders and planters were 
obliged to resort to this unfair practice, solely 
owing to the falling off in prices. Sometime 
back, English chemists carried out certain in- 
vestigations with a view to finding out an easy 
method of detection ; however, they were not very 
successful, and it is feared that with very 
rare exceptions the practice of adulteration is 
still in vogue. It is a matter for regret tliat the 
growers cannot be made to combine in their own 
interests to discontinue a policy which, in itself, 
is sufficient to kill out the industry altogether. 
When dealers in Europe find it difficult to obtain 
the pure article from Ceylon, they would not only 
resort to other sou.ces of supply, but would go 
so far as to seek for substitutes for the article. 
Even when the growers agree, the conditions of 
trade here are such that petty traders who supply 
