78 
THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT. 
[Nature and Art, March 1, 1867. 
to liim they are both rich and rare, and his appre- 
ciation of them could not be better expressed than 
in the following metrical version of one of 
Martial’s epigrams : — 
A drop of water from the weeping' plant 
Fell unexpected and embalm’d an ant; 
The little insect we so much contemn 
Is, from a worthless ant, become a gem. 
The whole of the forms, both of insects and 
animals found in amber are recognized as forest 
denizens, and it has been remarked that they bear 
a sufficiently close resemblance to existing species 
to enable a satisfactory inference to be drawn re- 
specting their habit. Many strange objects impacted 
in amber have been at various times offered to 
collectors ; but close scrutiny has generally revealed 
a well-executed fraud. Not in this category, but 
still so strange as to excite the gravest doubt, is a 
piece of amber containing a fish, in the Hope 
collection at South Kensington. The material is 
formed into the handle of a seal, and the tail of the 
fish is concealed by the ruggedness and opacity of 
the amber where it enters the metal mounting. 
O 
The singularity of this specimen consists, firstly, in 
the fish ; secondly, in the marked difference between 
that section of the amber enclosing the tail and 
the clearness of the remainder in which the body is 
exhibited ; and lastly, in the evenness of the set of 
the object. It is very desirable, in the interest of 
science, that this piece of amber should be sub- 
jected to microscopic examination divested of its 
metal mounting ; and until then, all that can be 
said about it is — “ Curious if true.” 
The uses to which amber is put are not very 
numerous. As a material for art carving, nothing 
can be more beautiful. The principal market is 
Constantinople, where it is made into pipe mouth- 
pieces, and articles of female ornament, such as 
beads. The Turks and Armenians are acknow- 
ledged to be first-rate judges of amber, and a 
connoisseur could enjoy no greater treat than a stroll 
through the Bazaar at Stamboul, where the amber- 
workers are located. Bor a pair of chibouk 
mouth-pieces of moderate dimensions, but well 
matched as to colour, sums varying from £20 to 
£50 will be demanded ; whilst for a chaplet of 
beads, three shillings the drachm would not be con- 
sidered exorbitant, although that amount might be 
fractionally reduced, should the purchaser have the 
nerve and patience to devote a day or two to the 
conduct of the bargain, and be able to withstand 
the flattering allusions to his imperial descent with 
which Ali or Hassan will plentifully bespatter him. 
There are many very fine examples of carving in 
amber to be found in the Boyal collections of 
Europe. In the loan collection at Soiith Ken- 
sington may be seen an octagonal casket, the pro- 
perty of her Majesty the Queen, the oblong plates 
carved with figures emblematic of the cardinal 
virtues ; and in close proximity there is a larger 
casket of architectural design, chiefly remarkable 
for the variety of colours in the amber used in its 
construction. It is ornamented with statuettes, 
twisted pillars, and quaint panelling, the work- 
manship being Flemish of the early part of the 17th 
century. A very elegant piece of modern carving 
in amher was shown at the International Exhi- 
bition of 1862, in the shape of a vine branch, with 
leaves and fruit ; but such works of art must 
always be scarce, owing to the difficulty of pro- 
curing lumps of amber of sufficent size and purity. 
The only purposes to which amber is applied in the 
useful arts is in the manufacture of varnishes for 
carriage-builders and photographers. That used for 
the panels of carriages is expensive, and is a long 
time in drying ; but, on the other hand, it is 
the hardest and most invulnerable of any known 
varnish. 
Any gossip on amber would be incomplete were 
not allusion mad.e to the preference which in all 
1 ages has been given to amber colour by the ladies. 
Sometimes it is in hair, and at others in dress; 
but whatever form the fancy might assume, amber 
has always been to the daughters of Eve “ a thing 
of beauty,” and its golden straw-colour a “joy for 
ever.” It is amusing to read, by the light of 
modern experience, the strictures of Pliny on the 
amber extravagances of his day, as, not only is 
the expensive luxury denounced, but he cudgels 
Domitius Nero soundly for bestowing the name 
upon the golden tresses of his wife, sarcastically 
remarking, that “ as fine names are never wanting 
for bodily defects, a third tint has been introduced 
of late among our ladies, under the name of amber- 
colour.” Verily, fashion repeats itself, as the golden 
tresses which Nero so much admired, and which 
Pliny so sedulously vilified, are, as far as colour is 
concerned, precisely those which linger in the 
memory of the modern Benedict as being the 
crowning glory of his guardian Angel. 
THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT. 
By Centubion. 
T HE African variety of the Elephant has received, 
iu comparison with his Asiatic congeners, but 
little notice from modern naturalists, despite the 
numerous points of interest which his history and 
peculiarities offer to the observer. To glance at a 
few of the historical details which the study of 
the animal presents, and to collect such observations 
of its habits as are really trustworthy, is the 
writei’’s aim in penning the following brief account. 
The African Elephant, the Eleylms Africanus of 
Cuvier, which, with the exception of certain regions 
of limited extent, like Egypt, in which it is not 
