208 Mr. Corse's Observations on the 
best, and the hardiest elephant; and that, when this animal 
migrates beyond the tropics, the species degenerates. On the 
coast of Malabar, elephants are taken as far north as the terri- 
tories of the Coorgah Rajah ; but these are much inferior to the 
Ceylon elephant, and, from this circumstance, the report of 
the superiority of the Ceylon elephant to all others has pro- 
bably originated. Most of the accounts we have had respect- 
ing the Asiatic elephant, have been given by gentlemen who 
resided many years ago on the coast of Malabar or Coroman- 
del ; where, at that time, they had but few opportunities of see- 
ing the Chittigong or Pegu elephant. 
After premising these general observations, I may here ob- 
serve, that elephants have two tusks, in the upper jaw only; 
but those in some of the females are so small as not to appear 
beyond the lip, whilst in others they are almost as large as in 
one variety of the male, named mooknah * 
Elephants have no incisores or cutting teeth ; and the grinders 
are so much alike in males and females, that one description 
will serve for both. 
The largest tusks, from which the best ivory is supplied, are 
taken from that species of male named dauntelah ,-f- in conse- 
quence of his large tusks, and whose countenance, from this 
circumstance, is the most opposite, in appearance, to that of 
the mooknah; which, as I have just observed, is hardly to be 
distinguished, by his head, from a female elephant. Though 
there is a material difference in the appearance of a mooknah 
and a dauntelah, as well as in the value of the tusks, yet, if 
* Probably from mookb, the mouth or face, 
f Dauntelah signifies toothy ; having large or fine teeth. 
