202 
THE ELEPHANT. 
African elephant, which is easily distinguished 
from the Asiatic by his rounder head, hiS 
convex forehead, his enormous ears, and hi® 
longer tusks, inhabits all the countries froU* 
the Niger and the Senegal to the Cape 
Good Hope, and abounds in the forests of tb® 
interior. Both species live in large herdS) 
reigning the almost exclusive possessors of ii’''" 
mense forests and marshy plains, covered 
long grass ; repelling the attacks of evet/ 
other quadruped by their great strength apd 
their union ; and diminished in number or t®' 
duced to a state of captivity by man alone. 
The ordinary food of the elephant consist® 
of herbage, roots, leaves, and the tend^’^ 
branches of trees, which he breaks off' with 
trunk. It is astonishing with what facilb/ 
elephants break down, not merely brancbP®’ 
but even trees 0/ some size. At first tbp/ 
bear upon the stem with their shoulder ; ^ 
resists, they place one foot on it and rock 
