II 
THE ELEPHANT 
33 
roots of the mimosa and other trees, which it digs 
up with its powerful tusks ; the forests are generally 
evergreen, and being full of sap, the bark is easier 
to masticate than the skeleton trees of India during 
the hottest season. Both the Indian and African 
varieties have only four teeth, composed of laminae 
of intensely hard enamel, divided by a softer sub¬ 
stance which prevents the surface from becoming 
smooth with age ; the two unequal materials retain 
their inequality in wear, therefore the rough grinding 
surface is maintained notwithstanding the work of 
many years. A gland at the posterior of the jaw 
supplies a tooth-forming matter, and the growth of 
fresh laminae is continuous throughout life; the 
younger laminae form into line, and march forward 
until incorporated and solidified in the tooth. 
It is impossible to define exactly the limit of old 
age, as there can be little doubt that captivity 
shortens the duration of life to a great degree. We 
can only form an opinion from the basis of growth 
when young. As an elephant cannot be fully 
developed in the perfection of ivory until the age 
of forty, I should accept that age in a wild animal 
as the period of a starting-point in life, and I should 
imagine that the term of existence would be about 
a hundred and fifty years. 
The life of an elephant in captivity is exactly 
opposed to its natural habits. A wild Indian 
elephant dreads the sun, and is seldom to be found 
exposed in the open after dawn of day. It roams 
over the country in all directions during night, and 
VOL. I D 
