ELEPHANT.
THE Elephant has attracted the attention of mankind from the remotest ages, on account of his size, his strength, and his sagacity. He was considered by the ancients as a powerful engine of war, and is still regarded as a valuable part of the materiel of an eastern army, for the transportation of artillery and baggage, and he forms a necessary appendage to eastern magnificence. His form and manners have often been made the subject of de scription, and many curious particulars of his history have been detailed by enterprising travellers. Yet still we have cause to regret, that conjecture, in too many instances, has occupied the place of observation, so that qualities have been ascribed to the elephant which he does not possess, and habits to which he is'a stranger ; and that a love of the marvellous has been gratified at the expence of truth, so that the gaudy description of Buffon must yield, in point of accuracy, to the simple narrative of Aristotle. In this article, we shall endea vour to lay before our readers the principal facts in the history of the animal, which appear deserving of notice ; unfold the characters of the different species of which the genus Elephas is composed ; and then describe the methods employed to obtain him from his native haunts, and to educate him for the service of man, The skin of the elephant is of a dusky black colour, with a few scattered hairs upon it, except on the crown of the head, where they arc pretty thick, and are about the length of a hog's bristle. The skin is generally smooth and soft, and only becomes hard and callous, and sometimes knotty, from use or disease. The head is somewhat small in proportion to the size of the body. The forehead is remarkably prominent, and gives to the countenance an expression of dignity and intelligence. The eye is small, quick, and penetrating. The ears are large and pendulous ; the back is considerably arch ed in the middle, and the tail is slender, with a tuft of long hair nearly reaching the ground ; the legs are suit ed to the size of the animal, being thick, strong, and massy, and the foot which is not divided into toes, is furnished with five horny nails on the fore feet, and four on the hind feet.
Among individuals of the same species there appears to be a considerable difference in point of size, as they are known to vary from 7 to 12 feet in height.
The dimensions of a full grown male elephant, as measured in India, were as follows Feet. Inch. From foot to foot over the shoulders22 101 From the top of the shoulder, perpendicu lar height. . 10 6 .
. .
From the top of the head, when set up as he ought to march in state12 2 . .
From the front of the face to the insertion of the tail .15 11 . .
The female elephant is always smaller than the male, and, in the Indian species, seldom exceeds eight feet in height. When either males or females are much below this size, they are not considered as of sufficient strength to sustain the requisite burdens. The standard of the Honourable the East India Company, for ser viceable elephants, is seven feet and upwards, measur ed at the shoulder in the same manner as the height of horses is ascertained.
The most remarkable organ which the elephant pos sesses, is his trunk or proboscis, formed by an elonga tion of the snout, and answering the purposes of a nose. It is sometimes eight feet in length, of a conical form, and composed of muscles entirely at the will of the ani mal ; he can move or bend it, contract, lengthen, or twist it in any direction. The extremity of the trunk terminates in a small protuberance, which stretches out on the upper side, and possesses an astonishing degree of feeling and power. By means of this finger-like protuberance, he can seize, with the greatest facility, the smallest object, lift a piece of money from the ground, or untie the knots of ropes. By means of his snout and trunk, the elephant renders himself most serviceable to man. By his trunk he can raise a considerable weight, and by his snout he can move about pieces of ordnance, and roll away casks. In a wild state, this organ likewise answers the most important purposes. With it he gathers his food, and puts it into his mouth, draws up water to quench his thirst, or to sprinkle his body, and collects dust, which he throws over his skin to keep off the mus quitoes and flies that annoy him. On all occasions lie is most careful of his trunk, and unless when tied and picketed he seldom uses it as a means of offence. The males use their tusks for this purpose, and the females endeavour, by falling upon the tiger, to crush him by their weight.