The elephant has no cutting teeth in either jaw in front ; but he is furnished with most powerful grinders, that enable him to bruise the vegetables on which lie feeds. These teeth, as in all herbivorous animals, have an uneven surface ; hut do not rise into points as in ani mals which feed on flesh. The structure of these grinders has excited much attention among- anatomists, and led to many important conclusions, which it would be out of place here to enumerate. Each grinder is composed of a number of perpendicular laminar, which may be consi dered as so many teeth, each covered with a strong ena mel, and joined to one another by a bony substance of the same quality as ivory. This last substance being much softer than the enamel, wears away faster by the mastication of the food, so that the enamel remains con siderably higher, and, in this manner, the surface of each grinder acquires a ribbed appearance as if original ly formed with ridges. From very accurate observations, which have been made on the Asiatic elephant, it appears, that the first set of grinders, or milk teeth, begin to cut the jaw eight or ten days after birth, and the grinders of the upper jaw appear before those of the lower one. These milk grinders are not shed, but are gradually worn away during the time the second set are coming forward, and tis soon as the body of the grinder is nearly worn away, the fangs. begin to be absorbed. From the end of the second to the beginning of the sixth year, the third set come gradually forward as the jaw lengthens, not only to fill up this additional space, but also to supply the place of the second set, which arc, during the same period, gradually worn away, and have their fangs ab sorbed. From the beginning of the sixth to the end of the ninth year, the fourth set of grinders conic forward, to supply the gradual waste of the third set. In this manner, to the end of life, the elephant obtains a set of new teeth as the old ones become unfit for the mastica tion of his food—a wise provision of nature, where the vast size of the carcase, to be maintained, must require increased exertions of the teeth in the preparation of food.
The milk grinders consist each of four teeth, or la minm ; the second set of grinders of eight or nine lami nx ; the third set of 12 or 13 ; the fourth set of 15, and so on to the 7th or 8th set, when each grinder consists of 22 or 23 ; and it may be added that each succeeding grinder takes at least a year more than its predecessor to be completed.
The tusks of the elephant, which correspond with the canine teeth of other animals, are to him most powerful instruments of defence, as, by means of them, he can defend himself, or gore to death the objects of his rage. They are two in number, situated one on each side of the upper jaw. They vary in form and size, according to the age, the sex, or the variety of the individual. In the female the tusks are very small compared with those of the male. The tusks of the male elephant vary in form and appearance. Those called dauntclah, or elephants with large teeth, vary from the projecting horizontal, but rather elevated curve of the pulleydant or the perfect elephant, to the nearly straight tusks of the mooknah, which point directly downwards. Between these two there is a great variety in the form of the tusks. The
largest teeth found in the male elephant are from 5 to S feet in length, and from 4 to 8 inches in diameter, and i weigh from "0 to 80 lb. each tooth. The increase of the tusks arises from circular layers of ivory, which are sup plied internally from the pulp on which they arc formed. In some instances, halls have been found in the body of the tusk with which the animal has been shot when young, or, at least, the balls must have entered near the base of the tooth, as they are found imbedded in its hard sub stance. The temporary, or milk tusks, drop in twelve or sixteen months after birth, and are succeeded by the permanent tusks, which continue growing successively through life.
The elephant seems naturally of a social disposition, and is seldom to be met with alone. The herd, in gene ral, consists of from ten to a hundred of young and old of both sexes. This herd is governed by an aged male and female, and seems to be completely under their di rection.
These herds reside in the extensive forests, which they seldom leave, although the males sometimes make predatory excursions to the outskirts in search of more palatable food. Their haunts are seldom at a great dis tance from a spring of water, or from a river. They avoid the margins of muddy rivers with the greatest care, lest their unwieldy bodies should stick fast in the ooze ; and over the large and deep rivers they swim with readiness, to the distance of one or two miles. Their bodies and even heads sink under the water ; but, by means of their trunks, which they keep above the sur face, they are able to respire, to direct their course, to avoid running foul of one another, and to know, by the smell, the approach of the opposite shore. In sultry weather they frequently squirt water over their bodies, by means of their trunk, and seem equally to avoid the extremes of heat and cold.
When we take into consideration the size of this ani mal, we need not be surprised at the quantity of food said to be required for his support. A full grown ele phant is said to consume, each day, from 100 to 150 pounds weight of vegetables. In his wild state he feeds on grass, shrubs, the leaves and young branches of trees. \Vhen a herd of the animals approach the habi tations of men, and enter the fields and vineyards in search of rice, sugar canes, and plantain trees, desolation marks their steps. The portion which they consume is small, when compared with the quantity which they trample down and crush with their feet. They appear to give a decided preference to sweet fruits and to plants which yield sugar.
The elephant, when young and healthy, lies down to sleep in the same way as other herbivorous animals do; but it is believed that, in an advanced period of life, when the body becomes stiff, he usually takes his repose in a standing posture, sometimes leaning on a tree, or other support. \Vhen an elephant is first taken, it is always considered as a good sign when he lies clown to sleep a few months after, as it shows him to be of a good tem per, not suspicious, hut reconciled to his fate ; but some elephants have been known to stand twelve months at their pickets without lying down to occa sionally they took a short nap standing.