Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/903

* ELEMI. 787 ELEPHANT. Eg>"pt or Ethiopia, ami was referred to a tree calleil Aini/iis I'lumicii. Part of the eleini of coiiiTiierce is now obtained in America, from trees of other genera of the sane natural order, par- ticularly Protium iuieariba, which t;rows in Brazil and other warm parts of America. In dry weather, incisions arc made in the bark, irom which the resinous juice Hows aliundantly, hardens in the sxin. and becomes brittle with aye. It is collected once a day, and put into casks. Mexican or "era Cruz elemi is derived from several species of Bursera. Manila elemi is produced by Canarium comuuine. and. when pure and fresh, has the consistency and ap- pearance of honey. Klemi is seen in the trade usually in large, pale-yellow, semi-transparent masses; fragile, softcninj; by the heat of the hand: with a smell somewhat resembling that of fennel. It is soluble in alcohol and leaves a white crystallizabic residue, which is very light, inodorous, and tasteless, and which is called elemine. The properties of elemi, how- ever, chiefly depend on a volatile oil, which may be obtained from it by distillation. Elemi is used in the preparation of stimulant plasters and ointments, and is extensively used as an in- cense in Kastern countries. ELEPHANT (AS. clpend, OF. olifaiit, eU- fant, I.at. clcfihns, from Gk. kias, possibly from eX-, el, Arm. ey, horn + -e0as. -rphas, Lat. ebiii; ivory, from Egypt, abti. ab, Copt, cdoii, ebu, elephant ). An ungulatcd mammal of the suborder ,««»*^v Fig. 1. BKTTLL OF AX 1N111A.S ELfci'UA.ST. Vertical section of the slvull, with the molars and incisor, (tusk) of one side: a, l)ra1n-cavit,v ; b, cavernous upper ^ part of the cranium, showing its cellular cavities ; c, con- d.vle ; fj. d, molars ; e, tusk. Proboscidea and family Elephantid;c, represent- ing by two species the largest existing land ani- mals. The ordinary height at the shoulder is about 8 feet, but occasionally exceeds 10 feet, and has been known in one case, in Ceylon, to reach 12 feet. The weight of a large elephant is about five tons, the body being very bulky in proportion to its height. To sustain this weight, it is furnished with limbs of colossal thickness and strength, which are also remarkably straight, each bone resting vertically on that beneath it. In lying down, the elephant does not bring his hind legs under him. like other quadrupeds, but extends them backward as a man docs when kneeling. The elephant's pace, when e.xceeding a walk, is neither a trot nor a gallop, but a sort of shuHlc, the s])ced of which is increased or diminished without change of gait. .Stkictirk. The head in clci)liants is large; the neck is short and thick, the long flexible pro- boscis enabling tlic animal readily to reach ob- jects on the ground or at a height or distance of several fec^t. A great extent of bony surface in the head afl'ords attachment for nmscles destined to move and give power to the pro- boscis or trunk, yet the head is light in propor- tion to its bulk, as a great space separates the internal and external tables of all the bones of the skull, except the occipital bones, so that the brain-chamber is but a small part of the whole head. The space between the tables of the bones is occupied liy cells, some of which are 4 or 5 inches in Icngtli. which connect with each other and are filled with air, making the vast skull comparatively light. Trvxk. The nasal bones of the elephant are scarcely more than rudimentary: but the taper- ing probcscis, to the very extremity of which the nostrils are prolonged, is nearly eight feet in length. Besides the great nuisclcs connected with it at its base. It is composed of small muscles variously interlaced, which Cuvicr esti- mated at not much less than 40.000. The trunk can be coiled around a tree, and employed to tear it from its roots; it is a formidable weapon of offense and defense, and is far more employed ill this way than the tusks. Its extremity may be wound around a small handful of grass or a slender branch, and it is capable of picking a surprisingly small object from the ground. To fit it for such actions as a man might perform by a hand, the trunk of tlic Indian elephant is furnished at the extremity with what may be likened to a finger and thumb; on the up]>er side, an elongated process, soft, strong, flexible, and endowed with the most delicate sense of touch ; on the under side, a kind of tubercle against which this process may be pressed. All the food of the elephant is gathered and con- veyed to the mouth by the trunk; by means of the trunk, also, it drinks, sucking u]) a quantity of water sulllcient to fill it. and then discharging the contents into the mouth. Valves at the base of the trunk prevent the water from going too far uj) the nostrils. The trvnd'C is constantly em- ployed by elephants in i)roviding in many ways for their comfort and enjoyment, as in throw- ing dust or spouting water over their backs, two practices to which they are greatly addicted. Their friendly caresses are also given by the trunk, and through it they make a loud shrill sound, indicative of rage. With the trunk, also, they are able to strike powerful blows. The sense of smell is very acute in the elephant, as is also that of hearing. The ears are large and pendulous; the eyes are small. Teeth. Elephants have no canine teeth, nor have they any incisors in the lower jaw. The upper jaw is furnished with two incisors which, in perfection, become enormous tusks, sometimes weighing from l.")0 to 200 pounds. They are preceded by milk-teeth, shed at an early age, and they consist almost wholly of solid dentine, the fine elastic quality of which renders it invaluable as ivory (q.v.) for various uses in the arts, A peculiarity of its structure is that in a cross- .section "stria? proceed in the arc of a circle from the centre to the circumference in opposite