Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/904

* ELEPHANT. 788 directions, ... as in the enfrino-turning of a watch." The tusks vary greatly in size, being sometimes very small, and they are often uial- fornicd or wholly broken off. Ele- p li a n t s employ them for such uses as gruhl)ing up edible roots, or loosening the roots of trees which they cannot other- wise tear from riG. 2. MOLAR TEETH. the ground ; as a, peiuil*iniat« molar; b, germ ot weapons (by till' last molar : c. bony capsule of thrusting), espe- thi>alvfnlu8, which laoves torward ,.:.,ii,. ;,, ,,,.,;„ nith the tooth. "'!"..* '" V,."' tainnig discipline in a herd: and in domestication for carry- ing light sticks of timber, lield in place by the trunk. The molar teeth of the elephant are developed in succession; and, at least in the Indian elephant, never more than two are to be seen in the same side of a jaw at one time. The first molars cut the gum in about two weeks after birth, and are shed about the end of its second year. The sixth molars, which are also believed to be the last, are supposed to appear about the fiftieth year of the elephant's life. The molar teeth of the elephant are remarkable for their great size, and for the extreme com- ELEPHANT. Fig. 3. MOLAtt OF isdiax elephant. d, dentine: rf', dentine worn down to common base; e, enamel ; c, cement. plexity of their structure. They are composed of vertical plates of bony substance, separately enveloped in enamel and soldered together by a third substance, 'cement,' more resembling bone than enamel. Each succeeding tooth is not only more complex, but occupies a greater Fig. 4. MOLAB OF AFRICAX ELEPHANT. Grindinp surface of the penultimate lower molar. Let)- ters as In Fig 3. space in the jaw than its predecessor. Although formed from a single pulp, the molar tooth of an elephant resembles an aggregation of teeth : and in the earlier stages of its growth, when the cement is not yet deposited, it seems as if many separate teeth were soldered together. As the surface of the tooth is worn down by mastication, the harder enamel is exposed in elevated ridges; from the peculiar manner of its growth, the an- terior part begins to be employed, and to be worn away, while the latter part is still in process of formation. FrxcTloss. The digestive apparatus of the elephant is similar to that of other herbivorous animals; but the stomach, which is of a very lengthened and narrow form, has near the gullet a reservoir for water, capable of containing several gallons, while a peculiar muscle, con- necting the windpijie and gullet, enables the ani- mal to regurgitate the lluid. which may then bo sucked from the mouth into the trunk, and souirted over the body, or at some offending man or animal. ' The female elephant has only two teats, situ- ated between the fore legs. The young suck with the mouth and not with the trunk. They are suckled for about two years. The period of gestation is also nearly two years, and a single young one is produced at a birth. The skin of the elephant is very thick, of a dark brown color, and in the existing species has scarcely any covering of hair. The tail does not reach to the ground, and has a tuft of coarse bristles at the end. The feet have toes, each in- cased in a kind of hoof. Habits, etc. Elephants live in herds, not generally numerous, but several herds often congregate together in the same forest or at the same place of drinking. Each herd has a leader, generally the largest and most powerful animal. The leader seems to exercise much control over the herd, gives the alarm in case of danger, and seems to examine and decide for the whole herd as to the safety of proceeding in any particular direction. A family resemblance is usually visi- ble among the elephants of the same herd; some herds are distinguished by greater stature, and others by more bulky form and stronger limbs; some by particularly large tusks, some by slight peculiarities of the trunk, etc. In the East In- dies, distinctions of this kind have long been carefully noticed, and some are considered as 'high-caste.' others as 'low-easle' elephants. An eleidiant which by any cause has been separated from its herd seems never to be admitted into another, and these solitary males are particular- ly troublesome in their depredations, exhibiting an audacity which the herds never show: they arc also savage and much dreaded, while from a herd of elephants danger is rarely apprehended. These remarks apply especially to the Asiatic species. The favorite haunts of the African elephant are mountainous districts with a scattered tree- growth: but the Asiatic si)ecies keeps itself in the depths of forests, particularly in mountain- ous regions, where they browse on branches or eat herbage, roots, etc., and from which they issue chiefly in the cool of the night to pasture in the more open grounds. They feed largely on the young shoots of palm-trees, and crush and eat the cocoanuts, after rolling each one under foot to rub off the husk; and they often do vast damage to crops. Ele|)hants delight in abundance of water, and enter it very freely, often remaining in it for a considerable time and with great evident en- joyment, swimming with ease and skill. Two species of elephant only survive the decay of a family much more numerous and widespread in the geological period that preceded the pres- ent, one African and the other Asiatic. For fossil and extinct species, see section Fossil F.le- lihtiiils, and see also Mammoth: XIastouo.n.