Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/527

ELEPHANT 519 ances for the insertion of the muscles of the shoulders, a strongly ridged shaft, and a pul- ley-like lower surface for the forearm, admit- ting only of flexion and extension ; the exter- nal condyle is very extensive upward. The radius and ulna are permanently pronated, and both enter into the formation of the elbow and wrist joints ; the eight bones of the wrist are arranged in two rows, and the five meta- carpals are short and robust, five fingers being attached to them, but concealed by the thick and overhanging skin, with the exception of the ends. The pelvic bones are large, to ac- commodate the powerful muscles to which they give origin ; the ilia are broad, rounded anteriorly and concave toward the abdomen ; the femur is simple in shape, comparatively smooth, resembling considerably that of man ; this resemblance is continued in the leg and tarsus ; the os calcis is very large and promi- nent ; the metatarsus consists of five bones, the external one being imperfectly developed ; the toes are also five, each consisting of three bones, except the outer, which has one, all encased in the thick skin, the division being indicated only by the projecting extremities. The bones of the elephant may be easily distinguished from those of other quadrupeds ; they resemble, except in size, the bones of man, particularly the cervical and dorsal vertebrae, the shoulder blade and pel- vis, the femur, tarsus, and the bones of the me- tacarpus and metatarsus ; so that it is not sur- prising that even anatomists, ignorant of the elephant's skeleton, should have mistaken their recent and fossil bones for the remains of gigan- tic human beings. The food of the elephant is entirely vegetable, and must be immense in quantity, and the digestive apparatus is accord- ingly largely developed. The stomach is simple, of a lengthened and narrow form, its cardiac extremity being prolonged into a pouch of con- siderable size, its internal membrane divided into thick folds and transverse wrinkles, and its muscular coat very thick ; the small intes- tines are voluminous, and the large of enormous size ; in a moderate-sized animal the intestinal canal was 60 ft. long, the small intestines being 38 ft., the caecum 1|-, and the large 20^ ft. ; the circumference of the first being 2 ft., of the second 5 ft., and of the last (colon) 6 ft. The gall bladder is situated between the coats of the duodenum, and is divided by transverse parti- tions into four compartments ; the spleen is 4 ft. long. The heart resembles that of the rodents in having three venae cavae opening into the right auricle, two above and one below, and the Eustachian valve is furnished with a rudimen- tary superior division. The brain is small in proportion to the size of the animal ; in one 7^ ft. high the whole organ weighed but 9 Ibs., and in another 9 ft. high the internal capacity of the qranium was only 354 in., being less than three times the weight of the human brain, and less than four times the capacity of the Caucasian skull ; the convolutions are well marked, and the cerebellum is proportionately very large ; the fifth pair of nerves, which supply the trunk, are enormously developed. The trunk of the elephant is an elongated nose, but is chiefly an organ of touch, though capable of being used for smelling ; it forms a conical mass, 4 or 5 ft. long, gradually tapering to the end, which is provided with a thumb-like appendage, en- dowed with a most delicate sense of touch, and capable of picking up a needle ; it contains a double tube, strengthened by membranes, ex- tending up as far as the bony nostrils, just be- fore which they form a sudden curve; the true nasal passages are provided with a valve by which the cavity of the trunk may be cut off from the nose, a provision rendered neces- sary when the animal takes fluid into the former. The great bulk of this organ is made up of transverse and longitudinal muscles so arranged that the trunk may be elongated, shortened, raised, and bent in any desired di- rection, with the precision of the human hand. Though the trunk is capable of performing the most delicate operations, it is also an organ of great strength and a weapon of the most for- midable character ; with it the animal tears the branches from trees in its search for food, performs the heaviest tasks for his human owner, and defends himself from his smaller enemies ; with it he introduces food and drink into his mouth, which, from the shortness of his neck, he cannot bring to the ground ; by inspiring through the trunk he fills it with wa- ter, which he discharges into his mouth or in refreshing showers over his back. So important is this organ that the animal's first act when in danger is to raise it above his head ; when hunt- ing the tiger or other wild animal, he carries it high in the air ; any wound of it seems to render him helpless ; in ordinary cases he rare- ly uses it to strike an object. When crossing deep rivers the body is deeply immersed, and respiration can be carried on with only the tip of the trunk above water. The sense of smell is acute, though not resident in the trunk proper, as is indicated by the extent of the frontal and maxillary sinuses communicating with the nose ; the sphenoidal sinuses are also of unusual di- mensions. The sense of hearing is also acute, as it should be for an animal living in thick woods and jungles, in which vision can hardly detect the approach of an enemy ; the ear com- municates with extensive bony cells, and the external auricle is large to collect the sounds and convey them to the tympanum. . The eye is small, but is well protected by thick lids and a nictitating membrane. The muscular system is of immense strength ; and the ligamentum nuchae, which supports the heavy head, is of uncommon size and firmness. Elephants in- habit the tropical forests of Asia and Africa, living in troops ; though often destructive to trees, and especially to saccharine plants, they are quiet and inoffensive unless attacked ; they prefer well watered regions, where a large herd may frequently be seen guided by some old male, keeping in the shade during midday and