Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1852-01-20
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Tie Elephant.

1aAJAqGgl the EIephant has q more
retentlYe memory and more intelli-
gence than any other animal, he has
the brain smaller than the most Of
them; he Is; at thf same time, mir
aeie Of intelligence and monster of
matter; bis body isIvery thick without
any suppleness, the neck is short and
very STIFF the head small and de-
formed; the ears of an excessive di-
ametef; and the ndseIis Of a still more
disproI0rtionate } Bngth; the eyes are
too small as well as the mouth; his
legs are like massive pillars, straight
ana stiff; the face So short and SO
small, that he SEEMS to have none;-
the skin is hard, thick and calleus.
All Those deformities are remarkable,
as all of them ate exhibited on a
large scale; and They are more disa-
greeable to the eye, as most Of them
have np other example in the crea-
ton; no other animal having either
the head, the feet, the nose, the ears
or the tusks, made or placed like
those Of the Elephant.
The Elephant is yet singular in
the conformation Of the feet and the
texture Of the skin. He is hot
clothed with hair, like other quadru.
fpeds; His skin is bare; some bristles
issue dut Of the chops; they are thin
on the body, and thicker on the eye
lids, onthe back part Of the head,
within the ears, the thighs, and the
lqgs The epidfrnis, or outer skin,
is hard and call6us, has two sorts Of
wfinkles, some HOLLOW, others Dfomi-
neut. In man End other a4inlals,
tile cpidermis sticks everywhere
close to the skin. In the Elephant,
! it. is only faster led BY some points,
Ike two quilted SUITS one above the
/ PlIier. This eHidermis/ is naturally
RFy, ana soon acquires three or four
lihes IF thickness, by the crusts
which are generated one above the
3ther drying uH. Its this thickness
Iof the epidern4is which produces the
elkgdmlifasis, Of dry leprosy, to which
naA, whose skin is bare, like that Of
tile Elephant, is sometimes. subject.
This distempef is very common to
ELEPHANTS; a hd, to prevent it, the
iiidiahs take chre to rub them often
with oil, and to preserve the skin
supple by frequent bathing. 1t is
rather tender Where it is not callous;
andgthe Elephant is 50 fearful Of the
sting Of the dies, that he not only
employs his Natural motions, but
even the resources CT bis Intelligence,
. to get rid Of them; he makes use Of
bis tail, Of hiB ears, 6f bis trunk, to
lstrilIc them; he contracts his skin
wherever he can, and squeezes them
to death between the wrinkles. He
cleans bis skin by rubbing it with
pumiceIs stones, and then pours on it
perfdm6d oil and colors. The con-
formation of the feet and legs, is also
singular and different in the Elephant
from that of other animals; the fore
legs seem to be higher than those
behind, Vet the hind legs are the
longest; they are not bent like The
hind leg IS Of a horse Or an OK, the
thighs of which seem to be Of the
same piece with the buttocks; their
knee is very near the belly, and the
foot 50 high and 50 long, that it
seems to make a great part of the
leg. In the Elephant, on the con
trary, this part is very short, AID
touches The ground; he has the K nee,
like man, in the middle of the leg,
not near the belly. This foot, SO
short and SO small, is divided into
Eve toes, which ate all covered with
skin--n3n4 appearing outwardIy; one
sees ONLY sort 6f claws, the num-
Der Of Mlidh varies, though that Of
the toes is constant; for he has al
ways FIVE to each Ifobt, and common.
ly also FIVE claws; but sometimes he
has no more than four, or even three;
and in tllis case, they de not cores
pond exactly with the extFerhities Of
the fingers.
The Cats Of the Elephant are very
long; his tail is not longer than the
ear; it is commonly nearly three feet
in length, it is rather thin, sharp,
and garnished atthe extremity with
a taft Of large, black, shining, and
solid bristles, which are as large and
as strongas wire; and a man cannot
break them with his hands, as they
are elastic and plant. This tuft of
hair is an ornament which the negro
women are particularly fond Of; and