The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-07-19

An Elephant That Lived over Three
Hundred and INV Y.nrs


Man lives to an ny laf in o.. anl-
mai Kingdom, on thc contrary. the dura-
ton OF life is almost exactly equal FOR
al individuals of the same species Hut
we can know with cAactuess tho rc.I
duration OF life only for animals in ser
Filu4c, We DO not know whether IL il
the same IN the savage state. Rabbits
and guinea pigs Use 3 years: squirrels
ana mares, B, cats, @ or lD. dogs DO or
j. foxes, Il 10 l6. cattle, 10 10 ia. bears
ana wolves, ~. the rluOccrous. g. tho
ass ana the horse. - to ~. the lion. 80 20
40 ga lion in the London Geological Car
dens reached the a-r OF 90 years.. the
camel. 80. The length OF life or the cie-
phant is uncertain, according % Aristotle
Button and Cuvier. De- lives two centuries.
some authors say even four or five. After
lbs victory over porus. Alexander con-
secrated 10 the sun au elephant th-t had
fought for the Indian monarch. and gave
~ the name cf Ajax. then, having at
tached an inscription 10 IL. be SGT IL az
liberty. The animal was found $50 years
later. The ancients attributed % the stag
fabulous length az nfe. but Aristotle OBJ
serves that what is reported On this sub
Jcct has no good foundation.
Button says that the stag takes or 6
years 20 attain FUN growth. and should
1.-Two seven times this period, that Is, -
or 40 years.
Though precise observations are want
Ing. we know that fishes, especially To-
large species live a very long time. Ac-
cordine 10 Bacon, ee.s reach 90 years.
Carps have been known % live at least
80 years, and they then seemed 70 Bull
ION as lively and agile as ordinary carp.
Doiphus. surgeons and sharks live
moro than a century and attain a huge
size. Pixies have been seen Weighing
1000 pounds. which indicates "A very long
existence. pike caught at kaisers.
Lantern in 1877 was - feet long and
weighed $50 pounds, 10 bore in its gills
"a copper ring with an inscription stating
that ID had been put in the pond OF Lau-
tern by order Of the Emperor Frederick
H. that is. PSI years before. Whale
fishers have exterminated the huge whales
Of the polar seas. those that We're fcrm-
eriy met with were off prodigious dimen-
sions. II is supposed. with some pro-
liability. that they live several centuries
and that they may even reach an age Of
1000 years.
on the other hand. we meet another
class or animals whose passions are live
still live a long timo-we mean birds. But
II is not known with any degree of pre-
cision how long these live. except that
their longevity T. great. We see the same
swallows returning 10 their accustomed
nest for a considerable number of years.
An eagle died az Vienna al the age of
JOB years. According 10 Button, the life
az the crow is JOS years. and no ohserva-
ton authorizes us 10 attribute 10 It. with
Hesiod. 100 years. 4 paroquct. brought
e. Florence In 1893 by the Princess Pro-
we're d'I-rbin. when she went there 70
ospouse the Grand Duke OF Ferdinand.
was then az least % years old. and lived
nearly 100 more. A naturalist whose tcs-
timcny cannot De doubted, Willoughby,
had certain proof that n goose lived n
century and Button dld not hesitate 10
conclude that the swans life Is longer
| vet. some authors gave II two and even
/ three centuries. Mailerton possessed the
| skeleton Of a swan that had lived 500
years. This IS quite enough 10 prove
| that among The larger animals and also
! cspcciallv among birds. the duration n
! life. relatively u their bulk and height,
/ Is very long: IL Is, on the contrary. very
/ short with insects: many II these live
| less than n month rarely a few years.
while the life Of the ephemcrids IS but
seven 10 twelve hours and IN this brief
/ snace they accomplish the principal func-
/ lions that nature requires n organized
bodies-they are born. reproduce Sad die.
Translated by the Literary Digest from
Journal d'Hygiene.