The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-05-14

tnell nave alreauy salu so. That IL
why the West virginian is going to
talk about them in this article.
There are two kinds OF elephants
the Aslatic from Asia and the African
from Africa. Anybody can tell one
kind from another when he knows
how The Asiatic elephant has a me.
dlum sized ear, a long head and con.
cave or dentei in forehead. The AZ.
r!can elephant has q gigantic ear
sometimes five. feet long by four feet
wide and II hangs away down to his
throat. Its head Is shorter than the
Asiatic elephants and It's forehead is
eonvexed or bulsed out. Most Of the
elephants which wifi be seen here
Saturday with the Observation-Disclosures
Circus are Asiatic elephants.
An elephant may be said to be mn.
''rel when 1t is about thirty years Of
age. They live TO be from $50 10 200
years Of age and have been known to
live 200 years. They weigh from G,09e
TO 10000 pounds and DO not stop
growing at all, but after about thirty
years they grow Very slowly.
An elephant will eat per day about
two hundred pounds of hay, 100
pounds Of carrots or other vegetables
and will drink sixty to eighty gallons
Of water. Where they are used to car.
ry burdens they will carry a ton Of
freight fifty miles a day as they have
a swift galt and can cover a great
deal of ground. In this connection Il
may be interesting to note that they
coming circus has six working or
timber elephants" which carry the
heavier tent poles and pull the huge
wagons when the combined strength
Of twenty horses cannot turn The
wheels.
Besides the tusks an elephant has
but four teeth at time, two molats
on each slde-one above and one be.
low. but they are giant affairs and can
tloa great deal Of grinding. The tops
Of these teeth are nearly as large ms
a mans hand and are made Of enme
and ivory. But instead Of having only
one seat OF teeth 10 last 1t lifetime,
as III the case with all other animals,
an elephant has n regular toothshop
as You might say. and gets five or six,
or even seven new sets, OF teeth dur.
Ing It's existence.
These new teeth grow embedded In
the jaw back of the teeth In actual
use, and cannot be seen. When one
set. Of molars wears oft the new teeth
move forward. push the old teeth out
of the way, and take their place. OF
the Aslatic elephants only the males
have tHsks, but Of the African Gle.
plants both male and female grow
them. Unlike the true teeth, the
tusks grow NIL the time, from the hot.
tom, they have been known 10 reach
the length Of eight feet and 10 weigh
two hundred pounds. They are COM.
posed almost entirely OF ivory and are
very valuable.
In their native state the elephant
lives In herds and near water: They
have been hunted by men until they
fear the sight Of person and whole
heard of elephants will break and run
from n man rs will drove Of deer.
OF course, when cOrnercd or wounded,
they will fight, but they are so large
and clumsy that Il Is little trouble for
a person 10 escape them. Indeed The
natives in The country where the ele.
plants live do moi fear them at all.
The elephants trunk Is really It's
upper lip with its nose In 1t. This Is
the iistlngushable feature of the ele.
plant and OF course every boy "a.
millar with It. But every hoy may not
understand that in order 10 move II
around In every direction there are
employed more than $4,000 separate
muscles. i.
Now, while the elephant is q very
Intelligent animal, and can be taught
TO do many wonderful things, the
great head Of his Is not full 10 brains.
As n matter Of fact the elephant has
a comparatively small brain capacity.
But 1t Is necessary that an elephant
have big stout head in order to sup.
port The great tasks and the trunk and
the jaws carrying such large teeth, so
nature provides the head although she
does not al 1t with brains.
An elephants head Is made up most.
ly Of bones, something like honey
comb. Between the bones are layers
OF membrane. The butting and SHOW.
ing that the timber elephants will do
with the circus ,loes not jar the ele
plant as 1t would II 1t were not for
this honey comb arrangement. An ele.
plant can strike tree with lis head
SO hard that the wood Is split open
and II will not hurt the animal.
Whap t,a oIrn,,, onn,nr 500, ,,o,,,