Animal life in the sea and on the land . it to contain many hollowspaces which are filled with air,and which greatly reduce theweight of the large, clumsy-look-ing head. Its size and strength,however, are sufficient to supportthe huge tusks, which often weigh from one hundred andfifty to two hundred pounds. The tusks are the incisorteeth of the upper jaw, which continue to grow duringthe lifetime of the elephant, and sometimes reach a greatlength. 374 ANIMAL LIFE IN THE SEA AND ON THE LAND. 4. Their Home and Habits.—These large animals live inherds in the forests of tropical Asia and Africa. T
Animal life in the sea and on the land . it to contain many hollowspaces which are filled with air,and which greatly reduce theweight of the large, clumsy-look-ing head. Its size and strength,however, are sufficient to supportthe huge tusks, which often weigh from one hundred andfifty to two hundred pounds. The tusks are the incisorteeth of the upper jaw, which continue to grow duringthe lifetime of the elephant, and sometimes reach a greatlength. 374 ANIMAL LIFE IN THE SEA AND ON THE LAND. 4. Their Home and Habits.—These large animals live inherds in the forests of tropical Asia and Africa. Theyfeed upon grass and foliage, and seem to prefer the shadeof the forests to the glaring sunlight, as they generallystroll out towards night. 5. The African Elephant.—The only species now living. Fig. 259.—Indian Elephants. are the Indian elephant and the African elephant. TheAfrican elephant has great, flapping ears, and it is morefierce than that of India. It is hunted chiefly for itstusks, which yield fine ivory, and are therefore very val-uable. The demand for tusks is so great that there isreason to fear these elephants will be entirely destroyedin order to supply the trade. The immense size of these ELEPHANTS. 375 living curiosities reminds us, in a way that no other ani-mals do, of the huge monsters of various kinds that for-merly dwelt upon our earth. 6. The Indian Elephant. — Indian elephants have milddispositions, but if they are irritated they become furiousand revengeful. It is stated that they can be easily tamed,no matter what their age or size may be, and in India theyare used for many kinds of labor which require intelli-gence and skill. Strangest of all these employments isthat of catching wild elephants. 7. The Capture of Wild Elephants.—To assist in ca
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1887
