shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage; neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets' Ha, ha;' and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains and the shouting."*

Of the ass, a kindred animal, Dr Macculloch justly observes, that, through a precision of footing which is even augmented in the mule, it is fitted, almost like the goat, for those mountain difficulties, where the horse becomes less serviceable; while its strength, patience, steadiness, and indurance of privation in food, form a combination of qualities, that point to the design, which allotted it as another servant to man.

From time immemorial, the ass, in eastern climes, has been the slave of man; but, in the latitudes of Europe, its introduction may be considered as comparatively recent, being unknown there in the time of Aristotle. It seems, indeed, to be more adapted to the hill country of more southern climates, and especially of the East. In Europe, it is dull, slow, and diminutive in size. In more genial regions, it is large, handsome, and spirited. It is, therefore, frequently used among the Orientals, even at this day, in preference to the horse; and, in ancient times, it was there held in still greater estimation than at present. It will not be forgotten, that when our Lord made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, he was mounted on an ass's colt.

In considering the subject of domestic animals, we must not forget, that the advantage is not altogether on the side of man. It is an additional proof of Divine benevolence in this arrangement, that the benefit is reciprocal, and that the services bestowed upon us, are requited in our attentions towards them. By cultivation, we increase the quantity of food, not only for ourselves, but for the creatures whose aid we require; and, by thus augmenting the number of living beings, augment the sum of enjoyment. The chief happiness of the lower * Job, xxxix. 20-25.

animals, consists in an ample supply of food; and this, man bestows. He protects his herds and flocks from their numerous enemies; for their sakes, destroying the beasts of prey, or affording means of defence which they are themselves incapable of employing. Let any person compare the state of the sheep, the goat, the ox, and the horse, under the protection of man, with the privations and dangers they would have to endure, if left to range at large in the uncultivated forest, and he will at once perceive that their domestication must be considered as a blessing, not more with reference to man, than with reference to themselves.

It is true that there are some evils to be placed in the opposite scale, but these are light in comparison with the advantages. Sometimes a cruel master may overload or overwork his horse or his ox; but the check upon his cruelty is found in his selfishness; for he can never injure his servant without at the same time inflicting punishment on himself; and a kind Providence limits the sufferings of the brute creation to the moment, happily withholding from them, what so peculiarly imbitters the lot of man, the recollection of evils that are past, and the anticipation of evils to come. They are slain for our use; but, even here, there is a beneficent provision; for, as death must come, it is well that it arrives with little pain, and, after a state of enjoyment from ample feeding; rather than that the animal should die of famine, or of the infirmities of age, or be torn to pieces by wild beasts. The death of one animal, too, affords place for the subsistence of another full of vigour, and, buoyant with youthful enjoyment; so that here also the sum of happiness is increased.

ELEVENTH WEEK-THURSDAY.

THICK-SKINNED QUADRUPEDS.-THE ELEPHANT.

THE elephant, which is the last example of the lower animals I shall notice, may rather be said to be a tamed than a domestic animal. It is seldom reared from the birth in those countries where it is employed for the use of man, as it is found more advantageous to obtain it in its wild state, when already some years old. The possibility, indeed, of raising it in a domestic state was long doubted, but this is now found to be a prejudice connected with some superstitious notions.

The elephant is the largest animal which now treads the surface of our globe, although it dwindles to a pigmy before some of the inhabitants of the earth, in a primeval period. There are some peculiarities in its form, which exhibit a remarkable adaptation to its enormous bulk. Among these has been noticed the formation of its legs, which differ from those of all other animals, in being strong and massive pillars, evidently framed with admirable mechanical skill for sustaining an immense weight. But the most remarkable contrivances for counteracting the inconvenience arising from gravity, are to be found in the neck and proboscis. The head, itself large, contains two heavy tusks, and the weight could not be conveniently borne at the end of a long neck; besides that the animal was to be formed with the power of raising immense weights with this portion of its body. The neck is therefore formed comparatively very short, so that it will not admit of the mouth reaching the ground to feed. But, to counterbalance this defect, and also to overcome the difficulty arising from the tusks, the elephant is provided with an instrument of admirable structure, in its proboscis or trunk, which has been thus described:-It is composed entirely of bundles of mus

cular fibres enclosing two canals. By their contraction or relaxation, these muscles are capable of drawing up, shooting out, or twisting in any direction, the organ which they compose: indeed, the pliability and power it possesses may, in some degree, be conceived from the account of Cuvier, who has ascertained that the number of distinct muscles, each having its distinct action, is not far short of forty thousand. Hence that union of strength and precision, force and address, which this exquisite piece of mechanism exhibits, and which so well proclaims the wisdom and skill of the Great Designer. The canals of the proboscis are for the purpose of drawing up any liquid, which is afterward discharged into the throat, or over the body at pleasure. They are in fact two selfacting syringes. The proboscis itself is terminated with a flexible instrument, called a finger, which serves a purpose not unlike the human finger, as, by pressing against the division between the two canals, it can hold any small object with the greatest facility. With this little instrument, it can even pick up a pin; and hence this noble animal is endowed with the faculty, almost peculiar, except in this instance, to man, of examining objects with precision by the touch, which, in conjunction with its native intelligence, has ranked it as the first of quadrupeds, even when judged of by a more honourable criterion than that of bulk.

The first and most essential property of the trunk is to supply the animal with food; for, with this, it can despoil the trees of their young shoots and leaves, overturn the mimosa trees, that it may feed on their succulent roots, and crop the herbage of the fields. But it also employs this instrument in various other ways, as occasion requires, especially when employed in the service of man. It rarely, however, uses it as a weapon of offence, seeming sensible of its value, and carefully preserving it from injury.

The average height of the elephant is nine or ten feet, though it frequently rises as high as fifteen feet. Its

weight varies from four to nine thousand pounds. When tamed, it becomes the most gentle, obedient, and affectionate of domestic animals, capable of being trained to any service necessary in those warm countries of which it is a native.

Only two species of the elephant at present exist, the Asiatic and African; but the remains of several extinct species are met with in almost every part of the world, particularly in Asiatic Russia.

Elephants hold undisputed sway in the mighty forests which they inhabit ; their immense size, united strength, and great swiftness, enabling them to dislodge all intruders on their abode. The lion and tiger avoid such formidable assailants, and leave them in undisputed possession of their forests. Seemingly sensible of the large supply of food which they require, they will allow no animal, however peaceable, to browse in their territories, of which they hold exclusive possession; and they can only exist in those extensive woody ranges, or immense plains, where vegetation abounds in all its wild luxuriance.

The strength of the elephant, conjoined with its sagacity, renders it a most efficient servant, where extraordinary animal force is required, as in dragging ships, heavy stores, and ordnance. Captain Williamson observes, that many of our most arduous military operations have been greatly indebted for their success to the sagacity, patience, and exertion of the elephant; and states, in particular, that, “when cannon require to be extricated from sloughs, the elephant, placing his forehead on the muzzle, which, when limbered, is the rear of the piece, with an energy scarcely to be conceived, will urge it through a bog, from which hundreds of oxen or horses could not drag it. At other times, lapping his trunk round the cannon, he will lift while the cattle and men pull forwards."

The elephant is at once keenly sensible of injustice, of which many striking examples are on record, and sen