438 / 1042
E L E
-1
86 )
E L E
lone fulliciently dillinguilb it from the
~llms:
bot this
gen'uine elemi is very rare in Europe.
The fpurioes c1emi is a IVbitilb ref,n, produced from
a tall tree, wi¡h pinnated leave.!, not unlike thofe of
the pear·tree.
It
is in fome degree pellucirl, and of
a
fr3~rant
fmdl.
lt
is only ufed externally, being
greatly recommended for rcfolving tumours, dmrgiog
ulcer!, wounds,
&c.
ELENCHUS, in logic,
3
foph¡fm, or Eallacious a.rgu,
ment, which deceives the hearer under the appearaoce
oftruth. See SOrHIHI.
ELEPHANT, in zoology. See ELEPHAS.
Kniglot¡
of
¡he
ELEPHANT, an order of knighthood in
Denmark, conferred upon none but perfbns
oE
the 6rll
quality and merito 1t is alfo called tbe arder of St
Mary. Its inllitution is í}id to have been owing to
a gentleman among the Danilb croi(ees having k,lled
ao elepllant, in an expedition againll the Saracens, in'
118
4; in memory of which king Canetus inllituted this
crder, the badge of which is a tOI'!ered e1ephant, with
an irnage of the holy virgin encircled with rays, and
hungon a\Vmred Oey·coloured ribboD,like the George
iD England.
ELEPHANTlASJS, called alfo the lepra of the Ara·
bians, in medicine. achronical difeafe, one of the two
fpecies of leprofy, which affdls thc whole body, wfiere
even the bones as \Vell as the O<in are conred wiih
fpots and tumours, which beiog red, at lall turo black.
See MEDICINE.
ELEPH:\NTINE, in Roman antiquity, ati appellation
given tO the bookg IVherein IVere re¡;illered the tranf·
Ulions of the fenate and m'gifirates of Rome, Df the'
emperors or generals of armies and even of the pro·
viDcial magillrates; the hirths and
ol~ffes
of the people,
and other things relating tO the cenfus.
They are fuppofed to have been fo called as being
made of ivory; thongh fome will have them tO hav:
been wrinen on the iotellines of elephants.
ELEPH.-\NTOPUS, in batany, a genus of the (ynge.
nefia polygamia fegregata clafs. The reeeptacle is
naked ; thc ,orolla is divided ioto nve fegmenlS; the
calix is imbriemd; and the pappus has feveral arilla:.
There are t\VO fpecies, bOlh na¡ives of ¡he Indies.
ELEPHAS, or the ELEPHANT, in zoology. a genus
of qnadrupeds belonging to the order of bruta. The
charaélm are the(e: The elephant has no [ore.
twh iD either ja\V, and the dog.tecth are very long:
The probo(eis, or trunk, is long, and capable of
Iaying hold of any thing
j
and the budy is fomewhat
naked.
The elephant is the largen of all land·animals.
Ftom the front
t~
the origin of the lail he is geoerally
¡bou!
16
feet long, from theeDd of the trllDk
2
S
feet,
and aholl!
14
fm high . The circumfmnce of Ih\:
neck is
17
(ee!,
and the circnmfaence of the body at
lhegroffell pan
2,
(eet tO inches ; ¡he lail is
abo~t
6
feet long, and
2+
in cilcumfmnce. The circllmfe–
rence of the legs is about 6 fect. Theeyes are (mall
in proportion tO thc fize of the animal. The muz!lc
is very diffcrent (rom that of any OIher qUldruped;
it is
n~thing
but the originof a long trunk which
hlns~
betIV(cn ·the two \aróe tulb; thc motlth appearsibe
hind the trunk, whicb (mes in place of al1 upper lijll
and the under lip terminms in a poinl. The lail is
fhort, and fmall in comparifon of the Irunk, whicb
has the appearance of a long thiek tail plmd before,
The fm are fhort, ronnd , clumfy, and only difiin.
g\lilbable by the tocS. TJle Irurrk is, properly fpeak;
ing, th ; nofe eXlended, aod ternlinated by a couple of
noflrils. But, hefiJes (erviog as an orgaDof fmell,
the truok performs aH the funétioos of a tlrong and
dex trolls armo The trunk of an dephant is about 8.
feet long.
Si
feet in eircumference near the mout!l..
and one (OOt and a half near the extremity: Jt is a
pipe o( an irregular conieal figure, an1widened at the
end: The fuperior fide of the trunk is conrex, aod
furro wed tranfverfe\ y; and the inferior fide is flat, aod
has two longitudinal rolVS o( fmall protuberanees re–
fembling Ihe tentacu laof the filk·worOl and mol! other
caterpillars. TOe upper part o( thc trunk correfponds
with the extremity of the nofe in other quadrupeds,
and anfwers the (.oleintention; the infcrior pHt (erves
as an upper lip, including
the.nol¡'i~
at Ihe (ame time;
for the trunk is a continued canal, divided iDtO two
ca,ities by a longitudinal part ilion; th& eaviti.s a,
fccnd aloog the (orepart of the upper jaw, whm toey
make a turn inward and defcend ioto the palate, and
then terminate intIVO feparato olificcs
j
tbey have like·
wife each a (eparate orifice at the eod of the truok.
At Ihe place where the(e cavilies make a turo, and
before they enter into the bones of the head, there is
a moveable emilaginous platefitUale in fuch a manner
as
eoa~ks
the elephaot tO fhu l the canal, and tO pre'
vent the IVater with which it occafionally GlIs ·the
truok from eOlering into the
paffa~e
o( Ihe DOre where
the organs ferving (or the (eltf.lion of fmell are placed.
The elephant can move 'lhe trunk iR all direélions; he
can extend or Iborten it at 'pleafure, widlout altering
the diameters of the tIVO canals within.
By
this Olean!
refpiration is not interruptcd, wh3lCver bc the fituatÍon
of tne trunk; and the water is allowed tO remaio till
th~
animal chnres tO throw it OUt by an expir<tiou.
Each canal is lined with a fillooth firong membrane,
and the fufface of the trunk is coveréd \Vilh an.,ther
IIrong membrane or OlÍn. The (uhfiance contained
belIVccn the exterior and interior membranes, is acorno
pofition of longitudinal and tran(verfe mu(cles, which
fcrve tO extend and contraét the leDgth of !he trunk.
At the exmmily o( the truok there is a concave pro'
tuberance, io the bonoll1 of \Vhich are Ihe tIVOpaOdges
of thenonlils. The inferior part of the
p' otuberao~e
is thicker than the fides, and the fupcrior part IS
Ilretched out lilce a finger a')Ollt nve ¡nches
lon~ ;
which, togeiher with theedgesof the whole extremllY
of the trunk, tlkes on diffmnt ligures aceording
10
Ihe
neceffities of the animal.
It
is by this organ that
~he
aOlm,,1 1.1)': hold of fooci, or other fubnJnces, whle.h
he
m~nagc:
"ith as much dexlerity as a man
d~s
IIIS
hand, tJking up grains o( corn, or the (mallen prles of
graf" and conveyiog them tOhis mouth. When
I~e
drinks. he thrufi,. his trunk ioto thewmr, and
fill~
It
by drawioo in his br"lth
and
'e¡;]lIufiihg Ihe alr:
o
.,
When