Lesson 70 The Trunk Of The Elephant
The long trunk of the elephant is a wonderful example of design and skill. The neck of four-footed animals is usually long, to enable them to reach their food without difficulty; but the elephant has a short neck, to enable him more easily to support the weight of his huge head and heavy tusks. The difficulty of getting food is admirably overcome by his long trunk. The trunk of the elephant is to him what the neck is to other animals. It is also a nose to him, for at the end of it there is a hollow place like a cup, and in the bottom of the cup are two holes or nostrils, through which the animal smells and breathes. It is an arm and a hand too; so that it has been said that the elephant carries his nose in his hand; and it might also have been said that he breathes by his hand. How strange it would seem to us if we were to breathe through our hand!