170 NATURAL HISTORY. 



All elephants are fond of the water, and sometimes submerge 

 themselves so far that nothing but the tip of their proboscis re- 

 mains above the surface. 



The following account of Elephant catching in Nepal was 

 sent me by a medical gentleman residing at Segouly. 



" The whole batch, tame and wild ones, then rushed into a 

 deep river close by, where it was a splendid sight to see them 

 swimming, fighting, diving, plunging, kicking and bellowing in 

 a most frantic manner ; the mahouts (the riders on the tame 

 ones) sticking to them like monkeys, and dexterously taking the 

 opportunity of the confusion to secure the dreaded noose round 

 their necks. 



" One of the wild elephants in the struggle got half drowned, 

 and then entirely strangled ; she just staggered to the shore, 

 and then dropped dead without a struggle. It was really 

 quite piteous to see her poor little young one, about ten days 

 old ; she kept walking round the body, pushing it, and trying 

 to coax her dead mother to rise up ; then uttering the most 

 heart-rending cries, and lying down by her side as it were to 

 comfort her. 



" When the contest was over, and the other elephants, tame 

 ones, were brought up near the corpse, the poor little thing 

 with the most indignant, though, of course, unavailing valour, 

 charged on all sides at any elephant who came near, deter- 

 mined, evidently, to defend its mother, even though dead, to 

 the last. The tame ones of course were too sagacious to hurt 

 it with their tusks, and looked on with the most curious air of 

 pity and contempt, as they gradually, despite its violent strug- 

 gles, pushed it away from its mother to a place where it could 

 be properly secured and taken care of. Really its moans and 

 endeavours to remain with its mother were quite affecting. It 

 is too young to be weaned with safety, and will probably die ; 

 at least I am very much afraid so. I shall always feel an in- 

 terest in the poor little animal in future, should it live. It was ? 

 so devotedly and heroically brave ; never attempting to leave 

 its mother, in order to procure its own escape, which it might 

 easily have done unseen during the confusion." 



On this occasion Jung Bahadoor, the Nepaulese ambassador, 

 distinguished himself greatly by his dexterity and courage, and 

 secured several elephants with his own hands. 



