492 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



as Milton has it, that the great carnivore of India is hunted. A most 

 remarkable trait of elephant existence, and one which parallels the 

 proverbial "red rag" and bovine fury, is the apparent animosity of 

 the race to white color. Sir Samuel Baker says that both the African 

 elephant and the rhinoceros attack gray or white horses with fury. 

 The explanation of such traits of character probably lies hidden in 

 that philosophy of color in relation to sex and animal development 

 which the reseaches of Darwin and others have so far unraveled. 



As a final observation regarding the psychology of the elephant, 

 Mr. Darwin's statements concerning the " weeping " of these animals 

 may be quoted. Remarking that the Indian species is known to weep, 

 Mr. Darwin quotes Sir Emerson Tennent, who says that some "lay 

 motionless on the ground, with no other indication of suffering than 

 the tears which suffused their eyes and flowed incessantly." Another 

 elephant, " when overpowered and made fast," exhibited great grief ; 

 " his violence sank to utter prostration, and he lay on the ground, 

 uttering choking cries, with tears trickling down his cheeks." " In 

 the Zoological Gardens," says Darwin, " the keeper of the Indian ele- 

 phants positively asserts that he has several times seen tears rolling 

 down the face of the old female, when distressed by the removal of 

 the young one." Mr. Darwin also makes the interesting observation 

 that, when the Indian elephant " trumpets," the orbicular muscles of 

 the eyes contract, while in the " trumpeting " of the African species 

 these muscles do not act. Hence, as Mr. Darwin believes that in man 

 the violent contraction of the muscles round the eyes is connected 

 with the flow of tears, it would seem by analogy to be a legitimate 

 inference that the Indian elephant has attained a higher stage in the 

 expression of its emotions than its African neighbor. 



The social history of the elephants includes several somewhat 

 melancholy incidents connected with the dispatch of these animals, 

 rendered necessary from their dangerous condition. The best known 

 of these incidents is that connected with the death of Chunee, the 

 Exeter Change elephant, reported in the " Times " for March 2, 1826. 

 The account of the death of Chunee is as follows : 



The elephant was a male, and had been an inmate of the Exeter Change 

 Menagerie for seventeen years. He was brought from Bombay, where he was 

 caught when quite young, and was supposed to be about five years old when 

 purchased by Mr. Cross ; consequently his present age is twenty-two. The 

 effect of his unavoidable seclusion had displayed itself in strong symptoms of 

 irritability during a certain season from the first, and these symptoms had been 

 observed to become stronger during each succeeding year as it advanced toward 

 maturity. The animal was altogether kept at this season very low, and also 

 plentifully physicked, for which latter purpose no less than one hundred-weight 

 of salts was frequently given to him at a time. Notwithstanding these precau- 

 tions, the animal within the last few days had shown strong proofs of irritability, 

 refusing the caress of his keepers and attempting to strike at them with his 

 trunk on their approaching him, also at times rolling himself about his den and 



