38 THE ELEPHANT. 



the head well set on, and carried rather high ; the ears large 

 and rounded, not ragged or indented at the margin; the 

 eyes of a dark hazel colour, free from specks ; the roof of the 

 mouth and tongue without dark or black spots of any consi- 

 derable size ; the trunk large, and the tail long, with a tuft of 

 hair reaching nearly to the ground. 



There are some other points of less consequence which are 

 taken notice of by the natives as well as Europeans ; but the 

 qualities above mentioned ought to be associated in every 

 animal for which the full price is demanded, whatever may be 

 its race or variety. 



Two principal varieties of elephant are recognised in Ben- 

 gal, viz. the Koomereah (or princely caste) and the Merghee (or 

 hunting caste) ; and these are not distinguished by the size or 

 form of the tusks, which serve merely to characterize subor- 

 dinate varieties in these two principal forms. The koome- 

 reah is a deep-bodied, strong, compact elephant, with a large 

 trunk, and the legs short but thick in proportion to the size of 

 the animal. The merghee when full grown is generally taller 

 than the former, but has not so compact a form, nor is he so 

 strong, or so capable of bearing fatigue. His legs are long ; 

 he travels fast ; has a lighter body, and his trunk is both short 

 and slender in proportion to his height. A large trunk is al- 

 ways esteemed a great beauty in an elephant ; so that the 

 koomereah is preferred, not only for this, but for its supe- 

 rior strength, by which it can undergo greater fatigue and 

 carry heavier loads than the merghee, 



A breed from a pure koomereah and merghee is termed 

 Sunkareah (or mixed breed) : but besides these three, several 

 other varieties are generally to be found in the same herd ; but 

 the nearer an elephant approaches to the true koomereah caste 

 the more he is preferred, especially by the natives, and the 

 higher price he will consequently bear. Europeans are not so 

 particular, and will sometimes prefer a merghee female for 

 hunting and riding on, when she is known to have remarkably 

 good paces, and to be of a mild and tractable disposition. 



The incisors or cutting teeth assume in the elephant the 

 peculiar form which has obtained for them the name of 

 tusks. They exist in the upper jaw only, and are two in 

 number. In the females of the Asiatic species they are so 

 small as not to appear beyond the lip ; in the African species 

 they are very large, and of equal size in both the sexes. In 

 the Asiatic males they project in some individuals to a con- 

 siderable distance from the mouth, whilst in others their 

 size scarcely exceeds that of the tusks in the female. Now 

 both these varieties are found in the koomereah as well as 



