248 Natural Hi/lory of the Elephant. 



The drivers, tired of this coynefs, and ftimulated perhaps by the hopes of another gratuity, 

 were fq brutal as to tie her, and let the male make an atttmpt upon her, while tied. His at- 

 tempt, however, was to no purpofe; though he continued his efforts till he appeared to be quite 

 exhaufted. This being told me, I feverely reprimanded the people; and ordered the female 

 to be left at full liberty to rejeft or receive ihe male, as fhe might thinlc proper. 



Here, however, was pofitive proof, that the male would have effeded his purpofe .by force, 

 when he found he could not obtain it any other way. He remained at Comillah till Oitober, 

 1793, without my being able to procure a female that was in heat; he was then fent to 

 Calcutta. 



I now became extremely folicitous about the health of the female which was covered in June ; 

 and gave particular direftions not to overheat her, but merely to give her as much food and 

 cxercife as were likely to keep her in the beft condition, as fhe was now known to be preg- 

 nant. In three months after fhe was covered, (he became fuller, her flefli felt fofter, and her 

 breafts began to fwell. Thefe marks of her being with young were fo evident to the driver^ 

 that he mentioned them of his own accord; which convinced me, that an elephant, three 

 months after conception, may be known by the keepers to be pregnant. 



She had always been a favourite, from having been the gift of my worthy and refpefted 

 friend Mr. John Buller*, as well as from her gentle and docile difpofition; and I now had 

 hopes of her going her full time. 



She was feven feet three inches high, when covered ; but after this encreafed fo faft, pot 

 in bulk only, but alfo in height, as to exceed feven feet eight inches, before fhe brought 

 forth. On the i6th of March, 1795, fhe produced a fine male; jufl twenty months and 

 eighteen days after fhe was firfl covered. 



The young one was thirty- five inches and a half high ; and had every appearance of having 

 arrived at its full time, being the largefl I had known produced in Tiperah. 



We have many young produced every year, by the females which are taken while breeds 

 ing, and thefe feldom exceed thirty-four inches ; this, however, may be owing to the weak and 

 reduced flate the mothers are brought to, while breaking in. 



The young of the elephant, at leafl all thofe I have feen, begin to nibble and fuck the breaft 

 foon after birth ; prefTmg it with the trunk, which, by natural inflindl, they know will make 

 the milk flow more readily into the mouth, while fucking. Elephants nev^r lie down to 

 give their young ones fuck; and it often happens, when the dam is tall, that fhe is obliged, 

 for fome time, to bend her body towards her young, to enable him to reach the nipple with 

 his mouth : confequently, if ever the trur)k was ufed to lay hold of the nipple, it would be at 

 this period, when he is making laborious efforts to reach it with his mouth, but which he 

 could always eafdy do with his trunk, if it anfwered the |)urpofe. In fucking, the young 

 elephant always grafps the nipple (which projeds horizontally from the breafl) with the fidfe 

 ef his mouth. 



• Now one of the Members of the Board of Revenue, at Calcutta. 



I have 



