2 i8 [oiu-nal of Travel and Natural History 



"In localities where elephants abound, they generally frequent the same 

 forest at the same time every day, to stand (sleep) in the shade at noon." — 

 (vol. i., p. 154.) 



" The elephants in this part seem now quite to understand what a 'skaarm' 

 (screen or ambush) is, and I observe at every watering place we come to, the old 

 skaarms have generally been destroyed by the elephants, who have scattered the 

 logs about and trampled the holes full of earth again." — (vol. ii., p. 92.) 



"On the 2 1 St we had another tedious and unsuccessful hunt, following the 

 trails of a hundred elephants or more ; but we could perceive by this pro- 

 cessional sort of movement that the animals must have taken fright, and were 

 on the move into another district. Indeed, many other troops of elephants 

 that seemed to have been browsing fearlessly, discovering their trail, seem alsf5 

 to have taken the alarm, and followed it at once."* 



" On the islands (above the Falls of the Zambesi) as we passed, I noticed the 

 elephants had everywhere been committing their depredations, destroying 

 numerous trees. These islands are their favourite resorts, abounding in fruit 

 and other trees, of which they are very fond. They come regularly to pick the 

 wild dates and almonds, mokachon, and the many other fruits that abound ; 

 and with the sagacity of a man, coil their powerful trunks round the stem of 

 the palm trees, to shake the clustering fruits to the earth, not being able to 

 break the tree. I have never seen one broken or overthrown, slender as they 

 appear." — (vol. ii., p. 132.) 



' ' The rest had now escaped, except one, attacked by Mr Campbell, whose 

 gun I heard at intervals of a few minutes. Riding in his direction, I found he 

 had expended all his ammunition, eighteen bullets, and wanted my assistance ; 

 so, having headed the animal after a smart gallop, one bullet from my double- 

 barrelled Blisset brought him to a stand, and three more to the ground, just as 

 the moon's beams began to penetrate through the foliage of the trees, which all 

 around for several yards were besprinkled with blood dashed from his trunk. 

 After receiving the last bullet, the poor beast twisted his trunk around a very 

 frail tree, by which he tried to support his ponderous frame ; but the tree, as 

 well as his legs, soon gave way, and he sank expiring to the ground." — (vol. i., 

 P- 151-) 



" Occasionally we come across trees which have been broken by the almost 

 irresistible strength of the wild elephant ; trunks of even 3 feet in diameter 

 being sometimes snapped in two." — (vol. ii., p. 289.) 



"Looking round, I beheld Molihie in a somewhat similar plight to what had 

 just been my own, being chased by the elephant he had singled out. But the 

 most extraordinary part of the affair was this : the elephant not being able to 

 overtake his enemy, I saw him pull up successively two trees by the roots, and 

 cast them after Molihie, nearly striking his horse with one of them. This sin- 

 gular act of sagacity surprised me not a little, being under the impression at the 

 time, as I am to this present day, that the act of thus hurling the trees was not 

 accidental, but intentional. Each of these trees was nearly 20 inches in 

 diameter [<iucry circumference], and they were thrown 12 or 15 yards from the 



* These sagacious animals always know by the apjicarancc of the track of 

 their own species whether it lias been made in flight, though the track be 

 several days old, and they are sure to follow. — (vol. i., p. 71.) 



