GO "MUST" ELEPHANTS. 



species near, and the society of a female does not appear always to appease 

 them. I once saw one of our tuskers, which was then only under suspicion 

 of an approaching fit, break away from the control of his mahout as he was 

 being ridden to water, and, despite severe punishment, attack and knock 

 down a female at her picket near ; and, had his tusks not been cut, he 

 would without doubt have killed her on the spot. He was at last driven 

 off by spears thrown at his trunk and head, when he stalked across the 

 open plain with his mahout on his neck, fury in his eye, master of all he 

 surveyed, and evidently courting battle with any created being. The men 

 had a difficult and dangerous task to secure him. His hind-legs were at 

 last tied from behind the trunk of a tree near which he stood, and the 

 mahout having drawn up a chain by a cord, and secured it round his neck, 

 he was moored fore and aft. I shall never forget the mahout's fervent 

 ejaculation of " Allah ! Allah ! " as he slipped over the elephant's tail wdien 

 he was made fast. 



The flow of must occasionally, but very seldom, occurs in female 

 elephants. I have seen it twice in newly-caught females in the prime of 

 life, and in very full condition. It never occurs, I believe, in tame female 

 elephants. 



Mahouts can usually tell the age of elephants tolerably correctly. A 

 young animal, though of full size, or a very old one, cannot be mistaken, but 

 it requires much experience to estimate those of middle age. I have known 

 even experienced men differ about the same animal to the extent of fifteen 

 years. The general appearance of the animal suffices in some cases. A 

 very old elephant is usually in poor condition, and the skin looks shiny and 

 shrivelled. The head is lean and rugged, the skull appearing to have little 

 but skin upon it ; the temples and eyes are sunken ; and the fore-legs, in- 

 stead of bulging out above the knee with muscle, are almost of the same 

 girth throughout. Instead of walking firmly and planting the feet flat, an 

 ao-ed elephant brings the feet to the ground somewhat in the manner of 

 a plantigrade animal, touching with the heels first. But all the above 

 symptoms may be present in a greater or less degree in debilitated, middle- 

 aged animals, and are consequently not conclusive ; but the appearance of 

 the elephant's ear will probably settle the question. The ear is relied upon 

 in ageing elephants as the teeth are in a horse. In very young elephants 



up to six or seven years — the top of the ear is not turned over (as in 



man) ; but with advancing years it laps over, in old elephants very much so, 

 and the ear is ragged and torn along the lower edge. 



The elephant is full grown, but not fully mature, at about twenty-five 

 years of age. At this period it may be compared to a human being at 



