94 THE BREEDING OF ELEPHANTS. 



less hardy than those of Burmah has sprung out of the fact that many die 

 "before they are fit for service. But this is the case everywhere. Those 

 imported from Burmah have been already seasoned, and consequently the 

 mortality amongst them is lighter. 



THE BREEDING OF ELEPHANTS. 



The question has sometimes been raised whether it is the male or female 

 elephant which comes into season. I have heard the opinion advanced that 

 it is the former ; but it is an erroneous one, probably founded on the fact 

 of most male elephants in captivity having periodical paroxysms of must. 

 Some male elephants never, or only at long intervals, have these fits ; in 

 others they are of tolerably regular occurrence. They occur also in wild 

 individuals, chiefly in the cold weather from November to February. The 

 temples swell, and an oily matter exudes from them, as in tame elephants, 

 but the wild elephant, I believe, shows no violence whilst under their influ- 

 ence. The occurrence of must in tame elephants is connected with their 

 condition, and rarely appears in animals much below par. It does not 

 appear in animals under about thirty years of age, though tuskers breed 

 from the age of twenty. 



There is ample proof that it is not the male elephant that comes into 

 season. In following single males with a view to capturing them with 

 trained females, they may always be relied upon to make advances to the 

 females, usually to some particular one, and the efforts of the mahouts are 

 frequently necessary to keep her out of the male's reach. 



The period of heat is not marked by any particular signs in the female, 

 which has probably helped to strengthen the erroneous opinion spoken of. 

 In approaching a male elephant, a female desirous of his attentions utters 

 certain sounds, and courts his society ; but only those conversant with 

 elephants would notice this. It has frequently happened that the tame 

 females of the kheddah parties have been found in calf after work in the 

 jungles, where wild males have had access to them, though no indications 

 of their being prepared to receive the male were observed even by their 

 keepers. 



It has been a disputed point as to the manner in which the connection 

 between the two sexes takes place. Some have supposed that the female 

 kneels or lies down to receive the male, but this is not the case. I have 

 myself, on four different occasions, witnessed the act — once, by two animals 

 belonging to a wild herd in the jungles ; on the others, by animals which 



