Copyriyhl by Carl E. Akeley 

 A freshly dusi elephant pit. The top will be covered with cross sticks and concealed 

 by earth loosely thrown over the sticks. The unwary elephant crashes throuu'h this cover, 

 its great feet are wedged in at the bottom of the pit and it suffers a lini^ering death. 

 An elephant pit is usually 9 feet deep, is large at the top (3 to 4 feet wide and 10 to 12 feet 

 long) but tapers to a width of only to 12 inches at the bottom. Pits are often made 

 in groups of tlu-ee, one in the trail and one a few yards at either side 



old bulls juv very rare, for when u hull has dexelopfd tusk.s of fifty pounds, 

 which is at quite an early age, perhaps twenty-five years, he becomes the 

 target of every hunter, native or white, who sets eyes upon him; thus it is 

 only the more crafty or timid individuals, that seeking the protection of 

 large herds or clinging to the more inaccessible regions such as dense forests, 

 manage to survive to a ripe old age and develop a full growth of ivory. 



The best bull at present in our collection for the group is a young adult 

 standing ele\'en feet, three inches at the shoulders with tusks of one hundred 

 and one hundred and two pounds respectively. These are young ivory and 

 there can be no (foubt that were this elephant to have lived fifty years 

 longer, they would have attained a weight of two hundred pounds. Such tusks 



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