EVOLUTION OF THE ELEPHANT LULL. 647 



the African species. In size they are always much smaller in the 

 Indian form, as 76 pounds is the maximum weight for a single tusk, 

 while the greatest recorded size of those of the African elephant is 

 10 feet f inch in length by 23 inches in circumference at the base, 

 with a weight of 224 pounds for the right tusk, while the left meas- 

 ured 10 feet 3^ inches in length by 24| inches in circumference and 

 weighed 239 pounds, a total of 463 pounds for the pair. 



MENTALITY. 



In spite of its archaic type the brain is large and the surface is 

 highly convoluted, the weight being on the average 8J pounds — more 

 than double that of man. The intelligence of the elephant has been 

 exaggerated by some writers and greatly minimized by others. Sir 

 Henry Baker, a British explorer, and the German naturalist Schil- 

 lings give us the most unbiased view of the mentality of the ele- 

 phant. Elephants possess a remarkable memory of injuries, real or 

 fancied, of misfortunes, and of the time and place of the ripening 

 of favorite fruits. They also learn to perform complex labors, as 

 the carrying and piling of logs in the teak yards in India, without 

 other directions than the initial order. They are said to be weather- 

 wise and to be able to foretell rain some days in advance. Elephants 

 are obedient and docile, notably those of India, but the males espe- 

 cially are subject to periods of nervous excitement, apparently of a 

 sexual nature, known as " must," when they become very dangerous 

 and sometimes destroy the keepers in their paroxysms of rage. 

 Ultimately all male elephants become surly and intractable. In the 

 wild state such are known as rogues, and live apart from their kind 

 until they die. A fine specimen of the Indian elephant, known as 

 " Chunee," was brought to England in 1810. He was very tractable 

 and continued to grow until 1820, wdien the first paroxysm occurred, 

 in which he attempted to kill his keeper. Similar paroxysms oc- 

 curred with increasing force until 1826, when the violence of the 

 animal necessitated its slaughter. With Chunee this condition oc- 

 curred very early in life, as the animal was not fully adult at the 

 time of its death. Tlie famous Jumbo, an African elephant, was 

 sold from the London Zoological Gardens because he was no longer 

 trustworthy, from the same cause. He was not, however, a confirmed 

 rogue even when he died, three and a half years later. Jumbo was 

 about 25 years old at the time of his death. 



There is a possible parallelism between human mental develop- 

 ment and that of the elephant. One of the most potent factors in 

 the evolution of man's mind is his ability to handle various objects 

 and thus bring them before the face for examination. This is also 

 found in the elephant, although to a less extent, and undoubtedly 

 has aided materially in its mental development as well. 

 88292— SM lUUS 42 



