ELEPHAS. 395 
allow lessees every facility for hunting under conditions that shall 
insure humane management of their captives. I believe that the price 
of elephants might be reduced one-half in a year or two by such measures. 
‘The most ordinary elephant cannot be bought at present for less than 
Rs. 2,000, Unless something be done, it is certain that the rifle will 
have to be called into requisition to protect the ryots of tracts bordering 
upon elephant jungles. To give an idea of the numbers of wild 
elephants in some parts of India, I may say that during the past three 
years 503 elephants have been captured by the Dacca kheddah 
establishment, in a tract of country forty miles long by twenty broad, in 
the Garo hills, whilst not less than one thousand more were met with 
during the hunting operations. Of course these elephants do not con- 
fine themselves to that tract alone, but wander into other parts of the 
hills. There are immense tracts of country in India similarly well 
stocked with wild elephants. 
“‘T am sure it will be regarded as a matter for hearty congratulation 
by all who are interested in so fine and harmless an animal as is the 
elephant that there is no danger of its becoming extinct in India. 
Though small portions of its haunts have been cleared for tea or coffee 
cultivation, the present forest area of this country will probably never 
be practically reduced, for reasons connected with the timber supply and 
climate of the country; and as long as its haunts remain the elephant 
must flourish under due regulations for its protection.” 
Elephants are caught in various ways. ‘The pitfall is now prohibited, 
so also is the Assam plan of inclosing a herd in a salt lick. Noosing 
and driving into a &eddah or inclosure are now the only legitimate 
means of capture. The process is too long for description here, but 
I may conclude this article, which owes so much to Mr. Sanderson’s 
careful observations, with the following interesting account of the mode 
in which the newly-caught elephant is taught to obey :— 
“New elephants are trained as follows: they are first tied between 
two trees, and are rubbed down by a number of men with long bamboos, 
to an accompaniment of the most extravagant eulogies of the animal, 
sung and shouted at it at the top of their voices. The animal of course 
lashes out furiously at first; but in a few days it ceases to act on the 
offensive, or, as the native say, ‘shurum lugta hai’—‘it becomes 
ashamed of itself,’ and it then stands with its trunk curled, shrinking 
from the men. Ropes are now tied round its body, and it is mounted 
at its picket for several days. It is then taken out for exercise, secured 
between two tame elephants. The ropes still remain round its body 
to enable the mahout to hold on should the elephant try to shake him 
off. A man precedes it with a spear to teach it to halt when ordered to 
do so; whilst, as the tame elephants wheel to the right or left, the 
mahout presses its*neck with his knees, and taps it on the head with a 
