1 124 THE UNGULATES, OR HOOFED MAMMALS 



canter, nor gallop. It does not move with the legs on the same side together, but 

 nearly so. A very good runner might keep out of an elephant's way on a smooth 

 piece of turf, but on the ground in which they are generally met with, any attempt 

 to escape by flight, unless supplemented by concealment, would be unavailing." An 

 elephant is totally unable to leap in either the horizontal or the vertical direction, 

 and since its maximum length of stride is about six and one-half feet, a seven-foot 

 ditch forms an effectual barrier to its progress. Elephants, are, however, capable of 

 ascending or descending steep and difficult places with great facility, sometimes 

 sliding down on their bent hind-limbs. When a herd of them descends one of the 

 steep alluvial banks bordering most of the Indian rivers, it is surprising how rapidly 

 the soil becomes broken down under their weight so as to form a regular sloping 

 road. 



_ . The Indian elephant, under different circumstances, gives vent to a 



variety of sounds, some of which are produced in the trunk, w^hile 

 others originate in the throat. Of these utterances, the first, writes Mr. Blanford, 

 is "the shrill trumpet, varying in tone, and expressive, sometimes of fear, sometimes 

 of anger. Secondly, a roar from the throat caused by fear or pain. A peculiar hoarse 

 rumbling in the throat may express anger or want, as when a calf is calling for its 

 mother. Pleasure is indicated by a continued low squeaking through the trunk. 

 Lastly, there is a peculiar metallic sound made by rapping the end of the trunk on 

 the ground and blowing through it at the same time. This indicates alarm or dis- 

 like, and is the well-known indication of a tiger's presence." 



c enses The intelligence of the animal having been already sufficiently dis- 



cussed, all that need be said about its senses is that while smell is 

 strongly developed, both sight and hearing appear to be by no means acute. 

 Disposition ^ most seasons of the year the Indian elephant is a timid animal, 



much more ready to flee from a foe than to make an attack. Solitary 

 "rogues" are, however, frequently an exception to this rule, and sometimes make 

 unprovoked attacks on passers-by. Indeed, there are instances on record where a 

 " rogue " elephant has taken up a position near a road, and rendered it impassable 

 to travelers. Females with calves are at all times dangerous to approach. Con- 

 trary to what is stated to be the case with the African species, when an Indian ele- 

 phant makes a charge, it does so with its trunk tightly curled up, and it makes its 

 attack by trampling its victim with its feet or knees, or, if a male, by pinning it to 

 the ground with its tusks. At certain periods of the year the male elephant is subject to 

 paroxysms of excitement, generally supposed to be due to sexual causes, and is then 

 highly dangerous, not only to human beings, but to its fellow-animals. The crea- 

 ture is then said to be mast, or mad, and the approach of such attacks is indicated 

 by the copious flow of a dark tar-like liquid from two small orifices in the forehead. 

 At the first indications of one of those seizures, domesticated elephants should be 

 promptly secured. 



Breeding Not the least remarkable fact connected with elephants in captivity, 



is the circumstance that in India at least they very rarely breed when 



in this condition; thus showing what a profound effect the change from a wild to a 



domesticated mode of life must have on the animal's entire organization. It is 



