THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT 1137 



when the grass was in seed, and when he might have been attracted by the farina- 

 ceous matter, which exists in such quantities in the seed that the natives collect it for 

 their own food." In another passage the great explorer states that the African ele- 

 phant " is a most dainty feeder, and particularly fond of certain sweet-tasted trees 

 and fruits, such as the mohonono [a tree said to resemble the cedar in appearance] , 

 the mimosa, and others, which contain much saccharine matter, mucilage, and 

 gum. He may be seen putting his head to a lofty palmyra, and swaying it to and 

 fro to shake off the seeds; he then picks them up singly and eats them. Or he may 

 be seen standing by the masuka and other fruit trees, patiently picking off the sweet 

 fruits one by one. The selection of these kinds of food accounts for the fact that 

 herds of elephants produce but small effect on the vegetation of a country quality 

 being more requisite to them than quantity." 



From his experience in the Sudan, Sir Samuel Baker observes that " the African 

 elephant is a more decided tree-feeder than the Indian, and the destruction committed 

 by a large herd of such animals when feeding in a mimosa forest is extraordinary; 

 they deliberately march forward, and uproot or break down every tree that excites 

 their appetite. The mimosas are generally from sixteen to twenty feet high, and, 

 having no taproot, they are easily overturned by the tusks of the elephants, which 

 are driven like crowbars beneath the roots, and used as levers, in which rough labor 

 they are frequently broken. Upon the overthrow of a tree, the elephants eat the 

 roots and leaves, and strip the bark from the branches by grasping them with their 

 rough trunks. ' ' In another passage the same writer expresses his belief that two 

 elephants may sometimes unite their strength in order to overthrow a tree of more 

 than ordinary size. The discrepancy in the two foregoing accounts as to the amount 

 of damage inflicted by elephants in a forest, may be accounted for by the circum- 

 stance that while in the one district their food consists largely of twigs and fruits, in 

 the other it is mainly composed of bark and roots. In Southeastern Africa, Mr. Selous 

 bears testimony to the digging habits of the elephant, stating that he has seen large 

 areas of sandy soil plowed up by the tusks of these animals in their search for roots. 



In digging, as already incidentally mentioned, it appears that the elephant 

 always uses one particular tusk, which, in consequence, is much more worn than 

 the other. According to Sir Samuel Baker, it is nearly always the right tusk which 

 is selected for this duty, and the one so used is termed by the Sudanis the hadam, 

 or servant. A curious question arises whether this preferential use of the right 

 tusk has any connection with our own right-handedness. 



In South Africa, at least, elephants drink almost every night, but only rarely 

 during the day. In that part of the continent they seek the deepest shades of the 

 forest during the heat of the day, and generally appear to sleep in a standing posture. 



The African elephant associates in herds of varying size, which appear to be 

 generally family parties; but the old bulls may be solitary, in pairs, or in small parties, 

 and keep apart from the larger herds, which usually consist of young males, females, 

 and calves. One of the largest herds seen by Mr. Selous was estimated to contain 

 from one hundred to two hundred head, but such assemblages are rare. In many 

 parts of Africa, including Abyssinia, Kilima-Njaro, and the Sudan, elephants 

 undertake periodical migrations, apparently necessitated by the supply of food, or 

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