ELEPHANTS. 71 



rarely breeds in captivity, and as each individual elephant has to 

 acquire, independently of heredity, its own knowledge of the world 

 and of man, so to speak, these great animals present infinitely more 

 remarkable examples of animal sagacity than the dog. One specially 

 interesting feature of elephant life consists in the aid given -by the 

 domesticated elephant to man in the capture of the wild species. 

 The fact of these animals entering into an offensive and, from its very 

 nature, an intelligent alliance with man against their own race, may 

 be regarded either as illustrating the desire to benefit the race by 

 conferring upon them the blessings of civilised life and employment, 

 or as exemplifying a process of demoralisation and treacherous 

 development which might afford an argument against the universally 

 beneficial effects of domestication upon the animal form. Nor is the 

 problem rendered any the less attractive to the metaphysician and 

 moralist, when it is discovered that it is through the caresses and 

 blandishments of the false females that the wild elephants are tempted 

 into the snare : the parallelism betwixt the experiences of lower and 

 higher life being too obvious in this instance to escape remark. 



Probably no animal exhibits a greater knowledge or instinctive 

 apprehension of danger than an elephant. Instances are numerous, 

 for example, where an elephant has refused to cross a bridge esteemed 

 safe by his human guides, but which has collapsed with the animal's 

 weight, when, goaded and tortured to proceed, he has advanced in 

 despair, only to find himself immersed in the water below. But 

 cases are also recorded in which the danger experienced by the 

 elephant itself has apparently not rendered it insensible to the 

 safety of its keeper. " The elephant," says Darwin, " is very faithful 

 to his driver or keeper, and probably considers him as the leader of 

 the herd. Dr. Hooker informs me that an elephant which he was riding 

 in India, became so deeply bogged that he remained stuck fast until 

 the next day, when he was extricated by men with ropes. Under 

 such circumstances elephants will seize with their trunks any object, 

 dead or alive, to place under their knees to prevent their sinking 

 deeper in the mud ; and the driver was dreadfully afraid lest the 

 animal should have seized Dr. Hooker and crushed him to death. 

 But the driver himself, as Dr. Hooker was assured, ran no risk. 

 This forbearance under an emergency so dreadful for a heavy animal, 

 is a wonderful proof of noble fidelity." Swainson gives a description 

 of the sagacity of an elephant under such circumstances, which is 

 worth quoting in the present instance. "The cylindrical form of an 

 elephant's leg which is nearly of equal thickness causes the animal 

 to sink very deep in heavy ground, especially in the muddy banks of 

 small rivers. When thus situated, the animal will endeavour to lie 

 on his side, so as to avoid sinking deeper ; and, for this purpose, 

 will avail himself of every means to obtain relief. The usual mode 



