THE ELEPHANT, 41 



ing the point into its mouth, as if it intended to swallow trunk and 

 all, it drives the point below the opening of the windpipe. The 

 trunk being in this position, and still full of water, the elephant 

 then blows strongly into it at the other end, which forces the water 

 it contains into the throat ; down which it is heard to pour with a 

 loud gurgling noise, which continues till it is aU blown down. 

 From this manner of drinking some have been led into an opinion, 

 that the young elephant sucks with its trunk, and not with its 

 mouth ; this, however, is erroneous. 



The hide of the elephant is as remarkable as any other part. It 

 is not covered over with hair, as in the generality of quadrupeds, 

 but is nearly bare. Here and there indeed, a few bristles are seen 

 growing in the scars and wrinkles of the body, and very thinly 

 scattered over the rest of the skin ; but in general the hide is dry, 

 rough, and wrinkled, and resembles more the bark of an old tree 

 than the skin of an animal. This grows thicker every year ; and, 

 by a constant addition of substance, it contracts that disorder well 

 known by the name of elephantiasis, or Arabian leprosy ; a dis- 

 ease to which man, as well as the elephant, is often subject. In 

 order to prevent this, the Indians rub the skin with oil, and fre- 

 quently bathe it, to preserve its pliancy. To the inconveniences 

 of this disorder is added another, arising from the great sensibility 

 of those parts that are not callous. Upon these the flies settle in 

 great abundance, and torment the animal unceasingly ; to remedy 

 which the elephant tries all its arts ; using not only its tail and 

 trunk, in the natural manner, to keep them off, but even taking the 

 branch of a tree, or a bundle of hay, to strike them off with. 

 When this fails, it often gathers up the dust with its trunk, and 

 covers all the sensible places. In this manner it has been seen to 

 dust itself several times in a day, and particularly upon leaving the 

 bath. 



Water is as necessary to this animal as food itself. When in a 

 state of nature the elephant rarely quits the banks of the river, and 

 often stands in water up to the belly. In a state of servitude, the 

 Indians take equal care to provide a proper supply of water; they 

 wash it with great address, and give it all the conveniences for 

 lending assistance to itself. 



It is not to be wondered at, that an animal furnished with so 

 many and various advantages, of strength, sagacity, and obedience, 

 should be taken into the service of man. We accordingly find 

 that the elephant, from time immemorial, has been employed 

 either for the purposes of labor, of war, or of ostentation ; to increase 

 the grandeur of eastern princes, or to extend their dominions. 

 We have hitherto been describing this animal in its natural state ; 

 we now come to consider it in a different point of view, as taken 

 from the forest, and reduced to human obedience. We are now to 

 behold this brave, harmless creature learning a lesson from man- 

 kind, and instructed by them in all the arts of war, massacre, and 

 devastation. We are now to behold this half-reasoning animal led 



