Chap. 5.] ELEPHANTS. 2-19 



rior to him in strength, size, and swiftness ? No doubt, such 

 is the law of Nature, such is the influence of her power the 

 most savage and the very largest of wild beasts have never 

 seen that which they have reason to fear, and yet instantly 

 have an instinctive feeling of dread, when the moment has come 

 for them to fear. 24 



(5.) Elephants always move in herds. 25 The oldest takes 

 the lead, and the next in age brings up the rear. When they 

 are crossing a river, they first send over the smallest, for fear 

 lest the weight of the larger ones may increase the depth 

 of the channel, by working away the bed of the river. We 

 learn from Antipater, that King Antiochus had two elephants, 

 which he employed in his wars, and to which he had given the 

 names of celebrated men ; and that they were aware too of this 

 mark of distinction. 26 Cato, in his Annals, while he has passed 

 over in silence the names of the generals, has given that of an 

 elephant called Surus, which fought with the greatest valour 

 in the Carthaginian army, and bad lost one of its tusks. 

 When Antiochus was sounding the ford of a river, an elephant 

 named Ajax, which on other occasions had always led the van, 

 refused to enter the stream ; upon which proclamation was 

 made, that the first rank should belong to the one which should 

 take the lead in passing over. One called Patroclus hazarded 

 the attempt, and as a reward, the king presented it with some 

 silver pendants, 27 a kind of ornament with which these animals 

 are particularly delighted, and assigned it all the other marks of 



24 It is a general opinion, and one founded upon observations of daily 

 occurrence, that animals have an instinctive dread of man. We have, 

 however, facts stated by travellers of undoubted veracity, which would 

 lead to an opposite conclusion. One of the most remarkable is the ac- 

 count which Denham gives of the tumeness of the birds in Lake Tchad. 



r> 



25 Cuvier observes, that this is correct ; see Ajasson, vol. vi. p. 408, and 

 Leraaire, vol. iii. p. 338. B. 



26 " Novere ea." It is doubtful whether these words do not mean 

 something more than merely " knew their names," as Hardouin explains 

 it, for that would be nothing wonderful in an elephant. On the other 

 hand, to say that they were aware of the honour which had been conferred 

 on them, in giving the names of famous men, would be to make a state- 

 ment which exceeds belief; for how could the elephants show that they 

 appreciated this honour, even supposing that they did appreciate it ? Pliny's 

 elliptical style repeatedly gives rise to doubts of this nature. 



27 "Phaleris." See Notes to B. vii. c. 29, p. 170. 



