174 



THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



African elephant is accustomed to eat coarser, harder food than the Asiatic species. This sup- 

 position is borne out by fact ; for whilst the Asiatic elephant feeds mainly upon grass, the leaves 

 and fruit of the wild plantain, and the young shoots of the bamboo, together with the leaves, 

 twigs, and bark of certain trees, the African species never eats grass, and, although very fond of 

 certain kinds of soft and succulent food, such as wild fruits and the inner bark of certain trees, 

 is constantly engaged in chewing up the roots and branches of trees as thick as a man's wrist for 

 the sake of the sap and bark, the woody portions being rejected after having been reduced to 

 pulp. The Asiatic elephant appears to be far less tolerant of exposure to the heat of the sun 

 than the African ; and whilst the latter may often be found standing at rest or sleeping through- 

 out the hottest hours of the day in long grass or scrubby bush of a height not sufficient to afford 

 any protection from the sun to the whole of the upper portion of the head and body, the former, 

 when in a wild state, is said to always seek the shade of the densest forests it can find during hot 

 weather. 



The Asiatic elephant often lies down when resting and sleeping. This is in marked contrast 

 to the African species, which, if it ever does lie down at all, except to roll in mud or rub itself 

 against an ant-heap, can only do so very rarely, since in all my experience, though I have seen 

 some thousands of African elephants standing sleeping during the heat of the day, I have never 

 yet seen one of these animals lying down, nor found the impress in the ground where one had 

 been so lying. 



When excited and charging, both species of elephant raise their heads and cock their ears, 

 which in the African animal stand out at such a time like two sails, and, being each upwards of 

 3^ feet in breadth, cover, together with the animal's head, an expanse of fully 10 feet. The 

 Asiatic elephant is said to remain mute whilst charging, and to hold its trunk tightly curled up 

 between its tusks. The African elephant, on the other hand, usually accompanies a charge with 

 a constant succession of short, sharp trumpeting screams. Sometimes, though rarely, however, 

 animals of this species remain mute whilst charging, but they never, I believe, coil their trunks 

 up under their throats. Often an African elephant will swing round for a charge with a loud 

 scream and trunk held high in the air ; but in my experience, when settling down to a chase, it 

 drops its trunk and holds it pointing straight down in front of its chest. 



In the southern portions of the 

 African Continent the average standing 

 height at the shoulder of full-grown bull 

 elephants ranges from 10 feet to 10 feet 6 

 inches, though individuals have doubtless 

 been met with in those districts which 

 have much exceeded these dimensions. In 

 North Central Africa the average standing 

 height appears to be some inches higher, 

 approaching 1 1 feet, and in those districts 

 it is quite possible that individuals exist 

 which exceed 12 feet in height. African 

 cow elephants stand from 8 feet to 8 feet 

 6 inches at the shoulder. The Asiatic 

 species is considerably smaller than the 

 African, the average height of full-grown 

 males not exceeding 9 feet, though certain 

 individuals now and then attain to a much 

 greater size, as is indicated by the fact ?*.,. *, M. E. F. 

 that there is a mounted skelton of an THE CHIEF OF CHIENGMAI' S CARRIAGE 

 Indian elephant in the Museum at Cal- Tte vicuna *>* A-awnly a young Man <U?** 



