70 CENTRAL AFRICAN GAME AND ITS SPOOR. 



If this is impossible a shot in the chest will probably turn him, the head shot 

 being in this case difficult as his trunk will be in the way. 



Some elephant appear to be naturally tuskless, while in others the tusks have 

 decayed and broken off owing to a wound in their base, generally from a native iron 

 bullet. 



Old males frequently have sores from which a kind of mucous exudes, and a clot 

 of this on the spoor may help in tracking. 



The African elephant is supposed to be worse tempered than the Indian. They 

 are only kept in captivity when young, and on growing up become intractable and have 

 to be shot. 



Jumbo was an African elephant and an exception, but even he was at times very 

 unruly. 



The name Jumbo is perhaps a corruption of the Swahili Tembo. 



Elephant, either from the position in which they hold their heads or the 

 insignificance of man, appear to absolutely ignore the approach of a hunter, 

 provided the wind is in his favour and he walks silently, but they have a very keen 

 sense of smell, and on winding him almost always stampede in the opposite 

 direction. 



With a favourable wind they can smell man at least 600 yards away, and 

 probably much more. 



This, of course, is difficult of proof, as on coming across their stampeding spoor 

 it is Impossible to tell at exactly what moment they detected your presence, but it is 

 usually so far off that you have been unable to hear a herd of perhaps forty animals 

 stampede. It is certain, however, that they can smell water or mud at quite this 

 distance. 



An elephant wanting water will not follow the intricate winds of a dry water- 

 course where there may be some hole, but will walk parallel to it perhaps a quarter of 

 a mile down wind. 



He stops at intervals, raising his trunk and flapping his ears, the latter perhaps 

 focussing or fanning the smell to him, and when he smells what he wants he will turn 

 sharply off and walk straight to the hole. He does not, however, seem to be able to 

 distinguish between water and mud, and it is probably the latter he chiefly smells, as 

 we have seen in such a case an elephant turn off and make for a hole where there 

 was no water but only fresh mud. 



We are told that the elephant at the Zoo are able to tell whilst coming through 

 the tunnel if there is fresh grass put down for them in their house, and if so will 

 break into a run. 



