Chap. II.] HABITS WHEN WILD. 289 



On the other hand, their power of smell is so remark- 

 able as almost to compensate for the deficiency of sight. 

 The herd are not only apprised of the approach of dan- 

 ger by this means, but when scattered in the forest, 

 and dispersed out of range of sight, they are enabled by it 

 to reassemble with rapidity and adopt precautions for 

 their common safety. The same necessity involves a 

 dehcate sense of hearuig, and the use of a variety of 

 noises or calls, by means of which elephants succeed in 

 communicating with each other upon all emergencies. 

 " The sounds wliich they utter have been described by 

 the African hunters as of three kinds : the first, which is 

 very shrill, produced by blowing through the trunk, is 

 indicative of pleasure ; the second, produced by tlie 

 mouth, is expressive of want ; and the tliird, proceeding 

 from the throat, is a terrific roar of anger or revenge."^ 

 These words convey but an imperfect idea of the 

 variety of noises made by the elephant in Ceylon ; and 

 the shrill cry produced by blowing through his trunk, so 

 far from being regarded as an indication of " pleasure," 

 is the weU-known ciy of rage with which he rushes to 

 encounter an assailant. Aristotle describes it as 

 resembhng the hoarse sound of a "trumpet."^ The 

 French stiU designate the proboscis of an elepliant by 

 the same expression " trompe," (which we have unmean- 

 ingly corrupted into trunks) and hence the scream of the 

 elephant is known as "trumpeting" by tlie hunters in 

 Ceylon. Then- cry when in pain, or when subjected 

 to compulsion, is a grunt or a deep groan from tlie 

 throat, with the proboscis curled upwards and the lips 

 wide apart. 



Should the attention of an individual in the herd 



^ 3Iena(/en'cs, c^-c, ''The Ele- century, is interspersed with draw- 



phant," ch. iii. p. 68. 1 ings illustrative of the strange ani- 



2 Aristotle, Dc Anitn., lib. iv. ' mals of tlie East. Amongst tlieni 



c. 9. ^' dfiolou ffaXTTiyyi." See also are two elephants, whose trunks 



Pliny, lib. x. ch. cxiii. A manu- ars literally in the form of tnon- 



script in the British Museum, con- j'^'t^ 't''''* ' c.vpandod months. See 



taining the romance of ^'Alexander," I Wrighi's Archccoloi/ical Album, p. 



which is probably of the fifteenth I 170. 



VOL. II. U 



