324 



THE ELEPHANT. 



. [Part VIII. 



similar reward was paid for 2000 in tlie soutliem pro- 

 vince, between Galle and Hambangtotte. 



Altliougli there is little opportunity for the display 

 of marksmanship in an elephant battue, there is one 

 feature in the sport, as conducted in Ceylon, which 

 contrasts favom^ably -with the slaughterhouse details 

 chronicled with revoltino; minuteness in some recent 

 accounts of elephant shooting in South Africa. The 

 practice in Ceylon is to aim invariably at the head, and 

 tlie sportsman finds his safety to consist in boldly facing 

 the animal, advancmg to Avithin fifteen paces ; and 

 lodging a bullet, either in the temple or in the hollow 

 over the eye, or in a well-known spot immediately 

 above the trunk, where the Aveaker structm^e of the 

 skull affords an easy access to the brain.' Tlie region 



beUy, passing up tte flaiak, completely 

 severing- the muscles of the hind leg, 

 and extending- up the spine ; his hind 

 leg having- the appearance of being 

 nearly ofl'." In this state, forgetfid 

 of the character he had so lately 

 given of the ti-ue sportsman, as a 

 lover of nature and a hater of cruelty, 

 he encouraged ''the poor old dog," 

 as he calls him, to resimie the fight 

 with the boar, which lasted for an 

 hour, when he managed to call the 

 dogs oft", and perfectly exhausted, 

 the mangled hound crawled out of 

 the jmigle with several additional 

 wounds, including a severe gash in 

 his throat. " He fell from exhaustion, 

 and we made a litter with two poles 

 and a horsecloth to cany him home." 

 — P. 314. If such were the habitual 

 enjoyments of this class of sportsmen, 

 their motivele.'^s massacres woidd 

 admit of no manly justification. In 

 compaiison with them one is disposed 

 to regard almost with favour the 

 exploits of a hunter like Major 

 Rogers, who is said to have applied 

 the value of the ivory obtained from 

 his encountei-s towards tlie piirchase 

 of his successive regimental commis- 

 sions, and had, therefore, an object, 

 however disproportionate, iu his 

 slaughter of 1400 elephants. 



One gentleman in Ceylon, not 

 less distinguished for his genuine 

 kindness of heart, than for his mar- 

 vellous success in sliootiug elephants, 

 avowed to me that the eagerness with 

 which he foimd himself impelled to 

 pursue them had often excited siu'- 

 prise in his own mind ; and although 

 he had never read the theory of 

 Lord Kames, or the specidations of 

 Vicesimus Ivnox, he came to the 

 conclusion that the passion thus ex- 

 cited within him was a remnant of 

 the himter's instinct, with which man 

 was originally endowed to enable 

 him, by the cliase, to support exist- 

 ence in a state of nature, and which, 

 though rendered dormant by civili- 

 sation, had not been utterly eradi- 

 cated. 



This theory is at least more con- 

 sistent and intelligible tlian the " love 

 of nature ixnd scenery," sentimentally 

 propoimded by the author quoted 

 above. 



' The vidncvability of the elephant 

 in this region of tlu; head was kno-mi 

 to the ancients, and Pltxy, describing 

 a combat of elephants in the amphi- 

 theatre at Rome, says, that one was 

 slain by a single blow, " pilimi sub 

 ocido adactum, in vitalia capitis 

 venerat." (Lib. viii. c. 7.) Is'ot- 



