380 



THE ELEPHANT. 



[Part VIII. 



superiority of tlie elephant of Ceylon, in size, strength, 

 and sagacity, above those of all other parts of India ^ ; 

 and Taverxier in particular is supposed to have stated 

 that if a Ceylon elephant be introduced amongst those 

 bred in any other place, by an instinct of nature they 

 do him homage by laying their trunks to the ground, 

 and raising them reverentially. This passage has been so 

 repeatedly quoted in Avorks on Ceylon that it has passed 

 into an aphorism, and is always adduced as a testimony to 

 the surpassing intelhgence of the elephants of that island ; 

 althousfh a reference to the orierinal shows that Tavernier's 

 observations are not only fanciful in themselves, but are 

 restricted to the supposed excellence of the Ceylon animal 

 in war'^; but the behef is pretty general that in other de- 

 partments he is equally pre-eminent. I have had no op- 

 portunity of testing by personal observation the justice of 

 this assumption ; but from all that I have heard of the 

 elephants of continental India, and seen of those of Cey- 

 lon, I have reason to conclude that the difference, if not 



^ This is merely a reiteration of 

 tlie statement of ^Elian, who as- 

 cribes to the elephants of Taprobane 

 a vast superiority in size, strength, 

 and intelligence, above tliose of con- 

 tinental India, — " Kai ol£e ye vrjatu/Tai 

 tXecfui'reg tujv i)irtifno-iijv aXKi/iwrepoi 

 re T7]v pojfirii' Kai [itiZ,nvi; iSelv eial Kcii 

 ^vfioaoiiOiTfpoi ce "KavTa ttcivtij Kpivoi}- 

 To ch'.'^ — ^Elian, De jV(it.Amm.,\ih. 

 xvi. cap. xviii. 



^LiAN also, in the same chapter, 

 states the fact of the shipment of 

 these elephants in large boats from 

 Ceylon to the opposite continent of 

 India, for sale to the king of Calingaj 

 so that the export from Manaar, 

 described in a fonner passage, has 

 been going on apparently without 

 interruption since the time of the 

 Itomans. 



- The expression of Taveknier is 

 to the effect that as compared "vsnth 

 all others, the elepliants of Ceylon 

 are "plus cour.ageux it la yuerrey 

 The passage is a curiosity : — 



" II faut remarquer ici une chose 

 qu'ou am-a peut-etre de la peine a 

 croire, mais qui est toutefois tres ve- 

 ritable : c'est que lorsque quelque roi 

 ou quelque seigneur a quelqu'mi de 

 ces elephants de Ceyhan, et qu'on en 

 ameue quelqu'autre des lieux ou les 

 marchands vont les prendre, comme 

 d'Achen, de Siam, d'Arakan,de Pegu, 

 du royaume de ]3outan, d' Assam, des 

 terres de Cochin et de la coste du 

 Meliude, des que les elephants en 

 voient mi de Ceylan, par un instinct 

 de nature, ils lui font la reverence, 

 portant le bout de leur tronipe a la 

 terre et la relevant, II est vrai que 

 les elepliants que les gi-ands seigneurs 

 entretiennent, quand on les amene 

 devant eux, pour voir s'ils sont en 

 bon point, font trois fois une espece 

 de r(5verence avec lour trompe, ce 

 que fed vu souvcnt; mais ils sont 

 styles {\ cela, et leurs maitres le leur 

 enseignent de bonne hem-e." — Les 

 Hix Voyaqcs de J. B. Taveknier, lib. 

 iii. ch, "20. 



