384 THE ELEPHANT. [Part VIII. 



will allow his feet to be touched without indications of 

 alarm and anger. 



The observation has been frequently made that the 

 most vicious and troublesome elephants to tame, and 

 the most worthless when tamed, are those distin- 

 guished by a thin trunk and flabby pendulous ears. The 

 period of tuition does not appear to be influenced by the 

 size or strength of the animals : some of the smallest 

 give the greatest amount of troul)le ; whereas, in the 

 instance of the two largest that have been taken in 

 Ceylon within the last thirty years, both were docile 

 in a remarkable degree. One in particular, which was 

 caught and trained by Mr. Cripps, when Government 

 agent, in the Seven Corles, fed from the hand the first 

 night it was secured, and in a very few days evinced 

 pleasure on being patted on the hoad.^ There is 

 none so obstinate, not even a rogue, that may not, 

 when kindly and patiently treated, be conciliated and 

 trained. 



The males are generally more unmanageable than the 

 females, and in both an inclination to lie down to rest 

 is regarded as a favourable symptom of approach- 

 ing tractabihty, some of the most resolute having 

 been known to stand for months together, even during 

 sleep. Those which are the most obstinate and violent 

 at first are the soonest and most effectually subdued, 

 and generally prove permanently docile anil submis- 

 sive. But those which are sullen or morose, although 



^ Tliis was the largest elcpliant 

 that has been tamed in Ceyh)u; he 

 measured upwards of nine feet at the 

 shoulders and belonged to the caste 

 so highly prized by the temples. 

 Though gentle after his first capture, 

 his removal from the corral to tlie 

 stables, tliougli oidy a distance of six 

 miles, was a matter of the extremest 



the attendant decoys. lie, on one 

 occasion, escaped, and was recaptured 

 in the forest ; and lie afterwartls be- 

 came so docile as to perfonn a variety 

 of triclvs. lie was at l(>ngth ordered 

 to be removed to Colombo ; but such 

 was his terror on approaching the 

 fort, tliat on coaxing him to enter 

 the gate, he became paralyzed in the 



dithculty; liis extraordinary strength ! extraordinary way elsewhere alluded 

 rendering him more than a match for I to, and died on the spot 



