890 



THE ELEPHAXT. 



[Pakt VIII. 



plays ill work, which he seems to conduct ahiiost without 

 supervision, that it has been assumed^ that he would 

 continue his labour, and accomphsh liis given task, as 

 well in the absence of his keeper as during his presence. 

 But here his innate love of ease displays itself, and if the 

 eye of his attendant be withdi^a^vn, the moment he has 

 fimshed the thing immediately in hand, he ^vill stroll 

 away lazily, to browse or enjoy the luxury of fanning 

 himself and blowing dust over his back. 



His obedience to his keeper is the result of affection, 

 as well as of fear ; and although his attachment is so 

 strong that an elephant in Ceylon has been known to 

 remain out all night, without food, rather than retm^n, 

 and leave belund him his mahout, who was lying intoxi- 

 cated in the jungle ; he manifests little difficulty in peld- 

 ing the same submission to a new driver in the event of a 

 change of attendants. This is opposed to the popidar be- 

 hef that " the elephant cherishes such an endming remem- 

 brance of his old mahout, that he cannot easily be brought 

 to obey a stranger."^ In the extensive estabhshments of 

 the Ceylon Government, the keepers are changed Avithout 

 hesitation, and the animals, when equally kindly treated, 

 are in a very short time as tractable and obedient to their 

 new driver as to the old, so soon as they have become 

 familiarised with his voice.^ 



This is not, however, invariably the case ; and ]\Ir. 

 Ceipps, who had remarkable opportunities for observing 

 the habits of the elephant in Ceylon, mentioned to 

 me an instance in which one of a singidarly stubborn 

 disposition occasioned some inconvenience after the 

 death of his keeper, by refushig to obey any other, 

 till his attendants bethought them of a cliild about 

 twelve years old, in a chstant \nllage, where the animal 

 had been formerly picketed, and to whom he had 



' Menaqerics, ^-c, " The Elephant," 

 c. vi. p. 1:38. 



2 Ihid, vol. i. p. 19. 



^ Enojchp. Brit., Mammalia^ art. 

 Elephant. 



