Chap. VI.] 



COXDLTT IX CAPTIVITY. 



899 



vince, he found the carcases of elephants that had died of 

 the disease. On the other hand, a European gentleman, 

 who for thkty-six years without intermission has been 

 hving in the jungle, ascending to the summit of moun- 

 tains in the prosecution of the trigonometrical survey, 

 and penetrating valleys in tracing roads and opening 

 means of communication ; one, too, who has made the 

 habits of the wild elephant a subject of constant observa- 

 tion and study, — has often expressed to me his astonish- 

 ment that after seeing many thousands of Mving elephants 

 in all possible situations, he had never yet found a single 

 skeleton of a dead one, except of those which had fallen 

 by the rifle. ^ 



It has been suggested that the bones of the elephant 

 may be so porous and spongy as to disappear in conse- 

 quence of early decomposition ; but this remark would 

 not apply to the grinders or to the tusks ; besides which, 

 the inference is at variance with the fact, that not only 

 the horns and teeth, but entire skeletons of deer, are 

 frequently fomid in the districts inhabited by the ele- 

 phant. 



The natives, to account for tliis popular behef, declare 

 that the herd bury those of their companions who 

 happen to perish.^ It is curious that this belief was 

 current also amongst the Greeks of the Lower Empire ; 

 and Phile, who wrote at Constantinople early in the 

 fourteenth century, not only describes the younger 



^ Tbis remark regarding the ele- 

 phant of Ceylon does not appear to 

 extend to that of iVfrica, as I observe 

 that Beaver, in his African Me- 

 moranda, says that " the skeletons of 

 old ones that have died in the woods 

 are frequently found." — African 

 3Icnioran(/a relative to an atfeinpt to 

 establish liriti^h Settlements at the 

 Island of Bulama. Lon. 1815, p. 353. 



^ A corral was organised near 

 Putlani in 184G, by Mr. Morris, the 

 chief officer of the district. It was 

 constructed across one of the paths 



which the elephants frequent in their 

 frequent marches, and during the 

 course of the proceedings two of the 

 captured elephants died. Their car- 

 cases were left of coiu-se within the 

 enclosure, which was abandoned as 

 soon as the captm-e was complete. 

 The •wild elephants resimied their 

 path through it, and a few days 

 afterwards the headman reported to 

 Mr. Mon-is that the bodies had been 

 removed and carried outside the 

 corral to a spot to which nothing but 

 the elephants coiild have bome them. 



