ELEPHANTS 87 



herd, travel rapidly If they are frightened, but 

 usually they saunter along, sleeping during the day 

 and feeding at night. Their food consists chiefly 

 of grasses, bamboo shoots, cocoanuts and the bark 

 of some trees. Lone elephants and outcasts from 

 the herd are dangerous animals and should be 

 killed. 



There comes a period, known as "must," when 

 even the most reliable elephant becomes a danger- 

 ous animal. Like the Malay he "sees red" and runs 

 amok. A good elephant keeper can detect the mad- 

 ness several days before it reaches the dangerous 

 stage, and by securing the animal with hobbles, can 

 prevent trouble. In the cheeks of the elephant are 

 two small holes, called "errors," and from these 

 holes oozes a slight secretion. One of the keeper's 

 duties each day is to examine the holes and run a 

 piece of straw into them. If there is an odor of 

 musk about the straw when he pulls it out, it is an 

 indication that the "must" period is coming. Some- 

 times the keeper fails to make this test, and the 

 elephant runs amok, killing people and leaving a 

 trail of wreckage behind him. 



On one of my visits to Sydney with a consign- 

 ment of animals for the Zoological Gardens, I found 

 the entire crew of elephant keepers busy with the 

 task of trying to control an animal that was in 

 "must." His keeper had failed to make the test, 

 and the elephant had suddenly gone mad. Fortu- 

 natelv he was in his stall at the time. When I ar- 



