114 Quadrupeds. 



of his quick apprehension, and particularly of his vin- 

 dictive treatment of those who have either scoffed at or 

 abused him. To disappoint him is dangerous, as he 

 seldom fails to be revenged. The following instance is 

 given as a fact, and deserves to be recorded : An 

 Elephant, disappointed of his reward, out of revenge, 

 killed his governor. The poor man's wife, who beheld 

 the dreadful scene, took her two children and thrust 

 them towards the enraged animal, saying, " Since you 

 have slain my husband, take my life also, as well as 

 those of my children !" The Elephant instantly stopped, 

 relented, and, as if stung with remorse, took the eldest 

 boy in his trunk, placed him on his neck, adopted him 

 for his governor, and would never afterwards allow any 

 other person to mount him. 



The Elephant's mouth is armed with broad and strong 

 grinding teeth, and two large tusks, which measure some- 

 times nine or ten feet, and from which the finest ivory 

 is produced. The ivory from the tusks of the female is 

 thought the best, as the tooth, being smaller, admits less 

 porosity in the cellular part of the mass. 



Becoming tame under the mild treatment of a good 

 master, the Elephant is not only a most useful servant, 

 for the purposes of state or war, but is also of great 

 assistance in taming the wild ones that have been 

 recently caught. Indian superstition has paid great 

 honours to the white race of this quadruped ; and the 

 island of Ceylon is supposed to breed the finest of the 

 kind. This immense beast, by the wisdom of Providence, 

 has not been placed among the carnivorous animals : and 

 vegetable food being much more abundant than animal, 

 he is destined to live on grass and the tender shoots of 

 trees. This noble creature bears in state on his back the 

 potentates of the East, and seems to delight in pompous 

 pageantry : in war he carries a tower filled with archers ; 

 and in peace lends his assistance in domestic operations. 

 The female is said to go a year with young, and to bring 

 forth one at a time. The Elephant lives a hundred and 

 twenty or a hundred and thirty years, though they have 

 been known to live to the great age of four hundred. 

 When Alexander the Great had conquered Porus, King 



