OF WILD ANIMALS 



115 



dogs or wolves of mature age, as newly-caught elephants. 

 But, so far from this being the case, it is safe to assert that it 

 would be impossible to train even the most intelligent company 

 of pointers, setters or collies ever got together to perform the 

 feats accomplished with such promptness and accuracy by all 

 regularly trained work elephants. 



The successful training of all elephants up to the required 

 working point is so fully conceded in India that the market value 

 of an animal depends wholly upon its age, sex, build and the 

 presence or absence of good tusks. The animal's education is 

 either sufficient for the buyer, or, if it is not, he knows it can 

 be made so. 



Promptness and Accuracy in the Execution of Man's 

 Orders. This is the fourth quality which serves as a key to 

 the mental capacity and mental processes of an animal. 



To me the most impressive feature of a performance of 

 elephants in the circus-ring is the fact that every command 

 uttered is obeyed with true military promptness and freedom 

 from hesitation, and so accurately that an entire performance 

 often is conducted and concluded without the repetition of a 

 single command. One by one the orders are executed with the 

 most human-like precision and steadiness, amounting sometimes 

 to actual nonchalance. Human beings of the highest type 

 scarcely could do better. To some savage races — for example, 

 the native Australians, the Veddahs of Ceylon, or thejackoons 

 of the Malay Peninsula, I believe that such a performance 

 would be impossible, even under training. I do not believe 

 their minds act with sufficient rapidity and accuracy to enable 

 a company of them to go through with such a wholly arti- 

 ficial performance as successfully as the elephants do. 



The thoughtful observer does not need to be told that the 

 brain of the ponderous quadruped acts, as far as it goes, with 

 the same rapidity and precision as that of an intelligent man, — 

 and this, too, in a performance that is wholly artificial and ac- 

 quired. 



