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The Living Animals of the World 



ground, had stamped him into a bloody pulp with his huge feet. A waggon was brought 

 the same night, and the mangled body carried to the hunter's camp on the banks of the 

 Kamokwebani, where it was buried. 



The strength of the elephant is proverbial; and in India and Burma, where this animal 

 has for ages past been trained in the service of man, this power is habitually made use of 

 in moving and stacking large baulks of timber, or in dragging heavy guns through muddy 

 ground or up steep ascents. In Africa the traveller is often astonished at the size of trees- 

 which have been uprooted and overturned by elephants. These trees, however, have no tap- 

 root, and have not therefore a very firm hold in the ground, especially during the rainy 

 season, when the ground is soft. At this time of year large trees are butted down by 

 elephants, which push against their stems with the thick part of their trunks, and get them 

 on the swing, until the roots become loosened and the trees are at last overturned. Small 

 trees of 2 or 3 inches in diameter, as well as branches, they break off with their trunks. In 

 1878 a tuskless bull elephant I met the same animal again in 1885, and he is the only 

 African bull elephant without tusks I have ever seen killed a native hunter in Mashonaland. 

 This man, a big powerful Zulu and a great friend of my own, was torn into three pieces. 

 I imagine that, after having caught him, the elephant held the unfortunate man down with 

 his foot or knee, and then, twisting his trunk round his body, tore him asunder surely a 

 terrible exhibition of strength. 



The elephant is a very slow-growing and long-lived animal, not arriving at maturity until 

 upwards of thirty years of age; and since cases are on record of elephants having lived for 

 upwards of 130 years in captivity in India, it is probable that in a wild state these animals r 

 both in Asia and Africa, often attain to an age of 150 years. The female elephant produces,. 

 as a rule, but one calf at birth, the period of gestation lasting from eighteen to nearly 

 twenty-two months. The mammse of the cow elephant are placed between the fore legs, and 

 the, new-born calf sucks with its mouth, holding its trunk turned back over its head. I have 

 seen elephant calves so engaged. 



Although there is no reason to doubt that the African elephant is as intelligent as the- 

 Asiatic species, its domestication has never been attempted by the Negro or Bantu races of 

 Africa. It is believed, however, that the 

 African elephant was in ancient times 

 domesticated by the Carthaginians, and used 

 by them in their wars with the Eomans. 

 The opinion, too, is generally held that the 

 elephants with which Hannibal crossed the 

 Alps were of the African species, as well as 

 those which, after the conquest of Carthage, 

 were used in the Eoman amphitheatres and 

 military pageants. On the other hand, it is 

 well to remember that the late Mr. W. Cotton 

 Oswell, who had had great experience both 

 with African and Asiatic elephants, wrote as 

 follows on this subject: "I believe some 

 people suppose the Carthaginians tamed and 

 used the African elephant ; they could hardly 

 have had mahouts Indian fashion, for there is 

 no marked depression in the nape of the neck 

 for a seat, and the hemming of the ears when 

 erected would have half smothered them. My 

 knowledge does not allow me to raise any 

 argument on this point ; but might not the 

 same market have been open to the dwellers 



[Highbury. 



Photo by J. W. McLdlan} 



AFRICAN ELEPHANT. 



The difference in profile between this and the Indian species is noticeable 

 The forehead is receding and the ears much larger in the African species. 



