410 



ELEPHANT. 



the bones of the fossil elephant of the north, of which, 

 probably, not a single specimen has been alive since 

 the historic record commenced, are found in such 

 numbers, the bones of the living elephant should 

 rarely be met with. No doubt there is a much 

 stronger conservative principle in the cold atmo 

 sphere of the north than in the warm one of the 

 south, especially where that atmosphere is humid as 

 well as warm, as it is in all the places which are 

 inhabited by elephants ; and, perhaps, when we con- 

 sider that in the elephant countries the action of the 

 weather alone suffices in brief space to crumble build- 

 ings of stone into heaps, we should in all probability 

 not wonder very much, though it should speedily 

 reduce the bones even of elephants to their constituent 

 earths. 



AFRICAN ELEPHANT (Elephas Africanus). In its 

 general aspect, this species does not differ very much 

 from the former. Its leading characters are : the 

 skull rather shorter than in the Indian species ; the 

 forehead rounded, and protuberant in the middle 

 rather than hollow ; the enamel in the grinders 

 formed into a sort of lozenges, which are larger and 

 fewer in number than those in the teeth of the Indian 

 elephant ; the ears are also larger, rise up much 

 higher above the general line of the head, and 

 extend farther backwards, so far, indeed, as to reach 

 and partially to cover the shoulders. The tusks of this 

 species are perhaps larger in proportion than those of 

 its Asiatic congener, and they are of more equal size 

 in the two sexes, those of the female being nearly 

 equal in size to those of the male. The tusks are 

 also of more compact texture ; so that African ivory 

 is of more value than Asiatic, as being susceptible 'of 

 a finer polish, and also stronger. We believe that 

 there are some rare instances in which the strength 

 of this animal has been pressed into the service of 

 man ; but they are exceedingly rare, and the animal 

 must still be considered as a free tenant of the forest. 

 It is found in all the rich and wooded countries, from 

 the Cape of Good Hope to the Desert of Sahara, but 

 not to the northward of the Desert, or in Egypt, or 

 indeed in any part of the valley of the Nile, or at 

 least of Sennar, to the northward as far as the Abys- 

 sinian mountains. The elephant indeed is but ill 

 adapted for climbing heights, from its great weight ; 

 and therefore we may naturally suppose, that as a 

 southern animal it must be bounded by such moun- 

 tains as those which we have mentioned. 



The African elephant is inferior in size to the 

 Asiatic ; but it seems rather more hardy. It is equally 

 remarkable for the acuteness of its sense of smelling ; 

 and some remarkable instances are told of its powers in 

 distinguishing enemies. As it is hunted for destruc- 

 tion much more .than the Asiatic elephant, it is pro- 

 bably rendered more ferocious by this means ; though 

 it is not very easy to see upon what principle the 

 destruction of one animal in hunting should make 

 others of the same race more fierce towards the 

 hunters. It is for the sake of its tusks chiefly that 

 this elephant is hunted in the vicinity of the Cape ; 

 though the Hottentots eat the carcase with zest ; and 

 the ears, which are very strong as well as large, are 

 made use of as a sort of sledge. We shall give the 

 substance of one or two anecdotes from Sparrman, 

 as illustrative of the character of this animal. The 

 first shall be that of two farmers or boors, who began 

 the occupation at once without any training. On 

 the evening the wild elephant was observed, they 



resolved to pursue it on horseback, though it was the 

 first time they had ever seen one. Their horses, 

 though equally unaccustomed to the sight as their 

 riders of this gigantic-like animal, yet were not in the 

 least frightened ; nor did the elephant indeed appear 

 to give himself any trouble about them, until they 

 were within seventy or eighty paces of him. At 

 about that distance, one of the party, agreeably to the 

 usual manner of the Cape huntsmen, leaped from his 

 horse, and fastening the bridle dropped on one knee, 

 and with his left hand sticking his ramrod into the 

 ground rested his gun upon it, took his aim, and fired 

 at the elephant, which had then got about lorty or 

 fifty paces further off; for when they hunt the larger 

 kind of animals in this country, they generally choose 

 the opportunity of firing at the distance of from 100 

 to 150 paces, both because they load their pieces in 

 such a manner that the ball may, as they think, do 

 more execution at that distance, and that they can 

 also gain time to mount their horses again and ride 

 off before the wounded animal can make up to them 

 to take his revenge. Our sportsman had scarcely got 

 into the saddle, and turned round his horse's head, 

 before he ascertained that the elephant was at his 

 heels. At this very instant the animal set up a shrill 

 piercing cry, which he imagined to pierce to the very 

 marrow of his bones, and which occasioned his horse 

 also to make several hasty leaps, and then gallop off 

 as fast again as before. In the meantime, the hunts- 

 man had sufficient presence of mind to ride his horse 

 up an ascent, well knowing that elephants and other 

 heavy animals are unwieldy and slow in ascending 

 up a hill, in proportion to their weight, and the re- 

 verse in descending a hill. By this means, he not 

 only more certainly distanced his antagonist, but his 

 companion had more time to advance on one side of 

 the elephant, where he imagined he could most easily 

 direct the shot at the heart, and the larger arteries 

 connected with the lungs of the animal. This shot 

 did not, however, hit in any dangerous part, as the 

 horse was rather unruly, and pulled at the bridle, 

 which the man had hanging over his right arm, at the 

 instant that he jumped off his horse and discharged 

 his piece in the same manner as the former had done. 

 This now turned the elephant upon this last antago- 

 nist, but he was soon wearied of pursuing him, as the 

 sportsman had an opportunity of riding away from 

 him up a still much steeper hill than his companion. 

 The two hunters now found that it would suit their 

 purpose better to hold each other's horses, so that 

 they need not get off, while each of the sportsmen 

 fired their pieces by turns. The elephant, even after 

 the third ball, still threatened vengeance ; but the 

 fourth shot had the effect of reducing his violence, 

 although he did not fall till he had received the eighth 

 one. Of course none of the balls aimed at him had 

 taken effect in a part immediately vital, because when 

 struck there the elephant will fall at a single shot. 

 We shall mention one other anecdote of the pursuit 

 of this animal ; and we give it because it is illus- 

 trative of the acuteness of the animal's sense of 

 smell. It was related to Sparrman by a hunter of 

 the name of Dirk Marcus, of course a Dutchman. 

 " Once," says Dirk, " in my younger days, when 

 from a hill covered with bushes near a wood I was 

 endeavouring to steal upon an elephant to the 

 leeward of me, on a sudden I heard a frightful 

 cry or noise from the lee side, and although I was at 

 that time one of the boldest elephant hunters in that 



