132 ELEPHANTS 



writers, and it seems to have acted in the development of 

 the elephant's intelligence in the same way as man's hand 

 has in regard to his mental growth, though in a less degree. 

 The Indian elephant has a single tactile and grasping 

 projection (sometimes called " a finger ") placed above 

 between the two nostrils at the end of the trunk ; the 

 African elephant has one above and one below. I have 

 seen the elephant pick up with this wonderful trunk with 

 equal facility a heavy man and then a threepenny piece. 



The intelligence of the elephant is sometimes exag- 

 gerated by reports and stories ; sometimes it is not suffi- 

 ciently appreciated. It is not fair to compare the intelligence 

 of the elephant with that of the dog bred and trained by 

 man for thousands of years. So far as one can judge, 

 there is no wild animal, excepting the higher apes, which 

 exhibits so much and such varied intelligence as the elephant. 

 It appears that from early tertiary times (late Eocene) the 

 ancestors of elephants have had large brains, whilst, when 

 we go back so far as this, the ancestors of nearly all other 

 animals had brains a quarter of the size (and even less in 

 proportion to body-size) which their modern representatives 

 have. Probably the early possession of a large brain at a 

 geological period when brains were as a rule small is what 

 has enabled the elephants not only to survive until to-day, 

 but to spread over the whole world (except Australia), and 

 to develop an immense variety and number of individuals 

 throughout the tertiary series in spite of their ungainly 

 size. It is only the yet bigger brain of man which (would 

 it were not so !) is now at last driving this lovable giant, this 

 vast compound of sagacity and strength, out of existence. 

 The elephant like man standing on his hind legs has a 

 wide survey of things around him owing to his height. He 

 can take time to allow of cerebral intervention in his actions 

 since he is so large that he has little cause to be afraid and 

 to hurry. He has a fine and delicate exploring organ in 



