Varieties of Elephants. 109 



than the other varieties, but how true that may be I 

 cannot say. The mucknahs, called by the Burmese 

 " hine," have the head longer and narrower, the temple 

 very much depressed, the trunk longer and very pon- 

 derous, possessing immense strength, as if to compensate 

 the beast for being minus the formidable tusks of its 

 near relative the " goondas " (tuskers). The mucknah 

 is not, however, altogether tuskless, as it has short 

 ones somewhat like those of a walrus, growing down- 

 wards ; these are never more than eighteen inches 

 long, but by jobbing down, they can inflict very nasty 

 wounds with them. Its eyes are small and sleepy- 

 looking with a generally morose appearance, and even 

 when quite young it has an old look, as we often notice 

 in children the progeny of an old man. In size they 

 are often taller and more massive than the tuskers. 

 The largest elephants I have seen, whether wild or 

 tame, have been mucknahs. 



The two varieties generally herd apart, but no doubt 

 a Lothario of the one may seduce the affections of a 

 female of the other variety, and this causes, I believe, 

 the production of many elephants of huge size to have 

 but very moderate tusks. 



If nature has not given intellect to these animals, 

 it has given them an instinct next thing to it. 

 One has only to hunt them in their wilds to learn 

 how wonderfully Providence has taught them to 

 choose the most favourable ground, whether for feed- 

 ing or encamping, and to resort to jungles where their 

 ponderous bodies so resemble rocks or dark foliage 

 that it is difficult to distinguish them from surround- 

 ing objects, while their feet are so constructed that 

 they can not only tramp over any ground, be it 



