ir THE ELEPHANT 31 



brown, and can only bo broken by a sharp blow with some hard 

 substance. The contents are highly aromatic, consisting of a 

 brownish substance exceedingly sweet, and mixed with small seeds 

 resembling those inside a pear. There is a strong flavour of 

 medlar in this fruit, and it is much esteemed for medicinal pro- 

 perties, especially in cases of diarrhoea. Although elephants refuse 

 the Bael fruit unless quite ripe, they will invariably arrive in great 

 numbers during the favourable season in the southern districts of 

 Ceylon. The question arises, " How can an animal remember the 

 month without an almanack 1 " 



There is no doubt that animals possess in many instances a far 

 greater degree of reason than is generally admitted, with which 

 the exercise of memory is so closely allied that it is difficult to 

 separate or define the attributes. An elephant will remember 

 those who have shown kindness, perhaps for a longer period than 

 it will others who may have offended. After seven months' 

 absence in England, an elephant that I had from the Commissariat 

 on my previous visit to India recognised me at once upon my 

 return. I had been in the habit of feeding this animal with sugar- 

 canes and other choice food almost daily during several months' 

 companionship in the jungle ; this was not forgotten, and " cupboard 

 love " was harboured in its memory with the expectation that the 

 feeding would be repeated. 



In the same manner, but perhaps in a lesser degree, the elephant 

 will remember those whom it dislikes, and during the season of 

 "must" it would be exceedingly dangerous for such persons to 

 venture within reach of the animal's trunk. Stories are numerous 

 concerning the animosity of elephants against their mahouts or 

 other attendants who have cruelly treated them ; but, on the other 

 hand, the animals frequently exhibit a wild ferocity towards those 

 who have been innocent of harshness. As characters vary among 

 human beings, and some persons when intoxicated become suddenly 

 brutal, although when sober they have been mild in reputation, so 

 also we find conflicting natures among elephants, and the insane 

 excitement of the " must " period varies in intensity in different 

 animals. 



There was a well-known elephant some years ago in the 

 Balaghat district of the Central Provinces which became historical 

 through the extraordinary malignity of its disposition. Having 

 escaped from the fetters, it killed the mahout, and at once made 

 off towards the forests. It is a curious example of nature that 

 creatures (ferce natures) have a tendency to return to their original 

 state of savagedom when the opportunity is offered. If an 



