A BABY ELEPHANT. 49 



desire to fraternize with any of his Indian relation 3 

 owned by the Zoological Society. 



The African elephant, when captured young, is 

 very easily domesticated, but whether it would retain 

 its mild disposition after reaching maturity, is a 

 question that yet remains unsolved. I have several 

 times possessed calves from thirteen to fourteen 

 hands high, and their affection for myself, servants, 

 and more particularly the children that accompanied 

 their parents on my hunting expeditions, was con- 

 stantly being displayed. One young elephant in 

 particular was never more happy than when playing 

 with a lot of these black brats of the human race, 

 who would mount the young pachyderm's back till 

 there was no more room to find a perch. If the 

 little beast thought itself overloaded, or that the joke 

 was being carried too far, it would drag them from 

 their elevated position, and gently deposit them upon 

 the ground. Supposing this calf had grown to twelve 

 feet in height, and retained his amiable disposition 

 and fearlessness, what a grand beast he would have 

 been for " shikar " purposes. 



