326 THE ELEPHANT. 



ported of the bear, the animal plugs the wound, but 

 I must confess to being very incredulous on this 

 point. As, however, blood in large quantities does 

 not usually flow from the wound itself, but from 

 either the trunk or the mouth, is it not far more 

 reasonable to suppose that the creature has the 

 power of retaining a large quantity of that fluid 

 in either the one or the other of these receptacles. 

 I have observed an elephant holding the end of its 

 trunk up for the purpose, as it seemed to me, of 

 preventing the blood from falling ; and I have like- 

 wise found, after death, a vast quantity of blood in 

 the animal's mouth, from which and the proboscis 

 it then flowed out in a complete stream, whereas 

 from the place where it had received the shot a 

 distance of a mile or more only a few drops (in 

 some instances, indeed, none whatever) could be 

 observed. Blood will also run strongly from a 

 wound for a certain time after the animal has re- 

 ceived the shot, but owing to the thickness of its 

 skin the aperture made by the bullet soon collapses, 

 and the blood is therefore stopped. 



In conclusion it may bo proper for me to remark 

 that, when stalking -elephants or other large game, 

 I have found a close-fitting skull-cap, with a 

 grey wide-awake over it, very advantageous for the 

 head. When game is spied, hand the hat to your 

 attendant, and you are at once in stalking order. 

 The skull-cap is sufficient protection against a tro- 

 pical sun, and affords no prominent mark for the 

 quarry. It serves also as a night-cap. A com- 

 mon shooting-cap is much too warm, whilst a wide- 

 awake alone is too conspicuous. 



