262 SYLVICULTURE IN THE TROPICS pt.iy 



exception must be made, however, in countries inhabited 

 by elephants. Both the Asiatic and the African elephants 

 have an instinctive dislike of white things, and seem to 

 find a particular pleasure in destroying them. 



Where the erection of masonry pillars is difficult or 

 too costly, cairns may be substituted for them. These 

 should be made of as heavy stones as possible piled 

 round a stout post of durable wood which has been 

 driven deep into the ground (Fig. 86). On the post 

 should be displayed the serial number of the boundary 

 cairn ; this can either be painted on a tablet which is 

 nailed on or let into the post, as shown in the illustration, 



:3fi?. 



Fig. 86. 



or on a prepared flat surface on the post itself. In 

 places where there are wild elephants the tablets should 

 not be white. As an additional protection a piece of 

 barbed wire may be wound spirally round the post. 



If stones be not available for the construction of a 

 cairn, a mound of earth may be raised instead, the earth 

 beinsr well beaten down and then covered with turf to 

 save it from erosion. 



The direction of the boundary line may be indicated 

 on the boundary marks either by a painted or cut line 

 on the top of masonry pillars, or by a painted line down 

 the sides of posts. 



Between the boundary pillars or cairns it is usually 

 necessary to put up other intermediate marks as a warn- 



