122 HISTORY OF THE ELEPHANT. 



The young elephant, at its birth, stands about three feet 

 high, and grows nearly a foot more the first year, two- 

 thirds of a foot the second, half a foot the third, five inches 

 the fourth, rather less in the fifth, between three or four 

 inches in the sixth, and two and a half in the seventh. 

 Thus, there is a yearly diminution in their growth, and it is 

 probable that ultimately this growth ceases, though there 

 is every reason to believe that the oldest of both sexes are 

 the largest. 



The young begins very early to suck, and while it per- 

 forms this operation with the mouth, it at the same time 

 presses the teat with the trunk to aid the flow of milk. In 

 a state of nature, the female elephant appears to have very 

 little attachment to her young, less so than most animals ; 

 for it is stated that when a female with her young one is cap- 

 tured, two or three days' absence will make her entirely for- 

 get it though the young one itself recognises her, and 

 utters the most plaintive cries, for the purpose of attracting 

 her attention. This fact, which appears to be well authen- 

 ticated, is pretty strong evidence against the sagacity, 

 affection, and pther half-reasoning qualities which fiction 

 has attributed to this animal. 



As the pastures of the elephant are perennial, which 

 feel no season of want and, indeed, such pastures only 

 are adapted to animals requiring so much food elephants 

 have no rutting season, common, or nearly common, to the 

 whole herd, for young ones are found at all stages of their 

 growth at almost every season of the year. The length of 

 time during which the female elephant suckles her young 

 one, ha,s not been accurately ascertained; and, indeed, 

 from the indifference to it which we have mentioned that 

 she shows, it is highly probable that the period varies 

 much according to circumstances. There seems to be a 

 natural provision for this in the early appearance of milk- 

 teeth in young elephants, which, though small in the first 

 instance, appear to be capable of masticating the softer 



