124 HISTORY OF THE ELEPHANT. 



the most useful sense in such places as those which tne 

 elephant inhabits ; and the senses of animals are in gen- 

 eral adapted to the nature of their haunts. The sense of 

 hearing is a much more serviceable one among tall vege- 

 tation, than that of sight ; and from the size of the ele- 

 phant's ears, and the freedom with which he can move 

 them backwards and forwards, there is reason to conclude 

 that, in him, this sense is very acute. That the sense of 

 taste is far more keen than in many animals that feed upon 

 vegetables, is proved by the fact of the elephant being so 

 partial to sweet or racy vegetables, and even to sweet- 

 meats. The sense of smell appears, however, to be the 

 leading one, both in enabling the elephant to find that which 

 he seeks, and to avoid that which it is his instinct to shun. 

 Some naturalists have said that the proboscis does not 

 possess this sense, but this appears to be a mistake. Every 

 animal which has a perforated nose, whether that nose be 

 long or short, uses it as an organ of smelling ; and no good 

 cause can be shown why the elephant should be an excep- 

 tion to the general rule. From the other functions which this 

 organ performs, it must be very copiously supplied with 

 nerves ; and we have direct evidence that the elephant 

 chooses or rejects those articles which are offered to him 

 by means of his proboscis ; nor is there any instance men- 

 tioned of his having ever attempted to distinguish scent by 

 means of any other part of his body. But the elephant 

 hunters know full well how necessary it is to give the ele- 

 phant the wind, or approach him on the lee-side only ; for 

 if they attempt to come upon him from the windward, he 

 is either off, or so excited and prepared, that he becomes 

 the hunter and they the hunted. 



The intelligence usually attributed to the elephant is a 

 different matter. We cannot say positively that the intel- 

 ligence of any animal is in the ratio of the volume of its 

 brain as compared with that of the whole body, because 

 the functions of the brain are of too obscure and delicate 



