THE HONGANOOR LAKE. 53 



was a most inoffensive animal, and, altliongli bold in liis wanderings, never 

 injured any one. Some male elephants, however, as much wandering herd 

 tuskers as really solitary animals, are dangerous when suddenly come upon, 

 but rarely wantonly malicious. 



Of cases recorded of really vicious animals perhaps the most notable is 

 that of the Mandla ^' elephant, an elephant supposed to have been mad, and 

 which killed an immense number of persons about five years ago. It is said 

 to have eaten portions of some of its victims, but it probably only held their 

 limbs in its mouth whilst it tore them to pieces. The Mandla elephant was 

 shot, after a short but bloody career, by two officers. 



I have only known one instance of two full-grown male elephants, un- 

 connected with herds, constantly associating together. These were a tusker 

 and muchna (or tuskless male), in the Kakankotd forests. They were insep- 

 arable companions in their night wanderings, but always remained a mile 

 or two apart during the day. I knew the pair well in 1870-72 ; in the 

 latter year I shot the tusker, as he had become dangerous, and had been 

 proscribed by Government for killing people. 



Natives who live in localities frequented by elephants become very bold 

 in driving them away from their fields at night. I once saw a stirring scene 

 at the Honganoor tank or lake at the foot of the Billiga-rungun hills. It 

 was in November 1870, and the rice-crop was nearly ripe, when I encamped 

 at Bellatta, on the border of the wide expanse (some 600 acres) of level 

 rice-fields. The stream from the Billiga-runguns which feeds the Hon- 

 ganoor lake emerges from a deep gorge ; a mile farther on is the lake ; be- 

 tween the gorge and the lake the water is diverted by many small runnels 

 over the rice-land. This lake is artificial, of very great antiquity and beauty, 

 and when full is dotted with floating islands of white and rose-coloured 

 lotus, and a sort of water-convolvulus. Teal, duck, pelicans, flamingoes, 

 wild geese, and cranes and storks of several kinds, are to be seen there at 

 certain seasons in numbers ; pheasant-tailed jacanas walk on the lotus- 

 leaves, uttering their musical cry ; and snipe are plentiful from November 

 to February in the short grass round the water-spread. ]\Iany birds build 

 their nests in the fringe of green rushes round the small bays ; amongst 

 these the beautiful blue coot with red wattles is numerous. 



At evening as I rode into camp the scene across the waving sea of 

 ripening paddy was very beautiful. To the west the lake shone like silver 

 in the level rays of the sun, just dipping behind the old tamarind-trees on 

 its embankment. To the east the glorious hills, their dark woods and frown- 

 ing cliffs seeming close at hand, were bathed in pmple. In the glistening 



* Near Jubbulpoii', Central Provinces. 



