36 HABITS AND INSTINCTS OF ANIMALS. CHAP. I. 



interesting incident of this kind is told by Mr. Corse 

 (himself an eye-witness of the transaction), in the 

 Phil. Trans. " An elephant, which had escaped, and 

 which was subsequently captured in company with a 

 herd of wild elephants, after an interval of eighteen 

 months, was recognised by one of the drivers. When 

 any person approached the animal, he appeared wild 

 and outrageous as the other elephants, and attempted 

 to strike the person approaching him with his trunk, 

 until an old hunter, riding boldly up to him on a tame 

 elephant, ordered him to lie down, pulling him by the 

 ear at the same time ; upon which the animal seemed 

 quite taken by surprise, and instantly obeyed the word 

 of command with as much quickness as the ropes with 

 which he was tied permitted, uttering, at the same 

 time, a peculiar shrill squeak, through his trunk, as he 

 had been formerly known to do. By this circumstance 

 he was immediately recognised by every person who 

 had been acquainted with his peculiarity." 



(43.) A similar instance of the powers of memory 

 evinced by an elephant is given by Williamson, as 

 a fact well known in Bengal at the time, and attested 

 by the signatures of several gentlemen, who were eye- 

 witnesses to the occurrence. An elephant, that had 

 been some years domesticated, got loose during a stormy 

 night, and rambled into his native jungles. About 

 four years afterwards, when a large drove had been 

 captured in the keddah, the keeper of the lost one, 

 along with others of the natives, had ascended the bar- 

 ricade of timber by which it was surrounded, to inspect 

 the new guests : among them, he fancied he recognised 

 his former charge ; and, though ridiculed by his com- 

 rades, he called to the elephant in question by the name 

 it had formerly borne. To the wonder of all present, 

 the animal came towards him ; the man, overjoyed at 

 the event, got over the barrier, and, ordering the ele- 

 phant to lie down to be mounted, he bestrode its neck 

 as in former times, and exultingly led it forth, to the 

 admiration and surprise of all present. Another in- 



