252 



♦ KNOW^LEDGE 



[June 1, 1886. 



he stands alone ; the only approach to his trunk being that 

 of the tapir. His drinking is unique ; all animals drink by 

 so-called suction, but he drinks by suction and pour — that 

 is, he fills his ti-unk by siiction, and then pours it into his 

 water-stomach, where it is either assimilated or utilised 

 again by the trunk and blown in grateful spray all over t;he 

 heated body. The action of drinking is highly characteristic ; 

 of course in his native haunts he drinks from a river, 

 or water-course, or tank, and wallows in either at pleasure. 

 In captivity he rarely has this pleasure, but is watered from 

 a bucket, leathern or wooden, and then he is quite satisfied 

 as Ion" as the tip of his trunk is fairly immersed. 



I am not certain whether the elephant drinks by suction 

 or vacuum (of course the foi'mer implies the latter, but it 

 will be seen that there is a diflerence), and I have never seen 

 the question discussed in the books. The following is the 

 process : "Water presented to him he at once blows down 

 the trunk and then instantly immerses it ; after a while he 

 curls up the tip, and lifting the trunk and prolonging the 

 curl he brings the tip into his mouth, throws back his head, 

 and blows out the water, which you distinctly hear splash- 

 ing in a cavity. 



This process (and it is a slow one) goes on until he is 

 satisfied, and then he clears out his trunk with a blast ; as 

 he breathes through his trunk, it is only in these intervals 

 that he can inspire. If he drinks by vacuum, the following 

 is the process, presumed at least : Simultaneous with the blast 

 the posterior nares are closed, and the trunk is in vacuo ; 

 water rushes in by atmospheric pressure, and the trunk is 

 filled and empted as above. This trunk is a wonderful 

 organ, and the only instrument of prehension possessed by 

 the animal, and it will as deftly pick up a needle with its 

 finger as a bundle of sugar-cane with the whole organ. 

 It is also, though very rarely, his weapon of oflence, and a 

 very formidable one, and yet a mosquito will keep it in check; 

 and it is through his trunk that you win the animal's atiec- 

 tion. Go up boldly, and in front, to a strange elephant and 

 fondle his trunk, and you are safe; approach him from 

 behind, and he will edge away from you suspiciously side- 

 ways, perhaps with trumpeting. 



Like the whale, the range of an elephant's vision is very 

 limited, and he has to move the whole body to take certain 

 observations ; therefore he is virtually purblind, and this makes 

 him suspicious. He can't see anything on the ground below 

 him, and his finger here takes the place of a third eye. It 

 is great fun to approach him with a stick of sugar-cane 

 beliind you ; its fragrance soon reaches his sensitive nostrils, 

 and you will find the dear creature exploring your rear with 

 liis trunk-finger, grasping the cane gently, and removing it 

 to his mouth. 



From earliest antiquity the elephant has been utilised by 

 man ; we read of his achievements in war, when he used to 

 carry a turret on his back charged with from six to eight 

 warriors; now his maximum load consists of the howdah, 

 with perhaps two sportsmen in front, and an attendant 

 behind ; this is for sporting purposes. 



His main use now is to swell the eflect of state pageants, 

 and it is certainly a grand sight to see a long array of these 

 noble animals, in all the bravery of their gold and silver 

 bowdahs, bells, and embroidered trappings. Many of these 

 ■ I animals are of great age, and have historic associations con- 

 nected with them ; thus, it was only in 1873 tliat Warren 

 Hastings' state elephant died on its way from Agra to 

 Lucknow, on the occasion of Lord Northbrook's great 

 ',, Durbar. What an autobiography that animal might have 

 wiitten. 



I do not know which is the most impressive .sight— to see 

 the wild elephant crashing through the forest, frightened 

 out of its wits by the discharge of your piece, and trum- 



peting wildly in fear, or to see it in the majesty of intelli- 

 gent subjugation, moving grandly in its place in the 

 IrO-pounder battery, and utterly regardless of the roar of the 

 great guns. 



And this reminds me that in her 40-pounder elephant 

 batteries India possesses weapons of oflence unapproachable 

 by any other nation. One of these went into the Khyber 

 Pass in the last Afghan war, and opened fire upon Ali Mus- 

 jid at 3,500 yards ; only the crest of the fort was visible 

 above the plateau, yet it was reduced to ruins (though 

 answering gun for gun), or, aa the telegram stated, " Ali 

 Musjid in rags." 



Let us watch one of the majestic batteries on a field day — 

 here they come, four 40-pounders and two great howitzers, 

 each harnessed to two elephants, one in .shafts and the other 

 in front, with chain traces attached to the ends of the shafts. 

 The mahout (driver) sits on the neck of each ; note the docile 

 animals as they grandly march up in two lines of six e;ich, 

 as they pass the flag they elevate their trunks S-like in 

 saliiam, and move on with stately tread. After the march 

 past, and foi' manoeuvring, twenty great white bullocks in 

 war, and sixteen in time of peace, relieve the elephants, 

 which cannot get out of the walk, and trot the guns all over 

 the field. 



The food of each of the elephants consists of, daily, 151b 

 of flour made up into nine cakes, or chapatis, and 6 maunds 

 of kerbi (Sorghum) for each large, and 4 maunds ibr each 

 small elephant (1 maund=40 seers=801bs. av.). To wash 

 down all this, each elephant drinks, four times daily, according 

 to size, two or three skins of water (mashak), each skin hold- 

 ing one and a half maunds of water, and he has two baths 

 daily in the hot weather, and these he enjoys thoroughly. 



When all is quiet, about 10 p.m., elephants retire to rest, 

 throwing themselves down on their right sides, and sprawl- 

 ing comfortably ; for some time you will see their lett ears 

 flapping nervously, and the old trunk twitching, and then 

 all is at rest — 



And these here mighty Pachydarms, 

 Are fast asleep iu Muqjhy's arms. 



Though their skins are immensely thick, they are wonder- 

 fully sensitive, even to mosquito bites ; I have seen an 

 elephant feeding off bibal branches (/''iots relitjiosiM), suddenly 

 stop, take a bianch in his trunk, scratch his back therewith, 

 and then throw it away. Another, troubled with a loose 

 tooth, was seen by a commLssaiiat officer to insert his trunk 

 into his mouth, and pull it out forthwith. 



As I have already hinted, elephants are gentle, docile 

 animals, and the exception denotes an exceptional mahout : 

 lie wields a formidable weapon, a relic of ancient 

 barbarity, called the ankoos, which I here repre- 

 sent, and according to hie use thereof so is the 

 temperament (misaj) of his animal ; the inner edge 

 of the hook is sharp, and is used with fearful cruelty 

 on the lobe of the ear, while its sharp point is 

 driven ferociously into the tissues of the vertex, 

 exposing the yellow tat beneath the skin. The 

 poor animal shiieks under the agony of these 

 cruel prods, and I will presently show how he 

 lighteously ti'easiu'es up wrath against his cruel 

 mahout. 



Not only is the elephant used in war (including 

 transport) and state ceremonies, but he is also 

 lai'gely used in sport, especially tiger shooting, and 

 here his strength, intelligence, and endurance are 

 invaluable ; he is also invaluable for draught, and 

 in this I'espect I do not hesitate to affirm that the 

 teak trade would collapse without his marvellous strength, 

 intelligence and docility. 



Burmah 



