Wild Beasts 



temporary delirium arising from interference with natural 

 functions, cannot be the cause of those extreme cases of 

 viciousness which occasionally make a tusker the scourge 

 of a whole district. Whether "must" or not, these 

 brutes are sometimes mad, and among other examples 

 that might be given, Sir Samuel Baker's description of a 

 "tank-rogue," shot by himself in Ceylon, portrays 

 too faithfully the familiar symptoms of mania to leave 

 any doubt about the animal's condition. 



This fierce beast had committed many murders, kill- 

 ing people without any provocation ; lying in wait for 

 them ; stealing towards those places he knew to be 

 frequented; and apparently devoting all his energies to 

 the destruction of human life. From the first moment 

 at which he was seen all his actions betokened insanity. 

 Baker never suspected the true state of the case, but he 

 watched this elephant for some time, and carefully noted 

 his conduct, his wild and disordered mien, his aimless 

 restlessness, and causeless anger ; all the features which 

 form the characteristic physiognomy of mania. 



Extremely dangerous elephants are not, however, always 

 insane. There is no need to argue mental alienation in 

 order to account for acts which vice of itself is fully com- 

 petent to explain. The beast's strength is enormous, its 

 bulk greatest among land animals, its offensive weapons 

 and general capability of doing harm are unequalled. Of 

 these facts the creature itself must be conscious, and 

 it never exhibits the darker side of its character without 

 showing that it is so. 



This leads to a question that has been considerably dis- 



