410 THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



of til is wliolesale slaughter, it cannot be wondered at that tlu^ 

 Ceylon elephant has entirely disappeared from districts in which 

 he was formerly numerous, and that the peasantry in some parts 

 of the island have even suspended the ancient practice of 

 keeping' watchers and fires by night to drive away the elephants 

 from the growing crops. The opening of roads, and the clearing 

 of the mountain-forests of Kandy for the cultivation of coffee, 

 have forced the animals to retire to the low coimtry, wher(? 

 again they have been followed by large parties of European 

 sportsmen, and the Singhalese themselves, being more freely 

 provided with arms than in former times, have assisted in the 

 work of extermination. 



The practice in Ceylon is to aim invariably at the liead, and, 

 generally speaking, a single ball planted in the forehead ends 

 the existence of the noble creature instantaneously. Thus, 

 while Prince Waldemar of Prussia, during his visit to the 

 island, was himting in the forests in company with Major 

 Rogers, a celebrated Nimrod, they were charged by two ele- 

 phants, the one furiously trumpeting in their rear, while the 

 other pushed its enormous head through the bushes in front. 

 The major, however, soon put an end to their offensive demon- 

 strations, for springing between them, he instantly lodged one 

 bullet behind the ear of the one, and a second in the temple of 

 the other. As if struck by lightning, they sank to the earth 

 with a deep hollow groan, and the remainder of the herd, terri- 

 fied by their fall, hurried away into the depth of the woods. 



In India and Ceylon, elephants have been caught and tamed 

 from time immemorial, and when we compare their colossal 

 strength with the physical weakness of man, it must surely be 

 considered a signal triumph of his intelligence and courage, 

 that he is able to bend such gigantic creatures to his will. The 

 professional elephant-catchers of Ceylon, or Panickeas, as they 

 are called, are particularly remarkable for their daring and 

 adroitness. Their ability in tracing their huge game, rivalling 

 that of the American Indian in following the enemy's trail, has 

 almost the certainty of instinct, and hence their services are 

 eagerly sought by the European elephant-hunters. ' So keen 

 is their glance, that almost at the top of their speed, like 

 hounds running breast-high, they will follow the course of an 

 elephant over glades covered with stunted grass, where the eye 



