154 ANIMALS AT WORK AND PLAY 



side of one which has long held the first place 

 among domesticated beasts of burden. Dr Sclater, 

 who has summarised the general experience of the 

 Zoological Society for nearly twenty years, gave it 

 as his opinion that they are quite as intelligent as 

 the Indian species, though perhaps not equally docile. 

 He suggested that a ' keddah ' of Indian elephants 

 and their attendants should be transported to the 

 East African Coast. General Gordon, whose practical 

 wisdom was seldom at fault, had the same idea ; 

 and with such encouragement the German enterprise 

 has every reason to hope for success. The modern 

 estimate of the relative intelligence and usefulness of 

 the two species of elephant may be compared with 

 what seems the only record of their employment by 

 hostile armies in the same battle, at a time when 

 they played an important part in the highly trained 

 forces of the successors of Alexander. At the battle 

 of Raphia, between Antiochus and Ptolemy Philopator, 

 the former employed Indian, and the latter ' Libyan ' 

 elephants. ' Of the elephants,' writes Polybius, ' forty 

 were placed on the left wing where Ptolemy fought 

 in person ; thirty-three protected the left wing. 

 Antiochus put sixty of these beasts before his right 

 wing, where he himself proposed to encounter 

 Ptolemy.' The battle began with an elephant charge, 

 the men mounted on each engaged hand to 



