n6 DOMESTICATED ANIMALS 



J 



over him as the bit affords in the case of horses. The creat- 

 ure has the strength to overcome all control save that of a 

 moral nature. To this he submits in a way which is only 

 equalled by our well-bred dogs. 



As yet the utility of the elephant to man has, measured by 

 his qualities, been but small. The creature has a marvellous 

 streng-th, great intelligence, and remarkable docility. In pro- 

 portion to the power which he can apply to a task, he is not 

 an expensive animal to maintain. He can endure a consider- 

 able range of climate, and enjoys a tolerable immunity from 

 disease. The reason for the relatively inconsiderable use of 

 the^e creatures is probably to be found in the fact that they 

 are not adapted for ordinary draught purposes, nor are they 

 well suited to the needs of the caravan, for which the camel 

 or the pack-mule is much better fitted. In ancient w^arfare, 

 before the invention of gunpowder, elephants carrying archers 

 or javelin-men upon their backs were greatly valued for the 

 effect of their charge against an enemy and for the fright with 

 which they inspired horses. Against the unsteady ranks of 

 Oriental armies they were often most efficient in breaking 

 a line of battle. Even the Roman troops, when they first 

 encountered them and before they knew how to meet their 

 charges, found them very formidable. It was soon learned 

 that if their onset was stoutly resisted, they were likely to 

 become unmanageable in the uproar of the fight, and to do 

 as much damage to friends as to foes. It is only in certain 

 peculiar tasks that, in modern days, the elephants have any 

 economic value, and in the most of this work their strength 

 is likely to be replaced by various engines. 



The two existing species of elephants are, as before re- 

 marked, the survivors of a long lineage, represented in the 



