THE FLOCKS AND HERDS 137 



geological record by the remains of many extinct forms. 

 Some of these lost species were far smaller than those of 

 to-day ; one at least was no larger than our heavier horses. 

 If by the breeder's art the existing varieties could be caused 

 so to change as to give us once again this relatively diminu- 

 tive form, the creature would be sure to find a place of im- 

 portance in our ordinary arts. The trouble is that the very 

 long life of this animal is naturally associated with a slow 

 oTowth. It requires indeed almost the lifetime of a genera- 

 tion to bring the individual to an adult age. It is therefore 

 not surprising that, as the wild forms can readily be won to 

 domestication, these creatures have not been the subject of 

 any of those interesting processes of selection which have 

 so far affected for the better the characteristics of nearly 

 all the other domesticated animals. 



In every other regard than those mentioned above, the 

 elephant appears to be an excellent subject for improvement 

 by choice in breeding. The individuals vary much as regards 

 their physical and mental qualities. Probably no other wild 

 mammal exhibits such differences in the mental features as 

 does this highly intellectual creature. The physical individu- 

 ality does not seem to be as striking as the mental, but even 

 here we note a range, at least as regards size, which is un- 

 usual in the wild forms bred under similar conditions. The 

 general elasticity of the group is shown by the considerable 

 differences which may be traced in the herds which occupy 

 different parts of the field over which the species range. As 

 yet these local peculiarities have not been carefully studied ; 

 but from an examination of the tusks in the ivory warehouse 

 at the docks in London, I have found that those shipped from 

 particular ports in Africa and Asia differed both in form and 



