1 S L A N D O F C E Y L O N. 193 



work, they bring him more meat, otherwife they llioot him in 

 the night. 



After this account of tlie loweft of the human race, I fear Elephant. 

 I ftiall injure the half reafoning elephant, on putting him on a 

 level with fuch of our own fpecies as have fcarcely any of the 

 reafoning particles left. This illand was celebrated by Pliny^ 

 lib. viii. c. 9, for its race of elephants, which were larger, and 

 more adapted for war, than thofe of India. He alfo gives the 

 methods of capture *. They are, at prefent, taken in different 

 manners, and after being tamed, are fent to the great annual 

 fair at Jaffanapatam. The merchants of Malabar and Bengal^ 

 have notice of the numbers and qualities of the elephants to be 

 fet up to fale ; fometimes a hundred are fold at one fair. A full 

 grown beaft, twelve or fourteen feet high, will be fold at the 

 rate of two thoufand dollars. 



The manner of taking thefe huge animals is thus defcribed 

 by Do6lor T'bunberg, iv. p. 240, who undertook a journey up the 

 country to fee what the Dutch call an Elephant-toil, or Jhare, 

 " which ferved for capturing and inclofing a great number of 

 elephants. The toil was conftrudled of ftout cocoa trees, almoft 

 in the form of a triangle, the lide neareft to the wood being very 

 broad, and augmented with flighter trees and bufhes, which 

 gradually extended themfelves into two long and impercepti- 

 ble wings. The narrower end was ftrcngly fortified with 

 flakes, planted clofe to each other, and held firmly together 

 by ropes, and became at length fo narrow, that only one fingle 



* Lib. viii. c. 8. 



Vol. I. C c elephant 



