Different Kinds of Ivory. 61 



in which he fell, it was impossible to get his height measure- 

 ment. The three. largest elephants I have shot have all 

 fallen in this kneeling position, and it is not uncommon for 

 elephants to do so ; although I think they usually fall 

 flat on one side or the other. Perhaps animals generally 

 fall on the wounded side, although small antelopes are 

 often carried over by the force of the bullet. I think, 

 when they run some way before falling, that they usually 

 fall on the side that the bullet enters. I have heard it 

 remarked that it is easier to kill an elephant from the right 

 as it is stated that his heart lies more to that side than on 

 the left. This, however, I consider a fallacy, as the heart is 

 placed almost centrally in the cavity of the body. If an 

 elephant should be cut up to examine the position of the 

 heart and lungs, they naturally, by the force of gravitation, 

 sink with their weight towards the side nearest the ground. 



There can be little doubt that the elephants in Nyasaland 

 and Northern Rhodesia are probably as large as any breed 

 of elephants in Africa, with regard to their height and 

 weight, for the late Mr. A. H. Neumann has written in his 

 " Elephant Hunting in East Equatorial Africa " that the 

 largest bull out of many he measured gave a height of 

 i oft. gin. at the shoulder. 



The ivory in Equatorial Africa is not usually of such fine 

 quality, as it is found farther south, although the best bulls 

 have much heavier and longer tusks. 



After the elephant fell I took several photographs, and 

 then we cut off the tail and went back to the village. As 

 we got near, the villagers noticed the tail, and they 

 began to shout to one another that an elephant was dead, 

 and I have no doubt the following day's work of cutting-up 

 was looked on as a sort of local outing. 



My only regret was that the elephant had not two sound 

 tusks, but when 1 got glimpses of him before shooting I 

 could only see the side with the long tusk, so I naturally 

 thought that he would have another on the opposite side. 

 Elephant shooting is certainly full of luck, and I was sorry 

 that the fine elephant I had seen the previous day had not 



