42 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



a brother of that famous draughtsman and shikarie, General 

 Douglas Hamilton, better known as "Velvet Foot" of the old 

 sporting magazines. 



" On another occasion I was blown at by a wild elephant, 

 who threw her trunk out from behind the jungle lining the 

 narrow path along which we were running to intercept the 

 herd, and blew her nose so suddenly in the chest and face of 

 the leading man, that he fell back right upon me. We had 

 cut this elephant off from her companions, and having a young 

 calf to take care of, she had loitered behind the herd. In this 

 case we noticed what I have before alluded to the wonderful 

 and extraordinarily quiet manner in which these gigantic 

 animals noiselessly move through the forest when trying to 

 avoid observation or danger." 



The height of an elephant is all but twice the circumference 

 of the front foot as it rests on the ground. This is not quite 

 exact, but near enough for all purposes. Elephants vary 

 much in size. We hear of 12, 13, and even 14 feet, as men- 

 tioned by some writers ; the same credence can be placed 

 on that statement as of the 12, 13, and more feet tigers. 

 I do not think that elephants grow to the same size as they 

 used, for one of 10 feet is now very rare, and a taller all but 

 unknown ; but there is the skeleton of one in the Calcutta 

 Museum of Natural History which measures n feet, 2 or 3 

 inches in height, and must have been, when living, close on 

 12 feet. The tallest elephants I have ever seen, wild or 

 tame, were Mucknas. There was one in the Commissariat, 

 a very old decrepit one, loj feet, but 9 feet for a male is a 

 fair size rather over than under, and 8 feet for a female. 

 For Lower Burma elephants are a sine qud non for hunting. 

 There are places where game can be followed on foot, when 

 you get there, but to reach the localities you must have these 

 giants to take you there. 



I have never known an elephant that could be invariably 

 depended upon for dangerous shooting ; they are like women 

 " Uncertain, coy, and difficult to please." I have had them 

 as staunch as possible one trip ; perhaps the very next 

 without the slightest cause they would run from a deer and 

 even from a hare ! whilst if a peafowl or partridge got up 



