256 THE GAME OF BRITISH EAST AFRICA. 



When elephants are standing at rest they kick up the ground with their feet from time to 

 time, to loosen the dust. They gather up this dust and also grass and place it on their heads or 

 backs, presumably to shield themselves from the sun. 



On hard ground, where the size of the spoor is often difficult to determine, such places 

 generally yield a good impression in the loosened soil. 



Continual reachings-up for branches above their heads appear to tire elephants, and they find 

 it more convenient to feed off the ground. Thus, even small trees will be torn up and laid on 

 the ground, or branches will be torn off so that they may feed off the leaves at leisure when 

 resting at midday. 



Superstition concerning Elephants. — The wide-spread superstition that the nerve from the 

 inside of an elephant's tusk must not be looked upon is also believed in Uganda and Unyoro. 

 There they say that it can be used as medicine by which to kill people, and so it is removed out 

 of sight and buried. 



Elephants Kneeling. — It has often been stated that elephants never kneel or lie down. This 

 is untrue. Elephants occasionally kneel in nature in the same way as do tame elephants when 

 receiving a load. It is, however, very rarely that wild elephants have been seen in this position. 



Lungs of Elephants. — A writer in the Field has lately pointed out that the African elephant 

 shares with its Indian congener a peculiarity which separates these two from all other known 

 mammals. This difference is that the lungs, instead of being enclosed in a bag, are attached to 

 the vertebrae and to the walls of the chest. 



Elephants in a Thunderstorm. — I had occasion to watch a herd during a thunderstorm, and 

 was very surprised to notice how nervous they appeared. At every clap of thunder they started 

 and ran a few steps. I do not know if this was their usual behaviour. Thunderstorms were 

 numerous enough in the locality, occurring daily during a great portion of the year, so they 

 ought to have been accustomed to them. 



Haunts of Elephants. — The usual East African shooting-grounds are poor in elephants. 

 There is a large herd or group of herds on the Aberdares and Kinangop. They are chiefly 

 females and small tuskers, most of the large tuskers having been shot off. They occasionally 

 trek towards the Mau, where there are other elephants, and I have seen the tracks of such a trek 

 on the waggon road close to Naivasha. 



At Kibagori there is a herd which consists chiefly of females. 



Elephants occasionally visit the Kikuyu Escarpment north of the railway line in the Rift 

 Valley. At Saragoi (Sirgoi) and north of the Guas Ngishu they are found on occasions fairly 

 plentiful. Near the German border they occur north of Sotik and west of the Kisii country and 

 the Kuja Valley. They also occasionally visit the Kisii Hills. Near Karungu on the Nyanza 

 they are found in very thick country. They are also found at certain seasons in very thick bush 

 between Mombasa and Malindi, two or three days inland from Malindi, and near Witu and the 

 mouth of the Tana River; but in all these localities the tusks are notorious for their small size 

 and are of poor quality. Farther up the Tana large elephants are found, especially in the 

 neighbourhood of Korokoro, but they are alleged to have become much scarcer there of recent 

 years. Still higher up the Tana, near the Mumoni Hills, they are said to be found. Also, at 

 certain seasons, along the Tsavo River. On Kilimanjaro and its slopes they are found, and also 

 appear in the game reserve in the Nyiri Marshes. East of Kenya, about Meru, they are said to 

 be plentiful, and likewise south of Kenya, on the lower slopes, though less plentiful. They are 

 said to be very plentiful about the Loriani Swamp at certain seasons. Near Mount Elgon large 



