THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT 



the mother considered the little one had been suffi- 

 ciently fed, it gently but firmly pushed it aside 

 with its trunk and rose. This occurred during July 

 1918. 



After good rains a certain natural dam or pond gets 

 filled with water. On one side there is an incline, 

 and after the elephants have slaked their thirst they 

 walk round to the top of the incline and, crouching 

 on their haunches, they slide down like children 

 tobogganing, meanwhile screaming, grunting and 

 trumpeting in a sheer abandonment of delight. The 

 youngsters are sometimes noticed to be rather timid 

 and nervous. In those instances the adults gently 

 coax and wheedle them, and should they still hesi- 

 tate they are pushed over the brink, and away they 

 go down the slope and into the muddy water. To 

 witness such a sight needs infinite patience and care. 

 Much of what has been written about animals in 

 the past is more or less inaccurate, being merely the 

 outcome of reasoning on what an animal would be 

 most likely to do under given circumstances. As a 

 matter of fact they, as often as not, do the contrary. 



Cow Elephants with small calves are often seen 

 in the Addo Bush in the months of June, July and 

 August. The calves seem to be born mostly about 

 June. 



A pathetic incident occurred one day. A farmer 



on the look-out for Bushbuck suddenly encountered 



a family consisting of a half-grown Elephant, a cow 



and young calf. The man instantly and wanton]y 



259 



