Page 543. 
302 REPORT ON THE INDIAN ELEPHANT. 
head, or even the least forwards. When it took food it flexed the 
trunk so as to present the orifice forwards. This symptom is one 
of decay. 
For the last two years of its life it exhibited marked signs of 
rheumatism, varying in severity, very considerable at times. This 
was most manifest on its kneeling down to be saddled. “pin 
The animal during the last three years of its life looked preter- 
naturally aged and worn out. It has never suffered the least from 
cough, and has not become strikingly thin. It carried its saddle and 
visitors 36 hours before its death, apparently without discomfort, and 
ate well on the evening of the 6th inst. 
For about six months the animal did not, as it was formerly wont 
to do, lie down at night. On the night of the 6th of July it fell on 
its left side, and did not subsequently make any powerful attempt 
to rise. The breathing was, when down, unusually rapid (about 25 
a minute); and no marked symptoms of pain manifested themselves, 
general discomfort being evident. It died during the night of the 
7th, having at 8.30 p.m. had a large dose (over 100 grs.) of strychnia 
given it by the mouth. Whether the poison was the cause of death is 
uncertain. 3 
With the exception of one of the lungs, all the organs, the brain 
included, were perfectly healthy. The lung in question was almost 
entirely infiltrated with tubercular deposit, not more than one-sixth 
being competent for the respiratory function. The tubercular infil- 
tration was uniform or nearly so, being of a lighter colour and 
nearly in a condition to break up in the centre of the organ, forming 
a dark grey solid mass in the more recently affected portions near the 
margins. 
It may be mentioned that the teeth just coming into wear had, in 
both jaws, 23, 24, or 25 plates; they were therefore the sixth molars. 
The epiphyses of the long bones were firmly united. 
No entozoa were found. 
As to the duration of the disease it is not easy to decide. It, no 
doubt, was of considerable standing ; probably it had commenced with 
the first signs of decrepitude, about three years ago. 
As to the cause of the tuberculosis, that was probably connected 
with the animal having been born and bred in captivity in a cold 
climate. A wild-caught animal 4 or 5 years of age would probably 
have thriven better. 
