WITH FLASH-LIGHT AND RIFLE 



bark will also allay its thirst. The cud is dropped on 

 the ground. One may often trace the path of the 

 elephant, as Robinson Crusoe did on his island, by 

 these signs — barked trees and small heaps of chewed 

 bark. The trail is also often marked by trodden-down 

 and uprooted trees of goodly size. The development 

 of the tusks is, no doubt, aided by the uses to which 

 the elephant puts them in acquiring his food, and, in 

 a minor degree, in maintaining discipline in the herd 

 and in fighting rival males. 



The paths of the elephants arc easily followed in the 

 rainy season, when they leave deep footprints in the 

 soft ground. The holes made by the animals, wdiich 

 mostly tread in the footsteps of their leaders, are often 

 astonishingly deep. Even during the dry season the 

 clearly defined outlines of the elephants' soles are easily 

 recognized in the dust. The marks left by the hind 

 feet of the male are long and narrow, those of the fe- 

 male are roundish. 



The East African elephant feeds, according to my 

 observations, exclusively on the twigs, bark, and fruits 

 of trees, but never on grass. He will also chew the 

 stem of the Sansevieria plant. Such stems, chewed dry, 

 may often be found in heaps over a wide area of the 

 steppe, bleached white by the sun, and visible at a great 

 distance. As this plant contains a great deal of sap, and 

 grows plentifully in the most arid regions of the steppe, 

 it is to the elephant a wonderful substitute for water. 



86 



