180 VERTEBRATA. MAMMALIA. 



from the following interesting notes. On revisiting 

 the scene of a successful elephant hunt the next day, 

 Captain Harris says, " Not an Elephant was to be 

 seen on the ground that was yesterday teeming with 

 them ; but on reaching the glen which had been the 

 scene of our exploits, a calf, about three and a half 

 feet high, walked forth from a bush, and saluted us 

 with its mournful piping notes. We had observed 

 the unhappy little wretch hovering about its mother 

 after she fell, and, having probably been unable to 

 overtake the herd, it had passed a dreary night in the 

 wood. Entwining its little proboscis about our legs, 

 the sagacious creature, after demonstrating its delight 

 in our arrival by a thousand ungainly antics, accom- 

 panied the party to the body of its dam, which, swol- 

 len to an enormous size, was surrounded by an in- 

 quest of vultures. The conduct of the quaint little 

 calf now became quite affecting, and elicited the sym- 

 pathy of every one. It ran round its mother's corse 

 with touching demonstrations of grief, piping sorrow- 

 fully, and vainly attempting to raise her with its tiny 

 trunk." At length, " the miniature Elephant, finding 

 that its mother heeded not its caresses, voluntarily 

 followed our party to the waggons, where it was 

 received with shouts of welcome from the people, 

 and a band of all sorts of melody from the cattle. 

 It died, however, in spite of every care, in the course 

 of a few days, as did two others, much older, that we 

 subsequently captured."* 



Nearly forty years ago, the body of an extinct 

 * Wild Sports of South Africa, p. 208. 



