VOL. LXXXIX.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 440 



upon a tiger's track, which elephants discover readily by the smell, he took fright, 

 and ran off to the woods, in spite of the efforts of his driver. On entering the 

 wood, the driver saved himself, by springing from the elephant, and clinging to 

 the branch of a tree under which he was passing; when the elephant had got rid of 

 his driver, he soon contrived to shake off his load. As soon as he ran away, a 

 trained female was dispatched after him, but could not get up in time to prevent 

 his escape; she however brought back his driver, and the load he had thrown off, 

 and we proceeded, without any hope of ever seeing him again. Eighteen months 

 after this, when a herd of elephants had been taken, and had remained several 

 days in the inclosure, till they were enticed into the outlet, there tied, and led out 

 in the usual manner, one of the drivers, viewing a male elephant very attentively, 

 declared he resembled the one which had run away. This excited the curiosity of 

 every one, to go and look at him ; but when any person came near, the animal 

 struck at him with his trunk, and in every respect appeared as wild and outrageous 

 as any of the other elephants. At length, an old hunter coming up and examining 

 him narrowly, declared he was the very elephant that had made his escape about 1 8 

 months before. Confident of this, he boldly rode up to him, on a tame elephant, 

 and ordered him to lie down, pulling him by the ear at the same time. The animal 

 seemed quite taken by surprize, and instantly obeyed the word of command, with 

 as much quickness as the ropes, with which he was tied, permitted; uttering, at 

 the same time, a peculiar shrill squeak through his trunk, as he had formerly been 

 known to do; by which he was immediately recognized, by every person who had 

 ever been acquainted with this peculiarity. 



Thus we see that this elephant, for the space of 8 or 10 days, during which he 

 was in the keddah, and even while he was tying in the outlet, appeared equally 

 wild and fierce as the boldest elephant then taken ; so that he was not even sus- 

 pected of having been formerly taken, till he was conducted from the outlet. The 

 moment however he was addressed in a commanding tone, the recollection of his 

 former obedience seemed to rush upon him at once; and without any difficulty he 

 permitted a driver to be seated on his neck, who, in a few days, made him as 

 tractable as ever. These, and several other instances which have occurred, clearly 

 evince, that elephants have not the sagacity to avoid a snare into which they have, 

 even more than once, fallen. 



The general idea, that tame elephants would not breed, has doubtless prevented 

 trials being made, to ascertain whether, under particular circumstances, this sup- 

 posed reluctance could be overcome. I was however convinced, from observation, 

 as well as from some particular facts, that elephants had their seasons in which they 

 were in heat; I shall therefore first mention the circumstances which induced me 

 to attempt breeding from tame elephants, and then relate the success of the ex- 

 periments instituted for this purpose. 



The circumstances to which I allude, happened in Jan. 1790, at a keddah near 

 Comillah the capital of Tiperah. Messrs. Henry Buller and Geo. Dowdeswell, of 



vol. xviii. 3 M 



