454 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [ANNO 17 QQ. 



20 months and 18 days after she was first covered. The young one was 35-L inches 

 high; and had every appearance of having arrived at its full time, being the largest 

 I had known produced in Tiperah. 



We have many young produced every year, by the females which are taken 

 while breeding, and these seldom exceed 34 inches; this however may be owing to 

 the weak and reduced state the mothers are brought to, while breaking in. The 

 young of the elephant, at least all those I have seen, begin to nibble and suck the 

 breast soon after birth; pressing it with the trunk, which by natural instinct they 

 know will make the milk flow more readily into the mouth, while sucking. 

 Elephants never lie down to give their young ones suck; and it often happens, 

 when the dam is tall, that she is obliged for some time to bend her body towards 

 her young, to enable him to reach the nipple with his mouth; consequently, if 

 ever the trunk was used to lay hold of the nipple, it would be at this period, when 

 he is making laborious efforts to reach it with his mouth, but which he could 

 always easily do with his trunk, if it answered the purpose. In sucking, the 

 young elephant always grasps the nipple, which projects horizontally from the breast, 

 with the side of his mouth. I have very often observed this; and so sensible are 

 the attendants of it, that with them it is a common practice to raise a small mound 

 of earth, about 6 or 8 inches high, for the young one to stand on, and thus save 

 the mother the trouble of bending her body every time she gives suck, which she 

 cannot readily do when tied to her picket. 



Tame elephants are never suffered to remain loose; as instances occur of the 

 mother leaving even her young, and escaping into the woods. Another circum- 

 stance deserves notice: if a wild elephant happens to be separated from her young, 

 for only 2 days, though giving suck, she never afterwards recognizes or acknow- 

 ledges it. This separation sometimes happened unavoidably, when they were en- 

 ticed separately into the outlet of the keddah. I have been much mortified at such 

 unnatural conduct in the mother; particularly when it was evident the young ele- 

 phant knew its dam, and, by its plaintive cries and submissive approaches, solicited 

 her assistance. 



Here it may be observed, that a female was believed to have gone 21 months 

 and 3 days; being supposed to have been covered on Jan. 13, 1788, some days 

 before she was driven into the inclosure. When I made particular inquiry as to the 

 real time she was taken, the daroga, or superintendant of the hunters, said it was 

 in Jan.; but the dydars, or principal hunters, declared she was among the herd 

 taken in Feb. following, and was probably the same elephant Mr. Buller, Captain 

 Hawkins, and many others, saw covered on the 9th and 10th of that month. 

 Perhaps some days prior to this she might have been covered in the woods, before 

 she was brought into the inclosure; but as a herd was taken in each of those 

 months, and not kept separate, and 2 years had nearly elapsed before I thought of 

 making any inquiry, it was impossible for me to determine in which of those 

 months she was really taken ; and the only motive I then had for endeavouring to 



