3Q6 THE INDIAN ELEPHANT. 



suddenly seized him, and pressed him against the front of 

 another elephant that was passing, until one of the thick blunt 

 tusks came through the man's body. 



In the Regent's Park Zoological Gardens, there are two 

 Asiatic elephants. They have spacious stables, a paddock, and 

 a pond in which they bathe with evident enjoyment. When 

 they leave the pond, they either wallow in the mud or rub some 

 of it over their bodies with the trunk, with which they often 

 take up a quantity of dry dust and pebbles to throw at the 

 flies on their backs. Every morning, before the public are 

 admitted, the skins of these animals are lubricated with train 

 oil. The cleaning time is, however, an excellent time to see 

 many of the various animals show off to advantage j and some 

 time ago when I was present at an early hour, I was much 

 amused at the process of oiling the larger elephant, which the 

 keeper performed by means of a long brush. The animal knelt 

 down, however, or assumed any attitude that was requisite. 

 But before the operation was completed, the keeper was called 

 out of the stable 3 and during his absence, the elephant poured 

 all the oil out of the can, and then laying its trunk close along 

 the floor worked it backwards and forwards with such rapidity, 

 that the oil soon resembled lather, and was actually steaming 

 with the friction. After rubbing the oil in this way into its 

 trunk, it then began to smear its body with it here and there. 

 This fine elephant (a male, two-and-twenty years old, and eight 

 feet nine inches high,) is on the most friendly terms with his 

 next door neighbour, the huge rhinoceros. Recently I have 

 several times seen him lean over the rails which separate their 

 paddocks, and, with his trunk, caress the rhinoceros without 

 the slightest fear, but on the contrary with an appearance of 

 perfect amity, and which seems indeed to be mutual. The 

 smaller elephant is frequently exercised about the grounds, 

 and the visitors are permitted to ride upon him. 



Among the still prevalent errors respecting the elephant is 

 the notion that it refuses to breed in a domestic state that 

 it scorns to multiply slaves for the service of mankind. The 



