28 THE ELEPHANT. 



in a paroxyfm of rage, he had killed his 

 guide *. 



Though the elephant produces but a Tingle 

 young one in two or three years, the fpecies is 

 very numerous. The prolific powers of animals 

 are proportioned to the fhortnefs of their lives. 

 In elephants the duration of life corhpenfates 

 their fterility ; and, if it be true that they live 

 two centuries, and can propagate till they are one 

 hundred and twenty years old, each couple may 

 produce forty in this period. Befides, as they 

 have nothing to fear from other animals, and 

 are taken with much difficulty and hazard by 

 men, the fpecies is eafily fupported, and is ge- 

 nerally diffufed over all the fouthern regions of 

 Africa and Afia. Elephants abound in Ceylon f, 



in 



* Quidam iracundia permotus cum cefforem fuum occidif- 

 fet, tarn valde defideravit, ut, pocnitudine et moerore confec- 

 tus, obierit ; Arrianus in Indicts. 



f In Ceylon there are many elephants, whofe teeth brine 

 much riches to the inhabitants ; Voyage de Fr. Pyrard, torn. 2. 



p. 151. There are vafh numbers of elephants in India 



moil of which are brought from the ifland of Ceylon ; Voyage 



de la Boullaye-le-Gouz, p. 250. At Deli, as well as other 



parts of India, there are different kinds of elephants ; but 

 thofe brought from Ceylon are preferred to all the reft j 



Relation d'un voyage, par Thevenot, torn. 3. p. 131 In the 



ifland of Ceylon there are many elephants, and they are more 

 generous and noble than thofe of other countries ; Voyage 

 a" Orient, du P. Philippe, p. 361. Recueildes voyages qui ont fer- 

 vi a I'etablifement de la Coinpagnie des bides de Holland. Les viy 

 ages de Tavernler^tom. 3. p. 237. 



