po THE ELEPHANT. 



the following tcflimony of M. Marcel Bles, an, 



eye-witnefs, deferves full credit. 



* Having perceived that the Count de Buffon, 

 in his excellent work, is deceived with regard 

 to the copulation of the elephants, I know, that, 

 in feverals parts of Alia and Africa, theie ani- 

 mals, efpecially during the feafon of love, re- 

 main always in the moil: inaccefiible places of 

 the forefls ; but, in the iiland of Ceylon, where 

 I lived twelve years, the land beincr every where 

 inhabited, they cannot fo eafily conceal them- 

 felves ; and, having often examined them, I 

 perceived that the female organ is iituated near- 

 ly under the middle of the belly, which w r ould 

 lead us to think, with M. de Buffon, that the 

 males cannot cover the females in the manner 

 of other quadrupeds. However, there is only 

 a flight difference of fituation. When they in- 

 clined to copulate, I perceived that the female 

 bowed down her head and neck, and leaned 

 her two fore legs, which were alio bended, up- 

 on the root of a tree, as if fhe meant to pro- 

 ftrate herfelf on the ground ; and the two hind 

 legs remained erect, which gave the male an 

 opportunity of embracing her as other quadru- 

 peds do. I can likewife affirm, that the fe- 

 males go with young about nine months. 

 Moreover, the elephants never copulate, unlefs 

 when in a ftate of freedom. In the feafon of 

 love, the males are firongly chained for four 

 or five week?, during which time, they dif- 



* charre 



