THE ELEPHANT. 91 



c charge vaft quantities of femen, and are fo fu- 

 ' rious, that their cornacks or governours can- 

 6 not come near them without danger. The ap- 

 ' proach of the rutting feafon is eafily known ; 



* for, fome days before it happens, an oily liquor 

 ' flows from a fmall hole on each fide of the 



* head. The domeftic female, on thefe occa- 

 4 fions, fometimes makes her efcape, and joins 

 1 the wild males in the woods. Some days af- 



* terward, her cornack goes in queft of her, and 



* calls her by her name till me comes. She fub- 

 4 mits to him with complacence, and allows her- 



* felf to be conducted home, and ihut up in the 



* ftable. It was from cafes of this kind that it 

 ' was difcovered that the females bring forth a- 

 1 bout the end of nine months.' 



The firft remark with regard to the mode of 

 copulating, feems to be unqueflionable, fmce M. 

 Marcel Bles allures us, that he has feen the ele- 

 phants perform the operation. But, as to the 

 time of geftation, which he limits to nine months, 

 we ought to fufpend our judgment, becaufe all 

 travellers affirm, that the female elephant is 

 believed to go with young no lefs than two years. 



THE 



