168 NATURAL HISTORY. 



by suction. If the Elephant wishes to drink, after drawing the 

 liquid into its trunk it inserts the end of the proboscis into its 

 mouth, and discharges the contents down its throat ; but if it 

 merely wishes to wash itself or play, it blows the contained 

 liquid from the trunk with great violence. Through the 

 trunk the curious trumpet-like voice of the Elephant is pro- 

 duced. At the extremity is a finger-like appendage, with which 

 it can pick up small objects. In order to sustain the muscles 

 of the jaw and neck the head must be very large : were it 

 solid it would be very heavy. The skull is therefore formed 

 of a number of cells of bone, forming the necessary expanse 

 without the weight, leaving but a very small cavity for the 

 brain. 



The Indian Elephant is almost invariably taken frcm its 

 native haunts and then trained. The Indian hunters proceed 

 into the woods with two trained female elephants. These 

 advance quietly, and by their blandishments so occupy the 

 attention of any unfortunate male that they meet, that the 

 hunters are enabled to tie his legs together and fasten him to 

 a tree. His treacherous companions now leave him to struggle 

 in impotent rage, until he is so subdued by hunger and fatigue 

 that the hunters can drive him home between their two tame 

 elephants. When once captured he is easily trained. Bribes 

 of sugar and arrack a kind of spirit, are 'the usual means of 

 inducing ai^ Elephant to attempt some new art or to labour 

 with particular assiduity. In its wild state it endeavours to 

 gratify its taste ibr sweets at the expense of the sugar plant- 

 ers. 



" The Elephant has a natural partiality for sugar, which he 

 finds abundant means to gratify in the plantations of sugar- 

 cane. A curious instance is recorded of his liking for sweet- 

 meats, and of a method adopted in his savage state to gratify 

 this propensity. It chanced that a Cooley, laden with jaggery, 

 which is a coarse preparation of sugar, was surprised in a 

 narrow pass in the kingdom of Candy by a wild elephant. 

 The poor fellow, intent upon saving his life, threw down the 

 burthen, which the elephant devoured, and being well pleased 

 with the repast, determined not to allow any person egress or 

 ingress who did not provide him with a similar banquet. 

 The pass formed one of the principal thoroughfares to the 



