1869.] DR. A. CAMPBELL ON THE INDIAN ELEPHANT. ° 137 
at a likely place outside the forest and near water, generally selected 
on intelligence of its being the haunt of wild Elephants, or by finding 
their fresh trail. 
From this you take out the koonkis, three or four together, and 
reconnoitre in all directions in the open places at early morning or 
in the afternoon; for the wild Elephants always keep to the heavy 
forest during the heat of the day, coming into the more open spots 
morning and evening only. When any of your parties have found 
a “khanja,”’ or herd, it singles out one and gives immediate chase, 
sometimes even with one koonki only, if you have no more in your 
“‘keda,” and when the quarry is a small one; but it is better to do 
so with two, and three are requisite to catch and master a large 
animal. The chase is kept up until one of the koonkis gets along- 
side the wild Elephant, the great object being to lay a koonki on 
either side of the wild one, as fast as possible. When alongside and 
he sees his opportunity, the ‘‘ phanait’’ (nooseman), who drives his 
Elephant and holds the open noose with both hands above his head, 
lets it fall over the wild one’s head and on the trunk, which in running 
is pendent tothe ground. Immediately the noose touches the trunk, 
the animal by an instinct which is fatal to its liberty coils it in- 
wards, and by this movement it passes at once under the neck. 
The lohattia who holds the coil of the lassoo immediately pulls upon 
it, and the koonki is kept close upon the wild one and pressing 
against it until another koonki comes on the opposite side and a 
second noose is delivered. When this is done both koonkis move off 
in opposite directions, and thus in a short time the wild Elephant is 
suffocated and stretched on the ground between them. This takes 
some time, however, when the noosed animal is a powerful one, as it 
sets off at speed and struggles long and violently before it is choked 
and down. As soon as it is, the running nooses are loosed to give 
the animal breath, and a stopper put on each to prevent their run- 
ning. The two koonkis again press on each side ; and by this means 
and one or two more pushing from behind, the captured animal is 
forcibly dragged away to the keda, where it is strongly picketed 
and starved into tameness. After a month or two it is quiet and 
tractable enough to be marched homewards, being in the mean- 
time led out frequently with koonkis, and gradually accustomed to 
a rider. 
During the first six months fresh Elephants become thin and 
weak-looking, and then begin to pick up again. During the first 
rainy season (or, rather, during August, September, and October of 
the first year) they are most liable to illness and death. The risk 
decreases the second season, and is not great in the third, after which 
they are considered “pucka,”’ 7. e. safe and acclimatized. 
There is no procuring any data by which to arrive at the rates of 
mortality of fresh Elephants. It seems to depend on circumstances 
quite unknown to the catchers (who suffer most from it), and is 
therefore always attributed to “kismut,” chance. Sometimes all 
the catchings of a season will die in one man’s hands; at other 
times he will have a succession of seasons without any losses. The 
