THE ELEPHANT. 125 



only employs his natural motions, but even the 

 resources of his intellio:ence, to rid hunself of themi- 

 He strikes them with his tail, his ears, and his 

 trunk. He contracts his skin, and crushes them 

 between its wrinkles. He drives them off with 

 branches of trees, or bundles of long straw. When 

 all these artifices are unsuccessful, he collects dust 

 with his trunkj and covers all the more tender parts 

 of his skin with it. He has been observed dustino- 

 himself in this manner several times in a day ; and 

 always at the most proper season, namcl}"^ after 

 bathing *. 



The disposition of these animals Is gentle, and their 

 manners social, for they are seldom seen wandering; 

 alone. They generally march in troops, the oldest- 

 keeping foremost, and the next in age bringing 

 up the rear. The young and the feeble occupy 

 the middle. The mothers carry their young firmly 

 embraced in their trunks. They do nor, however, 

 observe this order, except in perilous marches, 

 when they want to pasture on cultivated fields. In 

 the deserts and forests, they ti-avel with less pre- 

 caution, but without separating so far as to exceed 

 the possibility of receiving assistance from one 

 another. 



The wild Elephants of Ceylon live in troops or 

 families, distinct and separate from all others, and 

 seem to avoid the strange herds with parlicuhu" care. 

 When a family removes from place to place, the 

 largest-tusked males put themselves at the Jiead ; 



• BulT. Quad. 



