158 THE ELEFHAISTT. 



kept at Loo they were perfectly tame, and were suf- 

 fered to range at liberty. They would sometimeg 

 even come into the room dt the dinner hour, and 

 take food from the company. After the conquest 

 of Flolland, from the crueky with which they were 

 treated by many of the spectators who crowded to 

 visit them, they lost much of their gentleness ; and 

 their subsequent confinement in the cages in which 

 they were conveyed to Paris, has even rendered them 

 in some degree ferocious towards spectators. They 

 are not suffered to range at liberty ; but are kept in 

 an inclosure sufficiently large to allow them some 

 exercise. This contains their den, and a pond, in 

 which during summer they often wash themselves *. 

 The Elephant, it is said, is even able to write 

 with a pen. "^ I have myself seen (says ^Elian) an 

 Elephant write Latin characters on a board in a very 

 orderly manner, his keeper only shewing him the 

 figure of each letter -j^." 



Dr. Darwin tells us, that he was informed by a 

 gentleman of veracity, that, in some parts of the 

 East, the Elephant is taught to walk on a narrow 

 path between two pit-falls, which are covered with 

 turf; and then to go into the v%^oods, and seduce the 

 wild Elephants to come that way, who fall into 

 these wells, whilst lie passes safe between them. 

 The same gentleman says also that it was univer- 

 sally observed, that such wild Elephants as had 



* La Menagerie du Miiscim National dTIistoire Naturelle. 

 t Opera Claudii .Eliani, cuia Con. Gcsueri. 



