158 
THE picture on this page is from an in- 
stantaneous photograph by Mr. 
N. Lazarnick, of New York, and 
shows an elephant walking on 
its hind legs. This is said to be the only 
elephant that can do this. It is a litle 
difficult to see what object is achieved by 
such a feat as this; an elephant may be 
one of the most 
intelligent animals, 
but the fact that it 
can stand or walk 
on its hind legs does 
not prove or dis- 
prove anything, and 
it is not likely to 
be of any particular 
service to anyone. 
Moreover, it 
probably has the dis- 
advantage of being 
very uncomfortable 
to the elephant that 
does it. 
Do 
WHILE on the sub- 
ject of elephants, a 
very interesting 
“occurrence, as the 
‘authorities term 1t, 
has lately taken 
place at the Zoo- 
logical Gardens. 
This was the birth 
of an elephant calf, 
though unfor- 
tunately it was born 
dead. The dam, an 
Indian elephant 
belonging to Mr. 
Sanger of circus 
fame, had been 
deposited at the 
A Stillborn Gardens for over a year in 
Elephant at anticipation of the event which 
Ecos etool place on the last day of 
August. Much interest was taken in the 
animal, as it was the first time a captive 
elephant had been known to breed in Regents 
Park, and had the calf lived, some useful 
information might have been obtaimed with 
From 
America. 
2S 
A PERFORMING ELEPHANT. 
The only one that can walk on its hind legs. 
Animal Life 
regard to the up-bringing of these huge 
mammals. When taken to the Society's 
mortuary the calf, a female, was measured, 
and it was found that from the tip of the 
tail to the end of the trunk she was 95 inches 
long, the trunk itself being about 21 inches. 
The height at the shoulders was 35 inches. 
The molars of the lower jaw could be felt 
beneath the gum 
but not seen. No 
record was taken of 
her weight, but of 
one born in Phila- 
delphia over twenty 
years ago it is said 
the scale was turned 
ab 215) lb. 
V7) 
four photo- 
graphs on 
the next 
page repre- 
»ent the rare and 
interesting bird 
known as Baleniceps 
rex, commonly called 
the Whale-headed 
or Shoe-billed Stork, 
(in Arabic, Aw mar- 
kub, “father of a 
shoe”); they were 
taken by Mr. W. L. 
THE 
Rara 
Avis. 
Loat from a live 
specimen brought 
down from the Bahr- 
el-Ghazel, about 250 
miles south-west of 
Fashoda, in April of 
the present year. 
This bird, with two 
others from the same 
district, is at present 
living in the Zoo- 
logical Gardens at Cairo. ‘The general 
colouration is a dull grey, the flight feathers 
and the centre portion of those of the back 
being dark bluish grey, the irides pale golden, 
and the bill a dull leaden colour. The 
feathers of the head ave very soft in texture 
and formed into a little curled tuft at the 
back, which comes out very well in one of 
aE. 
