MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 151 



The temporary absence of all the large monkeys was promptly t^ken 

 alvautage of by the younger and weaker ones, who tried to separate small 

 parlies, of females from the general herd, and get them away to some other 

 grove of trees. Probably the bigger ones, when they had settled their 

 account with the rajah, would find out these little parties, and having chased 

 away their younger brethren, would take possession o£ the not unwilling females 

 until they, in their turn, were ousted by some bigger and stronger lungoor. 

 Judging from appearances, I should say that the rajah would not allow him- 

 self to be disposed of without a fierce fight, which probably left those 

 engaged in it very sorry for themselves, and until they had fully recovered 

 their strength they would not be in a condition or have the wish to fight for 

 another's harem. In the end that monkey who had suffered least in the fight 

 and who was the biggest and strongest, would collect from the others their 

 respective flocks until he became master of an immense crowd of unwilling 

 bachelors. These in time would be unwilling to bear the sight of their 

 victorious brother, and as soon as they were strong enough would combine 

 to drive him away as I have described. The intense fear they have of the 

 rajah shows that when he catches them singly he is utterly merciless and 

 probably in escaping from him they, or their friend?, have suffered so in body 

 or mind as to make them very apprehensive of being caught. The natives 

 have an idea that when the rajah or any other male monkey catches another 

 poaching on his preserves he renders him powerless for the future. Whether 

 this be true or not I do not know. Another thing I should like to find out is 

 •what becomes of the dead monkeys, as I have never yet met any one who 

 came across the corpse or skeleton of one. The natives say that when a 

 monkey, with the instinct of a wild animal, feels that his end is coming he 

 gets into the fork of a tree and clasps the trunk, dying in that position, but 

 I have never heard this assertion either confirmed or contradicted. It may 

 be true, but one would think that vultures and other carrion birds would be 

 attracted by bodies so placed, and would pull them out of the fork of the 

 tree, when they would naturally fall to the ground, and other wild animals 

 would eat what the birds had left, excepting the skulls and larger bones ; but, 

 so far as I know, these have never been found. Apparently the numbers of 

 monkey neither increase nor decrease ; younger ones are always being carried 

 about by their mothers, but what becomes of the dead ones I do not know. 



J. F, G. 

 (TAe above appeared in the " Field.") 



No. X.— SOME NOTES ON THE INDIAN ELEPHANT, 

 During ten years' residence in Burma I had many opportunities of close- 

 ly observing elephants, both in a tame and wild state. During that period 

 I had from two to ten elephants under my immediate charge. For siz. 



