174 THE TOWER MENAGERIE, 
a longing desire to regain their liberty. It is probably 
to some such circumstance as this that we are indebted 
for the erroneous idea so generally prevalent that these 
animals always sleep standing; whereas the truth is, 
that when perfectly at ease and reconciled to their fate, 
they lie down on their sides and sleep like other beasts. 
The purposes for which they are commonly employed 
are rather those of pomp, of luxury, and of ostentation, 
than of utility. As a means of warlike offence they have 
been, since the introduction of firearms, absolutely dis- 
used; and it is only as beasts of burden that they are 
turned. to any useful account. In this respect the ser- 
vices of a single Elephant are equal to those of five or 
six horses, as they will carry from fifteen to twenty hun- 
dred weight, and travel from forty to fifty miles a day. 
They generally consume a hundred weight and a half 
or two hundred weight of solid food, and thirty or forty 
gallons of fluid, in the course of the day. They are fond 
of wine, spirits, and other intoxicating articles, by the 
attraction of which they are frequently induced to exert 
their powers, and to perform various feats of dexterity, 
when all other methods have failed to render them traet- 
able. They become strongly attached to their keepers ; 
but, if irritated by ill usage, their hatred is as violent as 
their affection, and is carefully stored up until a favour- 
able opportunity occurs, when they seldom fail to remem- 
ber an insult or an injury, even at very distant periods 
of time. 
With regard to their sagacity much has been written, 
and many exaggerated and many incredible stories have 
been told; but it would appear that those who have 
attributed to the Elephant a degree of intelligence 
