1903. ] ON THE COPULATION OF THE INDIAN ELEPHANT, iGl 
6. On the Mode of Copulation of the Indian Elephant. 
By H. Sxave, Conservator of Forests, Maymyo, Burma.* 
{Received December 15, 1902. ] 
Some few months ago I was, on several occasions, able to witness 
tame Elephants in the act of copulation, This sight has been so 
seldom witnessed by Europeans, and is so variously described by 
Burmans, that these remarks, supported by a series of photographs 
deposited with the Society, may be of interest and value. 
As tuskers are usually reputed to be shy of copulating before 
eye-witnesses, an account of the manner in which these photo- 
graphs were procured may be interesting. 
I was in camp at the time with one tusker and four female 
Elephants, which were being used regularly for transport purposes. 
From the time the tusker was reported to be seeking the company 
of the females he was never let loose to graze, but was kept tied 
up. I had promised the Burmese mahouts liberal rewards if they 
would assist me in procuring some “ snap-shots”; and one day last 
February one of them came to tell me the tusker was showing 
undoubted excitement ; he was reported to have been tugging at 
his chain and looking “nastily” at his keeper. There were, 
however, absolutely no signs of ‘‘ must” and no exudation of fluid 
from the hole in the temple. 
The tusker was said to have shown a preference for one of the 
females that had calved about 12 months previously. So I had 
her tethered*fore and aft in a small glade, and erected my camera 
quite in the open, about 10 yards off. Having focussed her and 
got everything ready, the tusker was quietly ridden up behind 
the female, and as the mahout slipped off, he slowly advanced 
towards her, However, this was evidently the wrong female, for 
on the approach of the tusker she showed most unmistakable 
signs of fear by persistently screaming and straining at her chain. 
The tusker was therefore secured, and this female marched off, 
whilst one of the others was caught and tied up in her place. 
The tusker was then again brought out, and immediately proceeded 
to mount the female. 
I had many opportunities of witnessing the operation, and the 
following is a general description :—'The female, when in season, 
remains perfectly still and quiet, merely signifying her sense of 
the tusker’s approach by moving her tail slightly to one side and 
gently shifting her hind feet a few inches further apart. The 
tusker creeps up behind the female and begins to show signs of 
sexual excitement. He then raises his head and lightly places 
his tusks on the female’s back, one on either side of her backbone, 
with his trunk lying along the dorsal ridge and reaching to her 
shoulder. In this position he remains a length of time, varying 
with his state of sexual excitement. From my observations I am 
convinced that when he has unrestricted access to females, and is 
1 Communicated by the SECRETARY. 
