ELEPHANTS, HISTORICAL 



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cled and brought into contrast with the courage exhibited 

 by war elephants in charging upon the serried ranks of an 

 enemy force. Of the kindly consideration shown by some 

 wild elephants to wandering travellers, it is gravely stated 

 that one of these animals would thoughtfully step out of a 

 woodland path should he espy therein a traveller who had 



Woodcut Illustration of an Elephant 

 — From Edward Topsell's "The History of Four-footed Beasts," London, 

 1658. 



lost his way, lest the man should be terrified by the sudden 

 appearance of the monstrous animal. The fancied religious 

 sentiment of elephants, exhibited by the raising and waving of 

 their tusks at certain times, is also recited, and Bartolomseus 

 had read that the elephants trained at the courts of Orien- 

 tal potentates had been taught to recognize the sovereign 

 and do reverence to him by bending down on their knees. 

 This at least proves that our author possessed better sources 

 of information than some old writers, who propagated the 



