188 IVORY AND THE ELEPHANT 



memorate the valour of a Danish Crusader, who, in 1189, had 

 slain an elephant of the Saracen hosts with which the Cru- 

 saders were fighting. 



The Siamese order of the White Elephant is of quite 

 recent institution, having been founded in 1861. The insig- 

 nia consists of a plaque or medal of gold enamel, with the 

 figure of an elephant in the centre. The order is worn 

 suspended from a red band or scarf, on either edge of which 

 are three stripes, the two inner ones narrow and of blue 

 and yellow, respectively, while the outer ones are broad 

 green stripes. This certainly offers a feast of colour suffi- 

 ciently rich to satisfy any Oriental taste. 



The state of semi-insanity through which many male 

 elephants pass during a period of the year has been directly 

 connected by some with a painful swelling of the glands just 

 above the eyes, accompanied by a discharge. This, al- 

 though perhaps a certain source of irritation in itself, is not 

 the real cause of the trouble, but merely one of its symptoms. 

 Just as the elephant becomes *'must" as is popularly said, 

 so do adult male elk, or round-horned deer of many kinds, 

 develop similar excitement and viciousness at a certain 

 season of the year.* 



One of the largest elephants ever brought to the United 

 States from Africa was received by the Cincinnati Zo- 

 ological Company in 1875, when the animal was eighteen 

 years old. His height was 9 ft. 11 in., and his weight 

 4J tons, but his tusks were not especially fine ones, for they 

 measured only 3 ft. in length with a base diameter of 

 4 in. The proud name "Conqueror" was bestowed 

 upon this elephant. Large as he was he fell far short of 

 equalling the mighty Jumbo in size, for the latter could 

 boast of a height of 11 ft. 10 in., and weighed 5 J tons. 

 When the famous showman Barnum bought him for $10,000, 



♦Communicated by Director W. T. Hornaday, of the New York Zoological Park. 



