278 LIVING AND EXTINCT ELEPHANTS. 



Vatica, Pentaptera, Terminalia, Conoearpus, Casearia, Dal- 

 bergia, Cedrela, Buchannania, Semecarpus, Boswellia, Spondias, 

 Odina, Garruga, Cathartocarpus, Bauhinia, Butea, Erythrina, 

 Acacia, Robinia, Moringa, Kydia, Sterculia, Bombax, Grewia, 

 Murraya, Glycosmis, Citrus, Nauclea, Hymenodictyon, Ronde- 

 letia, Schrebera, Eugenia, Gareya, TJlmus, Gmelina, Premna, 

 Fmblica, Rottlera, Briedelia, Ehretia, Tetranthera, Gordia, 

 Wrightia, Holarrhena, Antidesma, Putranjiva, Trophis, Gochlo- 

 spermum, Batis, Diospyros, Bassia, Morus, Ficus, &c. 



But of the large number of species belonging to these 

 genera, a very small percentage only of the aggregate mass 

 of forms enters into the food of the Indian Elephant ; the 

 reason of this being, that some of the species, such as the 

 ' Sal ' ( Vatica robusta) and other predominating trees, which 

 extend for miles nearly to the exclusion of other trees, con- 

 tribute nothing to the aliment of the animal. In fact, the 

 range of his arboreous selection is restricted within a narrow 

 circle, and mainly to the foliage and branches of trees that 

 abound in milky juice which is not acrid, belonging to the 

 families of the Morece., Artocarpea?, and Sapotacea?, such as 

 species of Ficus, Batis, Artocarpus, Bassia, and Mimusops. 1 Of 

 these, by far the greater part of his staple food is derived 

 from the colossal fig-trees which abound in the forests of 

 India ; such as Ficus Indica, the ' Bur,' or Banyan-tree ; F. 

 religiosa, ' Peepul,' or ' Bodhi-drooma ' (Tree of knowledge) ; 

 F. venosa, ' Pilkhun ' ; F. cordifolia, ' Gujeena,' or ' Assoud '; 

 F. glomerata, ' Goolur ' ; F. Tsiela, ' Kuth-bur ' ; and in 

 Assam, Ficus elastica, or the 'India-rubber tree,' besides 

 other more southern species of similar habit and properties. 

 The strong partiality of the Elephant for these trees is so 

 well known to the natives, that the ' Obees,' or Pit-falls, for 

 entrapping the animal are invariably constructed in their 

 neighbourhood, and many of their old Sanscrit names con- 

 nect them specially with the Elephant. 2 He tears down their 

 branches, and crunches the twigs and leaves, stripping off 

 the lactiferous bark of the larger boughs. The Elephant of 

 the ' Sal' Forests also derives occasional food from the foliage 

 and fruit of Artocarpus LaJcoocha, ' Dhao ' ; Batis aurantiaca, 

 * Puneeala' ; Bassia latifolia, ' Muhowa ' ; and among others 

 from the fruit of Feronia Elephantum, ' Kuth-bel' ; Mgle 

 marmelos, 'Bael' ; Diospyros tomentosa, 'Teindoo ' ; and in the 

 Southern forests, from the huge induviated fruits of certain 

 species of Dillenia, &c. Of aliment derived from the roots of 



1 Also Mesua ferrea (Nat. Ord. J ' G-ujaslmn,' and ' Gujbhukshuk ' ; all 

 Clusiacea), on the authority of Tennent's being to the effect of ' food of Elephants.' 

 Nat. Hist, of Ceylon, p. 230. ( Vide Madden, Joiirn. Asiat. Soc. Beng., 



2 ' Nagbhundoo,' ' Koonjurashun ' ; [ vol. xvii. p. 380.) 



