442 



THE PHILOSOPHY 



cultivated fields, the elephants affemble in troops. The oldeft takes 

 the lead; the next in feniority brings up the rear; and the young 

 and the feeble occupy the center. In the forefts and folitudes they 

 move with lefs precaution ; but never feparate fo far afunder as to 

 render them incapable of affording each other mutual affiftance when 

 danger approaches. A troop of elephants conftitutes a moft; formi- 

 dable band. Wherever they march, the foreft feems to fall before 

 them. They bear down the branches upon which they feed; and, 

 if they enter an inclofure, they foon deftroy all the labours of the 

 hufbandman. Their invafions are the more tremendous, as there is 

 hardly any means of repelling them ; for, to attack a troop, when 

 thus united, would require a little army. It is only when one or 

 two elephants happen to linger behind the reft, that the hunters dare 

 exert their art and ingenuity in making an attack; for any at- 

 tempt to dlfturb the troop would certainly prove fatal to the affail- 

 ants. When an Infult is offered, the elephants inftantly move for- 

 ward againft the offender, tofs him in the air with their tufks, and 

 afterwards trample him to pieces under their feet, or rather pillars 

 of flefh and bone. Let not the charader of this noble and majeftic 

 animal, however, be mifreprefented. With force and dignity he re- 

 fents every affront ; but, when not difturbed by petulance or adlual 

 injury, he never ftiows an hoftile intention either againft man or 

 any other animal. Elephants live entirely on vegetables, and have 

 no thirft for blood. Stch is their focial and generous difpofition, 

 that, when an individual chances to meet with a luxurious fpot of 

 pafture, he immediately calls to his companions, and invites them to 

 partake of his good fortune. 



The elephant poffeffes all the fenfes in perfedion : But, in the 

 fenfe of touching, he excells all the brute creation. His trunk is the 

 chief inftrument of this fenfe. In an elephant of fourteen feet high, 

 the trunk is about eight feet long, and five feet and an half in cir- 

 cumference 



