XXI 



in a district they are apt "to desert it often even for ycarw. How- 

 ever they are not readily driven from a good feedinjj grOHtid— 

 they especially enjoy young sugar cane and completely devastate 

 the crops of natives, for whoso spears and arrows they care but 

 little. It has been observed that the Malayan elephant wandem 

 over a great tract of country, annually seeking the sea for it« 

 salt licks in hot weather and the mountains in the rainy xeason, 

 spending a few hours in each paddy field on the route ; Bometimea 

 solitary elephants, " Rogues," remain where they find good quar- 

 ters and become the terror and scourge of the district (Yoang 

 Shikarry). The rifle drives them 30 or 40 miles off, and if 3 or 4 

 dead elephants lie about fresh herds fight shy of the place. 



Although all elephants become shy on the approach of man, it 

 has been found that the races differ much in tractability, those of 

 Northern India are timid, but those of Southern India are savage 

 and plucky in attack. The track of the Bull's fore foot is larger 

 and rounder than that of the cow ; females are preferred for cap- 

 ture both because they are the more tractable and also because 

 they are not liable to run musth {vids infra). Since females 

 only are used in the public service, the males captured are sold 

 by the Keddahs to native pi-inces by whom they are preferred as 

 being larger, prouder, and more imposing than females. 



Male elephants in Southern India sometimes attain 9 feet 10 

 inches "in height (7j — 8 feet being the medium). Twice roozid 

 the fore foot gives the shoulder height to within a few iaclies : 

 taken at the shoulder, the females seldom exceed 8 feet. The 

 East India Company fixed their standard at 7 feet and apwaids in 

 height taken at the shoulder, and the New Commissariat Codt* 

 adopts the same standard " to be taken as with a horse," The 

 native method of measuring is by throwing a j\>pe over them imtil 

 it touches the ground on either side, llalf the total lengtli <\f 

 the rope from ground to ground is taken as the height, a raanifesl 

 inaccuracy which accounts for appui-ently osaggei-ated stateawftts 

 as to gigantic elephants (vide Indian Sporting Beviow, OctolKT 

 1857). Very much misconception exists with regsml to »h* 

 size of elephants, which has been much oxnggorutod by authow 

 of works on travels and fiction. The elophtuit ohU at birth Ui 

 about 3 feet at the shoulder and weighs 200 lbs. A hu-jjx^ watxw 

 elephant weighs 6,000— 7,000 lbs. (3-3 J tons) j Sir G»W \Vv>l. 



