XXIT 



ed to the Elephant Establishment at Matura which the records 

 proved to have served under the Dutch during the entire period 

 of their occupation extending to upwards of one hundred and 

 forty years, and it was said to have been found in thei stables by 

 the Dutch on the expulsion of the Portuguese in 1 656." 



The many curious ideas concerning what become of elephants that 

 die natiirally are noticed by Sanderson:— (1) The Cingalese say 

 they retire to an universal sepulchre ; (2) Others say that jungle 

 fires bum their bones ; (3) Others affirm that >hey sink into the 

 beds of morasses ; (4) Sanderson concludes that only five per cent, 

 die annually and that we do not know what becomes of their 

 remains ; certainly but few bones are found in the jungle. However 

 Wallace observed many in Java, as mentioned by him in his 

 "Malay Archipelago." Considering the low rate of mortaliry 

 under ordinary circumstances, the unexplored nature of their 

 habitat, the liability of their carcases to be devoured by jackals, 

 hyaenas, and other bone destroying carnivoi"a, we hardly believe 

 that this matter is so mysterious as has been supposed. When 

 an animal falls sick he is expelled from the herd — a wise provi- 

 sion of nature against the spread of epizootics. 



The injlwnces at work tending to reduce the numher of elephants 

 are : — 



I. 'J'he limiting of his range by destruction of forests, &c. 



II. The influence of man — 



(1) Capturing him for domestication. 



(2) Hunting him either for sport or in defence of crops. 



(3) Destroying him for the sake of ivory. 



HI- The straits to which he is put by accidents, droughts, 

 famines, and epizootics. 



IV. The fact of the elephant being uniparous (very seldom bear- 



ing twins), and having a long period of uterogestation. 



V. The fact that elephants seldom breed in captivity. 



For economic reasons, and not through "a noble reluctance 

 on the part of the proud animals to generate fresh slaves for men" 

 as has been supposed, elephants are captured rather than bred. 

 Twenty-five years would be rather a long period to have to keep 

 so voracious and expensive an animal as an elephant before he 

 attained his full working value and the cows would require 

 special care during the long period of pregnancy — again, it is 



