xxxr 



many a caso of sickness and snbseqnont loss by death. Bengali 

 Jilahouts are very fond of giving Dlmll or jlieel grass to tlieii- 

 charcres because it can be obtained easily— but it is at least 80 

 per cent, mud and water combined, and " constantly purges the 

 elephants and when fed solely on it they dwindle away to half 

 their proper size. For grazing purposes, however, it is not so 

 bad, as elephants if left to themselves will eat the clean tips of 

 the Dhull, thoroughly washing them beforehand. The good 

 effects, . if any, are frequently more than counterbalanced by the 

 myriads of leeches that infest the jheols where the dhuU grows. 

 These adhere to the elephants when they are standing in the 

 water grazing, and bleed them copiously". 



Paddy stra\¥, Rhagi grass (Bajree or Natchenee), Cholum or 

 Kadhy straw, and other grass crops are also used as fodder for 

 the elephant, the total amount of which should at least equal 

 450 lbs. Banian, plantain, sumul, pakur, teak, dahn, amrah, 

 purme, nurkut, bans, kurean, ocree, numdwa, and tawar are also 

 useful in elephant feeding and recommended by Slynim. Practi- 

 cally, most green stuffs, grasses and leafy branches, are accept- 

 able to the elephant and can be utilized by him as food— much 

 must be left to his judgment in selection on the emergencies of 

 the march and when the Commissariat Stores run short on a 

 Campaign. The latter emergency is liable to affect elephants 

 specially of all the animals belonging to an army. In peace 

 they are with difficulty sufficiently supplied with fodder but 

 in war the largeness of their food requirements militates very 

 seriously against their use. The first elephants captured by the 

 Eomans from their enemies were killed because the Eepnblic 

 was too poor to keep them ! 



Slymm reminds us that in letting elephants loose to graze in 

 the jungle we should take care to give them such a direction as 

 to enable them to find good suitable fodder, shackling them well 

 [with a double loop of cane put round both forefeet and lashed iu 

 the centre between the legs, known as the Andoo (J. II. S.)], 

 lest they roam too far from camp, from which cause they are apt 



Wkather Diet — Clidi-ra most siiitahle for Bengal and Assam. 



Cold — Tarra, bamboo, pcepul, burgot, lahkur, pabkur, jungly burgot, 

 jungly fllioomur, dlioodea, and sugar-cane. 



Hot — Plantain trees, jungle trees, ghoolur; \ of bamboo, pecpul.or lakhur. 



Kainy — Kussaylab grass, kutra grass, plantains (a few), pecpul, burgot, 

 and bamboo a proportion (Hood). 



