Ixiii 



has received but little European supervision, he requires to b© 

 carefully tended, for he cannot be considered a hardy animal like 

 the mule or the ass. He is apt when neglected to suffer from sore 

 feet, and galls of various kinds, and is liable to several epizoo- 

 tics or rather panzootics, such as Anthrax, Foot and Mouth 

 Disease, and Variola. To the male there is the physiological 

 objection that he is liable to the periodical sexual furor knowa 

 as musthee. Thus elephants are no exception to the rule, as deter- , 

 mined from Abyssinian experience, that Transport animals re- 

 quire constant veterinary supervision, and there should be an 

 adequate veterinary establishment with each Division of Trans- 

 port. The amount of care required in the ordinary management 

 of these animals is not greater than should he given, to all those 

 other species on which the value of a Transport service depends. 

 The elephant, however, has hitherto not only shared in the general 

 neglect, but, through diffidence on the part of Europeans, due to 

 their ignorance of details of his management, has, both in health 

 and disease, been loft entirely in the hands of natives. I. V. S. 

 Oliphant in his valuable Report of Operations in the Kuram Vah 

 ley, pertinently says " The native driver or mahout appears to 

 reign pretty nearly supereme in the management of these useful 

 and valuable animals, and I think it a pity that means are not taken 

 by Europeans to attain more knowledge of their habits and dis- 

 eases." That elephants are incapacitated on service by sore feet 

 and sore backs is due to want of adequate, veterinary supervision of 

 transport-indeed, it may be said, to want of supervision by officers 

 of any kind, so few are posted to such an important duty. The 

 habits of the elephant are very simple, but strange to say are not 

 generally known, most popular ideas about him being sentimental 

 and fictitious. His mental and moral qualities are in the main such 

 as are suited to render him useful as a working anitnal — he is easy 

 to train (^especially by kindness), will readily repeat any work he 

 has been shown how to do, and seems in many cases to work with 

 a will — he is patient under labour and very tractable — indeed, if 

 we are to believe some people, he is a big, goodnatnred, pliable 

 fool ! He has very little courage, for although at times he will 

 fight well, against other elephants or tigers for instance, he is 

 somewhat deficient in pluck as a rule, bolts from the sound of fire 

 arms, and has been put to route even by such a small animal as 

 a dog. Indeed he objects to most small animals — dogs, pigs, 



