230 ELEPHANTID^. 



presenting narrow transverse ridges ; 4 toes to the hind-feet ; ears mode- 

 rate ; tusks large in the male, small in the female. Compared with the 

 African elephant this species has much smaller ears. In the former the 

 head is more rounded ; the grinders present broad lozenge-shaped eminen- 

 ces on their crowns ; and they have usually only 3 toes on their hind 

 feet. The number of pairs of ribs is, 19 in the Indian elephant, and 21 

 in the African, and there are 33 caudal vertebse in the Indian, and 

 never more than 26 in the African. In some males only one tusk is 

 developed ; and in Ceylon many male elephants have the tusks very small. 



The elephant is still tolerably common in most of the large forests of 

 India, from the foot of the Himalayas to the extreme south. It is found 

 ,in the Terai from Bhotan to Dehra Doon, and the Kyarda Doon. It used 

 'not many years ago, to occur in the Eajmahal hills, and it abounds in 

 many parts of Central India, from Midnapore to Mimdla, and south nearly 

 to the Godavery. On the west coast it is abundant in many localities 

 from the extreme south, Travancore to north latitude 17 or 18 degrees, 

 all along the line of Western Ghats, more especially on the Animally 

 hiUs, named from that circumstance; in the Coimbetore hills, Wynaad, 

 the slopes of the Neelgherries, Coorg and parts of Mysore and Canara. 

 The Shervaroys and Colamallies, and other detached ranges to the east, 

 have occasionally small herds on them. It is numerous in Ceylon and 

 in Assam, southwards to the Malayan peninsula. 



Now and then considerable damage is done by wild elephants to various 

 crops, and a single male individual at times becomes savage, and kills any 

 one that comes in his way. Such individuals often occupy a line of road, 

 and rush out at aU passers by, and not unfrequently prevent the dak 

 runners from passing. As a general rule, however wild elephants are most 

 timorous, and shun the presence of man as carefully as deer do. Some 

 years ago large rewards were given by the Madras Government for ele- 

 phants being killed in the Malabar forests, and several sportsmen earned 

 considerable sums by shooting them, only however taking the Govern- 

 ment rewards for females, or young males, as the value of the tusks of 

 old males generally exceeded that of the Government reward. Two or 

 three of om- best sportsmen almost always succeeded in killing elephants 

 with a single shot, never firing till within a few yards. 



Elephants used to be captured by Government establishments, both in 

 the south of India near Coimbetore, and in the north at Dacca ; some 

 were taken in huge pit-falls dug for the purpose, and carefully concealed ; 



