170 WILD NEIGHBORS CHAP. 
The elephant has been called by many students 
of his character the most intelligent of all beasts. 
Whether he is entitled to this distinction is a ques- 
tion still undecided, but it is to my mind an evi- 
dence of high intelligence on their part that they 
are reluctant to practise stage-tricks which must 
seem to any self-respecting animal in the highest 
degree foolish. That elephants have a very keen 
sense of dignity and propriety is plain. They are 
influenced by kindness, susceptible of insult and 
ridicule, and remember for a long time an injury, 
seeking steadily a safe opportunity to avenge it 
upon the person who did them the harm. They 
take great pride in their trappings and proficiency 
and are jealous of rivals. This feeling an intelli- 
gent trainer will take advantage of. 
African elephants, by the way, are said to show 
little aptitude for tricks; but this may be a false 
observation due to the fact that very few African 
elephants have been available for experiment, in 
modern times, at least. Probably the tamed and 
trained elephants of ancient times were mainly of 
the African species. 
The first of the elephant’s lessons is to stay in 
the ring and walk around it without running away. 
Some elephants show early that they never can be 
persuaded not to bolt, whereupon their schooling 
is abandoned; and all are prone to stop their 
tricks abruptly and go out—no doubt in disgust 
at the uselessness of it all, 
