THE GREAT HERBIVORES 159 
purchases, and I was again able to satisfy him in this 
direction. 
My acquaintance with Bosco, however, was destined to be 
renewed, and that inan unexpected manner. One day, about 
two years later, I returned from a journey and was greeted 
with the joyful news that my favourite had returned from 
America, and was even now lodged in my own stables. It 
was already pretty late in the evening, but to me it was as 
though I was receiving a visit from an old friend, and, seizing 
some sandwiches as a welcome for my great pet, I hurried to 
the stables. In the menagerie it was nearly dark, and on 
reaching the door I shouted ‘‘ Hallo, Bosco,” and immediately 
a joyful cry rang out from the distance. As I came nearer 
Bosco began gurgling in his throat, after the manner of all his 
kind when anything pleases them very much. As soon as he 
could reach me he seized me by the arm, drew me close up to 
him, and licked me all over my face, all the time gurgling 
loudly. It was most touching to see the delight of the great 
quadruped at meeting his old master once more, and when it 
is remembered that the animal was only a few weeks in my 
possession—though, it is true, we were close friends during 
that time—this episode constitutes a convincing proof, I think, 
of the excellent memories possessed by these huge beings. 
The rapidity with which elephants can be trained is very 
remarkable. Once, many years ago now, I was asked by 
the director of a theatre in Breslau to supply him with a 
young elephant which had been trained for riding. The 
animal was to take part in an exhibition, and was to be de- 
livered in about a fortnight. Unfortunately I was just about 
to start upon a journey, which, of course, prevented me from 
beginning to train the young elephant; and as in those early 
days I was still proprietor, traveller, correspondent, and 
trainer all in one, the education of the beast could not be 
commenced until my return. 1 arrived home only two days 
before the expiry of my time limit. The first two hours of 
the training were exceedingly arduous, but after that time 
