ELEPHANTS 87 
herd, travel rapidly if they are frightened, but 
usually they saunter along, sleeping during the day 
and feeding at night. Their food consists chiefly 
of grasses, bamboo shoots, cocoanuts and the bark 
of some trees. Lone elephants and outcasts from 
the herd are dangerous animals and should be 
killed. 
There comes a period, known as “must,” when 
even the most reliable elephant becomes a danger- 
ous animal. Like the Malay he “sees red” and runs 
amok. A good elephant keeper can detect the mad- 
ness several days before it reaches the dangerous 
stage, and by securing the animal with hobbles, can 
prevent trouble. In the cheeks of the elephant are 
two small holes, called “errors,” and from these 
holes oozes a slight secretion. One of the keeper’s 
duties each day is to examine the holes and run a 
piece of straw into them. If there is an odor of 
musk about the straw when he pulls it out, it is an 
indication that the “must” period is coming. Some- 
times the keeper fails to make this test, and the 
elephant runs amok, killing people and leaving a 
trail of wreckage behind him. 
On one of my visits to Sydney with a consign- 
ment of animals for the Zodlogical Gardens, I found 
the entire crew of elephant keepers busy with the 
task of trying to control an animal that was in 
“must.” His keeper had failed to make the test, 
and the elephant had suddenly gone mad. Fortu- 
nately he was in his stall at the time. When I ar- 
