2 BIG-GAME SHOOTING IN UPPER BURMA 



well plastered with mud, he presents a greyish 

 brown or reddish appearance, according to the 

 nature of the soil with which he has dusted 

 himself. The age of an elephant can only be 

 told approximately, by his general appearance. 

 An old elephant is usually rather gaunt, the 

 temple is much sunken, the upper edges of the 

 ears are well turned over, and the lower edges 

 are torn by the continual flapping of the ears. 

 But an elephant in its prime as regards age may 

 present an emaciated appearance due to illness, 

 old wounds, &c, and the ears in this case can 

 alone be relied on to give an indication of the 

 animal's age. Elephants in a wild state live to 

 an immense age, a hundred and fifty years or 

 more. Authenticated cases of domesticated ele- 

 phants over a hundred years of age in full work 

 and vigour are on record, and these elephants 

 would probably live for another fifty years, if 

 lightly worked, before signs of decay appeared. 

 Assuming that in the wild state animals live at 

 least half as long again as they do in captivity, 

 under unnatural conditions which must greatly 

 shorten their lives, I think we are fully justified 

 in putting the normal life of a wild elephant 

 down as between one hundred and fifty and 

 two hundred years. There must, indeed, be 

 elephants which have roamed the jungle for con- 

 siderably longer periods. As to height, a full- 

 grown male averages about 9 ft. at the shoulder, 

 females a foot less. Anything over 9 ft. is 



