Cuar. V.] THE ELEPHANT. 171 
corral, collecting the elephants, maintaining the cordon 
of watch-fires and watchers, and conducting all the 
laborious operations of the capture. Since the abolition 
of Raja-kariya, however, no difficulty has been found in 
obtaining the voluntary co-operation of the natives on 
these exciting occasions. The government defrays the 
expense of that portion of the preparations which in- 
volves actual cost, — for the skilled labour expended in 
the erection of the corral and its appurtenances, and the 
providing of spears, ropes, arms, flutes, drums, gun- 
powder, and other necessaries for the occasion. 
The period of the year selected is that which least 
interferes with the cultivation of the rice-lands (in the 
interval between seed time and harvest), and the people 
themselves, in addition to the excitement and enjoyment 
of the sport, have a personal interest in reducing the 
number of elephants, which inflict serious injury on 
their gardens and growing crops. For a similar réason 
the priests encourage the practice, because the elephants 
destroy their sacred Bo-trees, of the leaves of which they 
are passionately fond; besides which it promotes the 
facility for obtaining elephants for the processions of the 
temples: and the Rata-mahat-mayas and headmen have 
a pride in exhibiting the number of retainers who follow 
them to the field, and the performances of the tame 
elephants which they lend for the business of the corral. 
Thus vast numbers of the peasantry are voluntarily oc- 
cupied for many weeks in putting up the stockades, cut- 
ting paths through the jungle, and relieving the beaters 
who are engaged in surrounding and driving in the 
elephants. 
In selecting the scene for the hunt a position is chosen 
which lies on some old and frequented route of the ani- 
