214 MAMMALIA. [Cuap. VII. 
elapse before an elephant will allow his feet to be 
touched without indications of alarm and anger. 
The observation has been frequently made that the 
elephants most vicious and troublesome to tame, and 
the most worthless when tamed, are those distinguished 
by a thin trunk and flabby pendulous ears. The period 
of tuition does not appear to be influenced by the size 
or strength of the animals: some of the smallest give 
the greatest amount of trouble; whereas, in the in- 
stance of the two largest that have been taken in 
Ceylon within the last thirty years, both were docile 
in a remarkable degree. One in particular, which was 
caught and trained by Mr. Cripps, when Government 
agent, in the Seven Korles, fed from the hand the first 
night it was secured, and in a very few days evinced 
pleasure on being patted on the head.! There is 
none so obstinate, not even a rogue, that may not, 
when kindly and patiently treated, be conciliated and 
reconciled. 
The males are generally more unmaneagable than the 
females, and in both an inclination to lie down to rest 
is regarded as a favourable symptom of approaching 
tractability, some of the most resolute having been 
known to stand for months together, even during sleep. 
Those which are the most obstinate and violent at first 
1 This was the largest elephant attendant decoys. He, on one oc- 
that had been tamed in Ceylon; 
he measured upwards of nine feet 
at the shoulders and belonged to 
the caste so highly prized for the 
temples. He was gentle after his 
first capture, but his removal from 
the corral tothestables, though only 
a distance of six miles, was a matter 
of the extremest difficulty; his 
extraordinary strength rendering 
him more than a match for the 
casion, escaped, but way recaptured 
in the forest; and he afterwards 
became so docile as to perform a 
variety of tricks, He was at length 
ordered to be removed to Colombo; 
but such was his terror on ap- 
proaching the fort, that on coaxing 
him to enter the gate, he became 
paralysed in the extraordinary way 
elsewhere alluded to, and died on 
the spot, 
