ELEPHANTS. 261 



throne formed of gold, ivory, and cedar wood, adorned with 

 precious stones ; the whole being of snch marvellous beauty and 

 such imposing majesty that to die and not have seen it was con- 

 sidered a misfortune. He also used ivory for another of his 

 masterpieces, the colossal statue of Minerva in the Parthenon at 

 Athens, which was forty feet high. In fact, the world has never 

 lost its admiration for ivory, and even at the present day, exactly 

 as it was of old, objects made of this material or carved in it by 

 the cunning workers of the East are among the most treasured 

 possessions of the wealthy or the lovers of the beautiful. Alas ! that 

 it should be the cause of the recklessand cruel slaughter of such noble 

 beasts as elephants. Still more is this fact to be deplored when it is 

 remembered that ivory, beautiful as it undoubtedly is, can neverthe- 

 less easily be dispensed with for it is a luxury and not a necessity. 

 Certainly the cruel massacre of so grand an animal for so trumpery 

 a possession can only truthfully be described as an act bordering on 

 the fiendish, and its encouragement in this the nineteenth century 

 as a blot on civilization. 



The skin of the elephant is very thick and of a dirty or dark- 

 brown colour, and nearly destitute of hair, the small tail, however, 

 which does not generally reach to the ground, and when it does 

 is considered in India a great beauty, has a tuft of coarse bristles 

 at the end. The skin is very tender, and when wounded heals 

 very slowly, often ulcerating, and in the case of domesticated 

 animals incapacitating them for work for months at a time. As 

 the back is an especially tender part, great care has to be taken 

 in harnessing them, or in placing the howdah in position, con- 

 sequently cushions of hair or other soft material are used to guard 

 against friction or injury. Although the hide is very thick, yet 

 the pores being so large, flies of all sorts can suck blood through 

 them, and in this manner are a constant source of annoyance to 

 the animals. It is to get rid of these pests that elephants so 

 frequently squirt dust over their backs or delight in covering them- 

 selves with mud, and when these methods are not available and trees 

 are near, will break down branches, which, being swung backwards 

 and forwards by the trunk, give them some temporary rehef. 



Elephants possess a delicate sense of hearing and a remarkably 



