ELEPHANTS. 301 



an elephant, in conjunction with, other beasts, being instrumental 

 in having a church built, as their clemency was considered 

 miraculous : " There is a park for lions, tigers, and other fierce 

 beasts, called Siparo, and 'tis a sad and daily sight to see criminals 

 devoured by them. There was a church founded there, in memory 

 of a miracle that happened to a Christian in the year 1572, who 

 was exposed to the lions, nest to the elephants, and thirdly, to 

 the tigers, the fiercest of the three, and came off from them all 

 safe and entire, none of the beasts would touch him ; he was 

 presented to the king (who gave him a pension during his life), 

 and inquiring who he was (he replied) he was a poor Christian 

 pilgrim, come out of France, with intention to visit the holy 

 sepulchre at Jerusalem ; that since he had travelled into Mount 

 Sinay, with the caravane, whence he, through devotion, came to 

 the town of St. Thomas, to visit the shrine of that glorious saint ; 

 there he was bidden to go to Caranganor, where that 'saint suffered 

 martyrdom ; and that then he had a curiosity to see the court of 

 that great monarch, so famous throughout the Indies, and was 

 not permitted to cross the river of Pegu without money (which 

 he was but slightly stored withall), but 'cast himself into the 

 water to swim it over, and being retaken, was condemned to the 

 beasts." 



Some French Jesuits obtained leave of the King of Pegu to 

 erect a church in memory of this Daniel of the sixteenth century 

 whom the animals would not touch. 



Arabs are said to be particularly fond of elephant's flesh, it being 

 described as juicy but extremely coarse, the foot and trunk being 

 excellent if properly cooked ; but in some parts of India, Mysore, 

 for instance, the lowest class of natives, who have no objection to 

 carrion, will not eat the flesh of the elephant. 



Elephants do not appear to breed readily when in cap- 

 tivity, and it is only within the last half -century that we hear 

 of young animals being reared by the various zoological societies, 

 or by menagerie owners. Even in India the birth of an elephant 

 in servitude was such a rare event, that it was spoken of as a 

 most exceptional occurrence when it happened. 



Elephants have always been singularly attractive animals to 



