174 



The Living Animals of the World 



than in the hotter, which would naturally lead one to suppose that the African elephant is 

 accustomed to eat coarser, harder food than the Asiatic species. This supposition is borne out 

 by fact ; for whilst the Asiatic ele}iliant feeds mainly upon grass, the leaves and fruit of the 

 wild plantain, and the young shoots of the bamboo, together with the leaves, twigs, and bark 

 of certain trees, the African species never eats grass, and, although \'ery fond of certain kinds 

 of soft and succulent food, such as wild fruits and the inner bark of certain trees, is constantly 

 engaged in chewing up the roots and branches of trees as thick as a man's wrist for the sake 

 of the sap and bark, the woody portions being rejected after having been reduced to pulp. The 

 Asiatic elephant appears to be far less tolerant of exposure to the heat of the sun than the 

 African ; and whilst the latter may often lie found standing at rest or sleeping throughout 

 the hottest hours of the day in long grass or scrubby bush of a height not sufficient to 

 afibrd any protection from the sun to the whole of the upper portion of the head and body, 

 the former, when in a wild state, is said to always seek the shade of the densest forests it can 

 find during hot weather. 



The Asiatic elephant often lies down when resting and sleeping. This is in marked 

 contrast to the African species, which, if it ever does lie down at all, except to roll in nrud or 

 ml) itself against an ant-heap, can only do so very rarely, since in all my experience, though I 

 have seen some thousands of African elephants standing sleeping during the heat of the day, 

 I have never yet seen one of these animals lying down, nor found the impress in the ground 

 where one had been so lying. 



When excited and charging, both species of elephant raise their heads and cock their ears, 

 which in the African animal stand out at such a time like two sails, and, being each upwards of 

 Sh feet in breadth, cover, together with tlie aninial's head, an expanse of fully 10 feet. The 

 Asiatic elephant is said to remain mute wliilst charging, and to hold its trunk tightly curled 

 up between its tusks. The African elephant, on the other hand, usually accomjmnies a charge 

 with a constant succession of short, sharp trumpeting screams. Sometimes, though rarely, 

 however, animals of this species remain mute whilst charging, but they never, I believe, coil 

 their trunks up under their tliroats. Often an African elephant will swing round for a charge 

 with a loud scream and trunk held high in the air; but in my experience, when settling 

 down to a chase, it drops its trunk and holds it pointing straight down in front of its chest. 



In the southern portions of the 

 Afiican Continent the average standing ^ - 



height at the shoulder of full-grown liull 

 elejihants ranges from 10 feet to 10 feet 

 G inches, though individuals liave doubtless 

 been met with in those districts which 

 have mucli exceeded these dimensions. In 

 North Central Africa the average standing 

 height appears to be some inches higher, 

 apjjroacliing 11 feet, and in tliose districts 

 it is quite possible that individuals exist 

 widch exceed 12 feet in height. African 

 cow elephants stand from 8 feet to 8 feet 

 6 inches at the shoulder. The Asiatic 

 species is considerably smaller than the 

 African, tlie average height of full-gi'own 

 males not exceeding 9 feet, though certain 

 individuals now and then attain to a much 

 greater size, as is indicated Ijy the fact 



that there is a mounted skeleton of an " 'n,,,,,,,, m. e.f. mm, i^.,. 

 Indian elephant in the Museum at Cal- ^iie chief of chiengmai's cakriage. 



CUtta which stands 11 feet 3 inches at the Tliia vicuna was ,Uu>vn l,y a yi,ung Imliun elephant. 



