178 



The Living Animals of the World 



ground, had stamped him into a bloody pulp with his huge feet. A waggon was brought 

 the same night, and the mangled body carried to the hunter's camp on the banks of the 

 Eamokweljani, where it was liuried. 



The strength of the elephant is proverbial; and in India and Bm-ma, where this animal 

 has for ages past been ti-ained in the service of man, this pjower is habitually made use of 

 in moving and stacking large liaulks of timber, or in dragging heavy guns through muddy 

 ground or up steep ascents. In Africa the traveller is often astonished at the size of trees 

 which ha\'e been uprooted and overturned by elephants. These trees, however, have no tap- 

 root, and have not therefore a very firm hold in the ground, especially during the rainy 

 season, when the ground is soft. At this time of year large trees are butted down by 

 elephants, which })ush against their stems with the thick part of their trunks, and get them 

 on the swing, until the roots become loosened and the trees are at last overturned. Small 

 trees of 2 or 3 inches in diameter, as well as branches, they break off with their trunks. In 

 1878 a tuskless bull elephant — I met the same animal again in 1885, and he is the only 

 African bull elephant without tusks I have ever seen — killed a native hunter in Mashonaland. 

 This man, a big powerful Zulu and a great friend of my own, was torn into three pjieces. 

 I imagine that, after having caught him, the elephant held the unfortunate man down with 

 his foot or knee, and then, twisting his trunk round his liody, tore him asunder — surely a 

 terrible exhibition of strength. 



The elephant is a very slow-growing and long-lived animal, not arriving at maturity until 



upwards of thirty years of age ; and since cases are on record of elephants having lived for 

 upwards of 130 years in captivity in India, it is probable that in a wild state these animals, 



both in Asia and Africa, often attain to an age of 150 years. The female elephant produces, 



as a rule, but one calf at birth, the period of gestation lasting from eighteen to nearly 



twenty-two months. The mamma:' of the cow elephant are placed between the fore legs, and 



the new-born calf sucks with its mouth, holding its trunk turned back over its head. I have 

 seen elej^hant calves so engaged. 



Although there is no reason to doubt that the African elephant is as intelligent as the 



Asiatic species, its domestication has ne\'er been attempted by the Negro or Bantu races of 



Africa. It is believed, however, that the 



African elephant was in ancient times 



domesticated by tlie Carthaginians, and used 



by them in their wars with the Komans. 



The opinion, too, is generally held that the 



elephants with which Hannibal crossed the 



Alp»s were of the African species, as well as 



those which, after the conquest of Carthage, 



were used in the Roman amphitheatres and 



military pageants. On the other hand, it is 



well to remember that the late Mr. W. ('otton 



Oswell, who had had great experience both 



with African and Asiatic elephants, wrote as 



follows on this subject: "I believe some 



people suppose the Carthaginians tamed and 



used the African elephant ; they could hardly 



have had mahouts Indian fashion, for there is 



no marked dei)ression in the nape of the neck 



for a seat, and the hemming of the ears when 



erected would have half smothered them. My 



knowledge does not allow me to raise any 



argument on this point; but might not the 



same market have been open to the dwellers 



riiiilo by J. W. Jlclclhiii] 



AllltCAN ELEPHANT. 



{llnjUIn 



Tlie dilferencc in prnfilo IjuUveen this .and the Indian species is noticoablu. 

 'i'tie forehead is receding and the ears nincli largei' in the African species. 



