OUR FOUR-FOOTED NEIGHBORS. 327 



accord and pushed him backward with her head till she 

 made him unwind himself again, when the rope was hauled 

 tight and made fast. More than once, when a wild one 

 was extending his trunk, and would have intercepted the 

 rope about to be placed over his leg, Siribeddi, by a sudden 

 motion of her own trunk, pushed his aside and prevented 

 him ; and on one occasion, when successive efforts had 

 failed to put the noose over the leg of an elephant which 

 was already secured by one foot, but which wisely put the 

 other to the ground as often as it was attempted to pass 

 the noose under it, the decoy watched her opportunity, 

 and, when his foot was again raised, suddenly pushed in 

 her own leg underneath it and held it up till the noose 

 was attached and drawn tight. 



15. Now, I do not know where you can find such an 

 exhibition of skill as this in any other animal. Of course, 

 the elephants have been trained, in some degree, by their 

 drivers ; but all accounts agree that the chief skill is shown 

 by the animals themselves. They set their brains at work, 

 in order to outwit the brains of the wild elephants. They 

 observe what is needed, and act promptly for themselves, 

 without orders. Think of that great creature, with his 

 heavy foot pushing the rope quickly from the trunk of the 

 other elephant, for fear he should break it in two. Horses 

 and dogs can be trained to do very difficult things, but 

 they do nothing which requires such quickness and fore- 

 sight as this. 7 £ m Higgimon _ 



THE FORCE OF INSTINCT 



1. A pretty little fawn had been brought in very young 

 from the woods, and nursed and potted by a lady in the 

 village until it had become as tame as possible. It was 

 graceful, as those little creatures always are, and so gentle 



