174 Irish Volcanoes. 



to throw to the beast, and we gave it also the straw-stuffed 

 pad off its own back, which materials it placed under its body, 

 and after some time raised itself up sufficiently to allow the 

 other elephants to help it out with ropes. After this delay, as 

 the day was far spent, we determined to beat back homewards, 

 and by great good luck, in a small patch of reeds near a swamp, 

 came across a herd of from seven to eight rhinoceroses. R., 

 who happened to be near them when they broke cover, fired 

 right and left, and to our intense astonishment, down dropped 

 two of the huge beasts. Had we not seen it ourselves, it 

 would have appeared a veritable Munchausen's tale, for it is a 

 well-known fact that one of these animals will frequently carry 

 off ten or twenty heavy bullets in its body without ceremony. 



In the whole course of the experience of our veteran leader, 

 Colonel M., such a thing had before never been done ; but here 

 was the fact, in both the animals the bullets had pierced the 

 vertebra? of the neck, and R/s feat was, as may well be sup- 

 posed, the theme for conversation for many a day after. 



As it was now dusk, we had to leave the spoil where it fell, 

 but sent a couple of elephants and a few natives with axes next 

 day to bring in the trophies, their heads, horns, and armour- 

 plates, and part of the flesh, which some experimented on, 

 cooked like a steak, but, though eatable, it was found uncom- 

 monly tough. 



The hide of the animal is made by the Bhotanese into small 

 round shields with brass bosses let in, and are considered by 

 them to be bullet-proof. We reached home well shaken and 

 tired about ten p.m., but thoroughly satisfied with the day's 

 sport. 



IRISH VOLCANOES. 



BY PEOEESSOK D. T. ANSTED, F.E.S. 



The title of this article will most probably suggest to the 

 reader a disquisition, more or less political, concerning certain 

 familiar but very troublesome questions that arise from time 

 to time both in and out of Parliament, and of which religion, 

 education, tenant-right, etc., are the catch words. Each of 

 these subjects is indeed in Ireland a smouldering fire, liable to 

 break out at any time, and, after disturbing the tranquillity of 

 a district by moral earthquakes, may burst into flames that are 

 mischievous, in proportion as they spread more or less widely. 

 13 ut it is not the history of such fires that we propose to 

 discuss. There are in the green island of Erin certain visible 

 and tangible remains of volcanoes, such as exist in Iceland and 



