Chap. XXVIII. MODE OF MEASURING ELEPHANTS. 563 



the young one, the meat not being at all necessary at that time ; 

 but it is right to add, that I did not feel sick when my own blood 

 was up the day before. We ought perhaps to judge those deeds 

 more leniently in which we ourselves have no temptation to 

 engage. Had I not been previously guilty of doing the very same 

 thing, I might have prided myself on superior humanity, when 

 I experienced the nausea in viewing my men kill these two. 



The elephant first killed was a male, not full grown ; his height 

 at the withers 8 feet 4 inches; circumference of the fore foot 

 44 inches x 2 = 7 feet 4 inches. The female was full grown, 

 and measured in height 8 feet 8 inches ; circumference of the fore 

 foot 48 inches X 2 = 8 feet (96 inches). We afterwards found, 

 that full-grown male elephants of this region ranged in height at 

 the withers from 9 feet 9 inches to 9 feet 10 inches ; and the cir- 

 cumference of the fore foot to be 4 feet 9^ inches x 2 = 9 feet 

 7 inches. These details are given because the general rule has 

 been observed, that twice the circumference of the impression 

 made by the fore foot on the ground is the height of the animal. 

 The print on the ground being a little larger than the foot itself, 

 would thus seem to be an accurate mode of measuring the size 

 of any elephant that has passed; but the above measurements 

 show, that it is applicable only to full-grown animals. The 

 greater size of the African elephant in the south, would at once 

 distinguish it from the Indian one ; but here they approach 

 ~more nearly to each other in bulk, a female being about as large 

 as a common Indian male. But the ear of the African is an 

 external mark which no one will mistake even in a picture. 

 That of the female now killed, was 4 feet 5 inches in depth, and 

 4 feet in horizontal breadth. I have seen a native creep under 

 one so as to be quite covered from the rain. The ear of the 

 Indian variety is not more than a third of tins size. The repre- 

 sentation of elephants on ancient coins shows that this important 

 characteristic was distinctly recognised of old. Indeed, Cuvier 

 remarked that it was better known by Aristotle than by Buffon. 

 Having been anxious to learn whether the African elephant 

 is capable of being tamed, through the kindness of my friend 

 Admiral Smyth, I am enabled to give the reader conclusive evi- 

 dence on this point. In the two medals furnished from his work, 

 ' A descriptive Catalogue of his Cabinet of Boman and Imperial 



2 o 2 



