176 B. S. Lull — Evolution of the Elephant. 



length by 24^- inches in circumference and weighed 239 

 pounds, a total of 463 pounds for the pair ! 



Mentality. 



In spite of its archaic type the brain is large and the 

 surface is highly convoluted, the weight being on the average 

 &% pounds ; more than double that of man. The intelligence 

 of the elephant has been exaggerated by some writers and 

 greatly minimized by others. Sir Henry Baker, a British 

 explorer, and the German naturalist Schillings, give us the 

 most unbiased view of the mentality of the elephant. Ele- 

 phants possess a remarkable memory of injuries, real or fan- 

 cied ; of misfortunes ; and of the time and place of the 

 ripening of favorite fruits. They also learn to perform com- 

 plex labors, as the carrying and piling of logs in the teak yards 

 in India without other directions than the initial order. They 

 are said to be weather-wise and to be able to foretell rain some 

 days in advance. Elephants are obedient and docile, notably 

 those of India, but the males especially are subject to periods 

 of nervous excitement, apparently of a sexual nature, known 

 as " must," when they become very dangerous and sometimes 

 destroy the keepers in their paroxysms of rage. Ultimately 

 all male elephants become surly and intractable ; in the wild 

 state such are known as rogues and live apart from their kind 

 until they die. A fine specimen of the Indian elephant known 

 as "Chunee" was brought to England in 1810. He was very 

 tractable and continued to grow until 1820, when the first 

 paroxysm occurred, in which he attempted to kill his keeper. 

 Similar paroxysms occurred with increasing force until 1826, 

 when the violence of the animal necessitated its slaughter. 

 With " Chunee " this condition occurred very early in life, 

 as the animal was not fully adult at the time of its death. 

 The famous " Jumbo," an African elephant, was sold from the 

 London Zoological gardens because he was no longer trust- 

 worthy, from the same cause. He was not, however, a con- 

 firmed rogue, even when he died three and a half years later. 

 Jumbo was about seventy-five years old at the time of his 

 death. 



There is a possible parallelism between human mental 

 development and that of the elephant. One of the most 

 potent factors in the evolution of man's mind is his ability to 

 handle various objects and thus bring them before the face for 

 examination. This is also, found in the elephant, although to 

 a less extent, and undoubtedly has aided materially in its men- 

 tal development as well. 



Elephants are rightly accused of timidity and cowardice, 

 though, when brought to bay, rage may simulate courage, 



