130 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [May, 



poor Santhal and Bhumij ryots. To prevent this loss as much as 

 possible, watchers are set ; and so soon as the elephants approach, the 

 whole village get the alarm, and with shouting, drum-beating, and 

 brandishing of torches, they manage to drive them off. 



" In some villages, I found that the ryots, in order to save any portion 

 of their crops, had been obliged to cut the paddy while still green. 

 There are many deserted villages from which the inhabitants have fled 

 in fear for their lives ; one of these, which I saw, had evidently become 

 a favourite place of resort with the elephants ; foot-prints and other 

 traces of their recent presence being abundant even inside the crum- 

 bling walls of the houses. 



" Occasionally the elephants commence their depredations before 

 sunset ; close to Dulina I was told of five elephants appearing one day 

 in the rice field at about 4 o'clock. 



" On most of the hills, the elephants have made paths with a gentle 

 ascent ; and the comparative ease with which, where these existed, I 

 was enabled to do my work, made me frequently bless them and regard 

 them, no matter what they might be to the ryots, as at least my 

 benefactors. 



" During the day the elephants feed upon several jungle trees, of 



which the principal, as far as I could detect from the debris, are the 



following : — 



Branches and leaves. 



Ficus Indica Bar, B. "} . ,-, 



7 . . tv i t> f not very common in the 



religiosa Fipal, B. f T 1 



racemosa. j ° * 



Phcenix acaulis Jangly-khejur, B. 



Bark only. 

 Gochlospermum gossypium G-ol-gol. 

 Shorea robusta Sal. 



Bauhinia Vahlii Chehur. 



Butea superba Palas 



Shoots and Boots. 

 Bambusa stricta. 



" Large gol-gol trees may often be seen torn up by the roots, and with 

 the greater part of their bark stripped off : it is the only part of this 

 tree eaten by elephants. Sal trees from four to six inches in diameter 



