168 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
domestic giants working at any of the innumerable tasks on 
which these almost reasoning slaves may be employed, can hardly 
imagine how puzzling a matter it is to distinguish them amongst 
the dark shadows and irregular outlines that fill up any portion 
of a landscape in their forest haunts. I was for some moments— 
it seemed to me hours—waiting in long grass and reeds within a 
few feet—not yards—of the head of a fine tusker without being 
able to get a satisfactory shot at him, or even to see more than 
an indistinct dusky outline of form, or a dark shadow as his 
trunk was raised aloft when the mighty beast suspected that he 
scented mischief. Having at length made sure that there was 
something uncanny near him, he uttered a shrill cry and wheeled 
round on the very spot on which he stood, without exposing any 
more vulnerable target than his enormous hind quarters, at which 
it would have been wicked and wanton cruelty to fire, rushed 
down the hill, followed by his family (eight or ten unwieldly 
wives and sturdy children), whose progress, as they crashed 
through the dense underwood and undergrowth of long grass, 
caused a noise sufficient to startle anyone whose nerves were not 
tightly braced, and which my pen is certainly too weak to 
describe.” 
General Hamilton—“ Hawkeye ’’—wrote :— 
“On another occasion I was blown at by a wild Elephant, 
who threw her trunk out from behind the jungle lining the 
narrow path along which we were running to intercept the herd, 
and blew her nose so suddenly in the chest and face of the 
leading man, that he fell back right upon me. We had cut this 
Elephant off from its companions, and having a young calf to — 
take care of, she had loitered behind the herd. In this case we 
noticed the wonderful and extraordinarily quiet manner in which 
these gigantic animals noiselessly move through the forest when 
trying to avoid observation or danger.”’ 
Thick as is the skin of an Elephant, no beast is more tor- 
mented by Mosquitoes, Gadflies, and Leeches than he is. Hence 
his habit of covering his body over with earth, and squirting 
saliva about to drive off these pests. : 
I have never known an Elephant that could be invariably © 
depended upon for dangerous shooting. Elephants that would 
one trip be as staunch as possible, would, the very next, run ~ 
