THE ELEPHANT. 



not heavy ; it is a grave kind of march, at the rate of about three miles in an 

 hour ; when he would avoid danger, or attack an enemy, he lengthens and 

 quickens his ftep, fo as to keep up with a Horfe on a brilk gallop, though not 

 at full lpeed. The Indian hunters remark, that he turns eafier to the right 

 than to the left. He delights to flounder in limpid water, and fwims long 

 with eafe, eipecially when leveral are together, provided the waves or 

 current are not too violent. He is alfo very fond of fucking up a large 

 quantity of water in his trunk, part of which he conveys to his mouth, and 

 drinks, and he directs his trunk fo as to let the remainder run over every 

 part of his body. 



The lingular modefty of this animal leaves us hitherto in the dark as to 

 its mode of generation ; fome authors, indeed, pretend to defcribe it, but 

 their relations are fo contradictory and improbable, that little or no 

 dependence can be placed on them. The female is much lefs than the male, 

 and is generally allowed to go one year with young, though Arillotle fays 

 Ihe goes two years. She has two teats, which are placed between the 

 fore legs. 



The Elephant does not arrive at its full growth till it is thirty years old, 

 and lives in a ftate of captivity to the age of one hundred and twenty, or one 

 hundred and thirty years, though it is probable they live much longer in a 

 ftate of freedom. It has been alferted that the young one fucks its mother 

 through its trunk, but this feems an error. Mr. Foucher D'Obfonville, who 

 lived fome time in India, gives the following account of this matter. " A 

 young one," fays he, " of two or three months old, about the height of a 

 bullock, of a year and a half, but more bulky, was kept at a houfe oppolite to 

 my lodging, at Coemboutour, in the Maipour, whence I had frequent 

 opportunities of obferving that, as foon as the female lay down on her litter, 

 the young one feized her teat, and prefled it in his mouth, his trunk lying 

 carelefsly on bis dam's body. It is true, I have fometimes feen this young 

 one, particularly when ftanding, feize, play with, and carefs the teat of the 

 dam with his trunk. However, I do not fuppofe it poffible, at his age, to 

 draw even a few drops of milk, by this mode ; I fay a few drops, for as to a 

 larger quantity it was abfolutely impoffible, in as much as the orifice of 



