NO. 49.— 1898.] THE CEYLON ELEPHANT. 179 



of a morning. But this should be looked upon as a mere 

 story. But it is. well known and certain that the kings of 

 Kandy have been in the habit from a long time, when they 

 wish to blind any criminals, to tie a piece of cloth soaked 

 in sulphur and elephant's milk round their eyes, when they 

 become incurably blinded in less than half or three-quarters 

 of an hour. It ought also to be remarked that the elephant's 

 milk is not quite white, but blueish, the young taking suck 

 about three or four times a day, but very little at a time, 

 without being at the dugs very long. It is also found that 

 the tusked young remain some months longer at the dugs 

 than the alias and she-elephants, who generally cease to 

 suck about the fifth year. 



An elephant's period of gestation 4 is fully a year or twelve 

 months, after which it is delivered of its young in a manner 

 which sufficiently indicates to man the wonderful prescience 

 with which Nature has endowed these wild beasts. For 

 the mother, feeling that the time has arrived to be delivered 

 of its young, goes down on her hind legs in order to shorten 

 the fall and obviate danger of injury, and doing her best 

 to give birth to her young ; and as soon as the young is 

 born, it begins stroking it gently and softly with the trunk 

 and bringing it to the dugs, it being necessary to note here 

 that the udders of an elephant are not like other animals, 

 behind, but have been placed by Nature between or close to 

 the fore legs. 



When an elephant brings forth before the appointed time 

 the young is covered with a sort of net or membrane, which 

 the mother (to the amazement of man) knows how to gently 

 and softly remove with its trunk without causing any pain 

 or hurt to the young, in which case the young beasts 

 sometimes die, but, on the other hand, sometimes live and 

 grow, 



A young elephant when born is found to be generally 

 about 1^ cobidos 5 (2f Rhenish feet) high and to 2f cobidos 

 long, furnished with tolerably long hair over the entire body. 

 But after some time the said hair falls off, except at the end 



