20 Mr. Home's Lecture 



no previous theory to bias their judgment, it is deserving of 

 credit. The organ of hearing being now found more perfect, 

 and formed upon a larger scale than in any other animal with 

 which we are acquainted, considerable weight is given to this 

 opinion. 



Mr. Corse, who resided many years at Tiperah, in Bengal, 

 and paid particular attention to the manners and habits of ele- 

 phants, concurs in the belief of their hearing being more acute 

 than that of man. The following circumstances are mentioned 

 by him in proof of it. 



A tame elephant, who was never reconciled to have a horse 

 moving behind him, although he expressed no uneasiness if the 

 horse was within his view, either before or on one side, could 

 distinguish the sound of a horse's foot at a distance, some time 

 before any person in company heard it : this was known by his 

 pricking up his ears, quickening his pace, and turning his head 

 from side to side. 



A tame female elephant, who had a young one, was occa- 

 sionally sent out with other elephants for food, without the 

 young one being allowed to follow. She was not in the habit 

 of pining after her young one, unless she heard its voice ; but 

 frequently, on the road home, when no one could distinguish 

 any sound whatever, she pricked up her ears, and made a noise 

 expressive of having heard the call of her young. This having 

 occurred frequently, attracted Mr. Corse's notice, and made 

 him, at the time the female elephant used these expressions, 

 stop the party, and desire the gentlemen to listen ; but they were 

 unable to hear any thing till they had approached nearer to the 

 place where the young one was kept . 



The foregoing observations, the object of which has been to 



