XVI 
CONTENTS. 
Page 
Attempt to introduce the camel 
(note) 53 
Buffaloes .... 54 
Sporting buffaloes . . .55 
. Peculiar structure of the foot . 56 
Deer . . . . .57 
Memirma . . • . . . ib. 
Elk 59 
Wild-boar . . . . ib. 
Elephants . . . .60 
Recent discovery of a new species ib. 
Geological speculations as to 
the island of Ceylon . .61 
Ancient tradition . . . ib. 
Opinion of Professor Ansted . ib. 
Peculiarities in Ceylon mam- 
malia . . . .63 
The same in Ceylon birds and 
insects .... ib. 
Temminck's discovery of a new 
species of elephant in Suma- 
tra 64 
Points of distinction between it 
and the elephant of India . 65 
Professor Schlegel's description 66 
Cetacea . . . . .68 
Whales .... ib. 
The Dugong ... 69 
Origin of the fable of the mer- 
maid . . . .70 
Credulity of the Portuguese . ib. 
Belief of the Dutch . . ib. 
Testimony of Valentyn . .71 
List of Ceylon mammalia . . 73 
CHAP. II. 
THE ELEPHANT. 
Its Structure. 
Vast numbers in Ceylon . . 75 
Derivation of the word "elephant" 
(note) 76 
Antiquity of the trade in elephants 7 7 
Numbers now diminishing . . ib. 
Mischief done by them to crops . ib. 
Ivory scarce in Ceylon . .78 
Conjectures as to the absence of 
tusks 79 
Elephant a harmless animal . 81 
Alleged antipathies to other ani- 
mals . . . . .82 
Fights with each other . .86 
Page 
The foot its chief weapon . . 87 
Use of the tusks in a wild state 
doubtful .... 88 
Anecdote of sagacity in an ele- 
phant at Kandy . . .89 
Difference between African and 
Indian species . . .90 
Native ideas of perfection in an 
elephant . . . .91 
Blotches on the skin . . .92 
White elephants not unknown in 
Ceylon . . . .93 
CHAP. III. 
THE ELEPHANT. 
Its Habits. 
Water, but not heat, essential to 
elephants . . . .94 
Sight limited . . . .95 
Smell acute . . . .96 
Caution ib. 
Hearing, good .... ib. 
Cries of the elephant . .97 
Trumpeting .... ib. 
Booming noise . . . .98 
Height, exaggerated . . .99 
Facility of stealthy motion . 100 
Ancient delusion as to the joints 
of the leg . . . ib. 
Its exposure by Sir Thos. Browne ib. 
Its perpetuation by poets and 
others 102 
Position of the elephant in sleep . 105 
An elephant killed on its feet . 107 
Mode of lying down . . . ib. 
Its gait a shuffle . . .108 
Power of climbing mountains . 109 
Facilitated by the joint of the knee 110 
Mode of descending declivities . Ill 
A " herd " is a family . .112 
Attachment to their young . 113 
Suckled indifferently by the fe- 
males ib. 
A " rogue " elephant . . .114 
Their cunning and vice . .115 
Injuries done by them . . ib. 
The leader of a herd a tusker . 117 
Bathing and nocturnal gambols, 
description of a scene by Major 
Skinner . . . .118 
