214 
MAMMALIA. 
[Chap. VII. 
elapse before an elephant will allow his feet to be 
touched without indications of alarm and anger. 
The observation has been frequently made that the 
elephants most vicious and troublesome to tame, and 
the most worthless when tamed, are those distinguished 
by a thin trunk and flabby pendulous ears. The period 
of tuition does not appear to be influenced by the size 
or strength of the animals : some of the smallest give 
the greatest amount of trouble; whereas, in the in- 
stance of the two largest that have been taken in 
Ceylon within the last thirty years, both were docile 
in a remarkable degree. One in particular, which was 
caught and trained by Mr. Cripps, when Government 
agent, in the Seven Korles, fed from the hand the first 
night it was secured, and in a very few days evinced 
pleasure on being patted on the head. 1 There is 
none so obstinate, not even a rogue, that may not, 
when kindly and patiently treated, be conciliated and 
reconciled. 
The males are generally more unmaneagable than the 
females, and in both an inclination to lie down to rest 
is regarded as a favourable symptom of approaching 
tractability, some of the most resolute having been 
known to stand for months together, even during sleep. 
Those which are the most obstinate and violent at first 
1 This was the largest elephant attendant decoys. He, on one oc- 
that had been tamed in Ceylon ; casion, escaped, but was recaptured 
he measured upwards of nine feet in the forest ; and he afterwards 
at the shoulders and belonged to became so docile as to perform a 
the caste so highly prized for the variety of tricks. He was at length 
temples. He was gentle after his ordered to be removed to Colombo ; 
first capture, but his removal from but such was his terror on ap- 
the corral to the stables, though only proaching the fort, that on coaxing 
a distance of six miles, was a matter him to enter the gate, he became 
of the extremest difficulty ; his paralysed in the extraordinary way 
extraordinary strength rendering elsewhere alluded to, and died on 
him more than a match for the the spot. 
