Chap. II. j 



THE ELEPHANT. 



91 



Singhalese work which treats of their management, the 

 marks of inferior breeding are said to be " eyes restless 

 like those of a crow, the hair of the head of mixed 

 shades ; the face wrinkled ; the tongue curved and 

 black ; the nails short and green ; the ears small ; the 

 neck thin, the skin freckled; the tail without a tuft, 

 and the fore-quarter lean and low: " whilst the perfec- 

 tion of form and beauty is supposed to consist in the 

 ** softness of the skin, the red colour of the mouth and 

 tongue, the forehead expanded and hollow, the ears broad 

 and rectangular, the trunk broad at the root and 

 blotched with pink in front; the eyes bright and kindly, 

 the cheeks large, the neck full, the back level, the chest 

 square, the fore legs short and convex in front, the hind 

 quarter plump, and five nails on each foot, all smooth, 

 polished, and round. 1 An elephant with these perfec- 

 tions," says the author of the Hastisilpe, " will impart 

 glory and magnificence to the king ; but he cannot be 

 discovered amongst thousands, yea, there shall never be 

 found an elephant clothed at once with all the excel- 

 lences herein described." The " points " of an elephant 

 are to be studied with the greatest advantage in those 

 attached to the temples, which are always of the 

 highest caste, and exhibit the most perfect breeding. 



The colour of the animal's skin in a state of nature is 

 generally of a lighter brown than that of those in cap- 

 tivity ; a distinction which arises, in all probability, not 

 so much from the wild animal's propensity to cover itself 

 with mud and dust, as from the superior care which is 

 taken in repeatedly bathing the tame ones, and in rub- 



1 A native of rank informed me, phant will sometimes touch the 

 that " the tail of a high-caste ele- ground, but such are very rare." 



