Chap. IV.] 



THE ELEPHANT. 



149 



habit contracted during the length of a voyage by sea l 9 

 or from an instinctive impulse to substitute a motion of 

 this kind in lieu of their wonted exercise ; but this sup- 

 position is erroneous; the propensity being equally 

 displayed by those at liberty and those in captivity. 

 When surprised by sportsmen in the depths of the jungle, 

 individuals of a herd are always occupied in swinging 

 their limbs in this manner; and in the several corrals 

 which I have seen, where whole herds have been captured, 

 the elephants in the midst of the utmost excitement, and 

 even after the most vigorous charges, if they halted for 

 a moment in stupor and exhaustion, manifested their 

 wonted habit, and swung their limbs or swayed their 

 bodies to and fro incessantly. So far from its being a 

 substitute for exercise, those in the government employ- 

 ment in Ceylon are observed to practise their acquired 

 motion, whatever it may be, with increased vigour when 

 thoroughly fatigued after excessive work. Even the 

 favourite practice of fanning themselves with a leafy 

 branch seems less an enjoyment in itself than a resource 

 when listless and at rest. The term se fidgetty " seems 

 to describe appropriately the temperament of the ele- 

 phant. 



They evince the strongest love of retirement and a 

 corresponding dislike to intrusion. The approach of a 

 stranger is perceived less by the eye, the quickness of 

 which is not remarkable (besides which its range is 

 obscured by the foliage), than by sensitive smell and 

 singular acuteness of hearing ; and the whole herd is 

 put in instant but noiseless motion towards some deeper 

 and more secure retreat. The effectual manner in 



1 Menageries, $c., " The Elephant," ch. i p. 21. 

 L 3 



