Chap. IV.] 



THE ELEPHANT. 



153 



The incessant slaughter of elephants by sportsmen in 

 Ceylon, appears to be merely in subordination to the in- 

 fluence of the organ of destructiveness, since the carcase 

 is never applied to any useful purpose, but left to de- 

 compose and to defile the air of the forest. The flesh is 

 occasionally tasted as a matter of curiosity : as a steak 

 it is coarse and tough ; but the tongue is as delicate as 

 that of an ox ; and the foot is said to make palatable 

 soup. The Caffres attached to the pioneer corps in the 

 Kandyan province are in the habit of securing the 

 heart of any elephant shot in their vicinity, and say it 

 is their custom to eat it in Africa. The hide it has 

 been found impracticable to tan in Ceylon, or to con- 

 vert to any useful purpose, but the bones of those shot 

 have of late years been collected and used for manuring 

 coffee estates. The hair of the tail, which is extremely 

 strong and horny, is mounted by the native goldsmith, 

 and made into bracelets ; and the teeth are sawn by the 

 Moormen at Gralle (as they used to be by the Eomans 

 during a scarcity of ivory) into plates, out of which they 

 fashion numerous articles of ornament, knife-handles* 

 card racks, and (( presse-papiers," 



