190 



MAMMALIA. 



[Chap. VI. 



animal. They vented their rage upon every tree and 

 plant within reach ; if small enough to be torn down, 

 they levelled them with their trunks, and stripping them 

 of their leaves and branches, they tossed them wildly 

 over their heads on all sides. Some in their struggles 

 made no sound, whilst others bellowed and trumpeted 

 furiously, then uttered short convulsive screams, and at 

 last, exhausted and hopeless, gave vent to their anguish 

 in low and piteous moanings. Some, after a few violent 

 efforts of this kind, lay motionless on the ground, with 

 no other indication of suffering than the tears which 

 suffused their eyes and flowed incessantly. Others in all 

 the vigour of their rage exhibited the most surprising 

 contortions; and to' us who had been accustomed to 

 associate with the unwieldy bulk of the elephant the 

 idea that he must of necessity be stiff and inflexible, 

 the attitudes into which they forced themselves were 

 almost incredible. I saw one lie with the cheek pressed 

 to the earth, and the fore-legs stretched in front, whilst 

 the body was twisted round till the hind-legs extended 

 in the opposite direction. 



It was astonishing that their trunks were not wounded 

 by the violence with which they flung them on all sides. 

 One twisted his proboscis into such fantastic shapes, that 

 it resembled the writhings of a gigantic worm ; he coiled 

 it and uncoiled it with restless rapidity, curling it up 

 like a watch-spring, and suddenly unfolding it again to 

 its full length. Another, which lay otherwise motion- 

 less in all the stupor of hopeless anguish, slowly beat 

 the ground with the extremity of his trunk, as a man 

 in despair beats his knee with the palm of his hand. 



They displayed an amount of sensitiveness and de- 

 licacy of touch in the foot, which was very remarkable 



