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. 



