4 
A TREATISE ON ELEPHANTS. 
diminished. The skin around the nails presents a broken and warty 
appearance. The tail is cakey, hard and the extremity often devoid 
of hair. Sanderson notes on the peculiar action of aged animals : 
"Instead of walking firmly, and planting the feet flat, they bring 
the feet to the ground somewhat in the manner of a plantigrade 
animal, touching with the heels first. This peculiarity may some- 
times be observed in animals of middle age suffering from debility. 
The most ready way of forming an approximate idea of the age 
is by the amount of turn-over of the upper edge of the ear. In 
young animals, sometimes up to the age of eight or nine years, the 
edge is quite straight ; it, however, then begins to turn over, and by 
the time an animal is thirty, the edges curl over to the extent of an 
inch, and between this age and sixty, this increases to two inches 
or slightly more. The teeth afford some evidence as to age, but 
this is of little practical value [see Appendix C). 
What in Burma is considered a sure sign of middle age is the 
condition known as hadoung-kyeik, that is, the animal presents 
somewhat the appearance of a Burman with his waist-cloth 
[loongyi) tucked up. This appearance has to be seen to be under- 
stood. The Burman belief is that once this condition appears the 
animal is annually liable to become musth. 
Height. 
Extravagant estimates of the height of elephants have from time 
to time been recorded ; their great bulk so far exceeds that of the 
ordinary animals we are accustomed to see that the tendency is to 
overestimate their size. The old method of measuring was also 
most misleading : a rope was simply thrown over the back, the ends 
brought to the ground on each side, and half the length taken as 
the height. Much amusing information on this subject is contained 
in Sanderson's excellent work. Madras elephants, he tells us, were 
at one time said to be from 17 to 20 ft. high, and an animal at 
Dacca was said to be 14 ft. Mr. Corse, a gentleman thoroughly 
conversant with elephants, determined if possible to see one of 
these enormous creatures. He accordingly took the trouble to go 
to Dacca, and was rather surprised to find that according to his 
measurement the animal said to measure 14 ft. did not exceed 
10 ft. in height (a very good height). We may take it on the 
authority of Sanderson, a most careful observer, who had unrivalled 
opportunities of investigating such matters, that such a thing as an 
elephant measuring 10 ft. at the shoulder does not exist in India, 
nor, may I add, in Burma. The largest male he ever met with 
measured 9 ft. 10 ins. and the tallest female 8 ft. 5 ins. Cingalese 
