94 
A TREATISE ON ELEPHANTS. 
Sanderson witnessed the act on four occasions and on none of 
these did the males exhibit any signs of musth, which goes to 
prove that it is not only when under this influence that male 
elephants court the society of the female. One jump is considered 
to be sufficient. Sanderson states : " there is ample proof that it 
is not the male elephant that comes into season.'^ Owing to the 
periodical attacks of musth many people have supposed that such 
is the case ; and he remarks that " the period of heat is not marked 
by any particular signs in the female, which has probably helped to 
strengthen the erroneous opinion spoken of. In approaching a 
male elephant, a female desirous of his attentions utters certain 
sounds and courts his society ; but only those conversant with 
elephants would notice this.^' I have never observed any apparent 
signs of "heat" in the female and several friends I consulted 
informed me that though they had seen a great many elephants, 
and had been amongst elephants many years, they had not seen any- 
thing noticeable amongst female elephants beyond the fact already 
stated that the female when in that state utters certain peculiar 
sounds. 
Pregnancy. 
Sanderson states that female elephants usually give birth 
to their first calf at i6 years of age and continue to breed till 
they reach the age of 80. A remarkable instance proving that 
they may begin to breed much earlier is recorded by Mr. W. A. Bell, 
of the Bombay Burma Trading Corporation, who had authentic 
knowledge of the facts. One of the Corporation elephants dropped 
a female calf on the 6th May 1894. Exactly nine years and one 
month from that date this young cow, to the astonishment of 
everyone, dropped a calf and subsequently died. No one had the 
faintest suspicion that she was in calf. The calf was practically 
full term. They breed about every two and a half or three years. 
Calves are not weaned for two or three years. I have seen two 
calves (wild) at heel ; the elder one I do not think w^as more than 
three years of age. Sanderson has seen three. The same authority 
observes that the female will not permit a bull to approach until 
eight or ten months after calving. Burmans and Karens put it 
down at even a longer period [see Appendix F). 
Elephants in calf may be worked up to almost their full term, 
but it is only fair to relieve them from work six weeks or so before 
the calf is expected. Towards the end of pregnancy females 
become very lazy and sluggish ; the size of the animal, taken 
