96 
A TREATISE ON ELEPHANTS. 
during March. I think one may reasonably say that in large wild 
herds one may at any season find a youngster or two only a few 
weeks old. 
Parturition. 
Generally speaking, the period of labour is short and the act of 
parturition occupies but a short time. One calf occurs at a birth as 
a rule. 
Mr. Lidderdale kindly wrote to me describing the birth of a 
young elephant at Pazundaung. The cow had been working in the 
timber-yard during the afternoon and after work was as usual 
tethered in her shed about 6 P.M. About ii P.M. she became 
very restless and groaned loudly ; at about 3 A.M. she suddenly 
broke her hind shackles ; so those on her fore-feet were removed, 
after which she walked out of the shed into some deep mud about 
five yards distant, where she promptly assumed the recumbent 
posture and gave birth to a female calf in caul which I believe is 
not an infrequent event (head and fore-feet presented). The act 
of parturition occupied but a few minutes. The Burman attendant, 
who had been present at other cases, immediately ruptured the 
membranes, etc., the calf remaining lying on its side (the mother 
standing over it) for an hour or so, after which it managed to stand 
up and in a short time could walk. The ''after-birth^' (achin) 
came away 1 5 or 20 minutes after the birth of the calf. The 
dam ate it. 
An intelligent Burman gave me the following description : — 
"When the full time has arrived, most animals are very 
restless and in great agony for some few hours, and often an hour 
or so before birth there is a discharge from the passages. When 
about to give birth the female seeks soft ground. The calf may be 
presented head and fore-feet first or the hinder parts may appear 
first. If the membranes are not ruptured by an attendant and the 
calf set free, the female will do so with her foot. The young one 
lies from one to two hours after birth, occasionally moving ears, 
trunk, and limbs ; after which it gets on its legs and can walk.'' 
Elephants even in their wild state may die in labour. In 1900 
I found the remains of a cow elephant in the jungle and a Burman: 
well-known to me informed me that he had seen the carcass a few 
days after the animal died, and that the cause of death was due to 
her inability to expel the calf. 
A young one can walk well enough after a few days to follow 
the mother on a short march and here I may mention that in their 
