'A8* Lipf. 
Snpp!. Tom. 
^ '-F-g'39' 
Mirab. Ani- 
mal, Ter. 
Ub. 8. 
Tsvcriner** 
Travels in 
India jpy. 
(<50 
obferve them from any certainty. The only way to know, is 
(where they abound.) to obferve their feparating themfelves from 
the Flock * for it is a gregarious Animal, as Naturalifts term 
them; and ’tis obfervd, when they begin to be proud, (fo to 
fpeak,) that the Male and Female go apart, (and if any obierve 
them at that time, the Male runs upon them with Fury and Mad- 
nefs) and do not return till the Female is impregnate. Some 
fondly imagine from their extraordinary Bigneis, that they go 
with Young 9 Years, others 6, and others 2 but to me the molt 
probable is, that of iy or 16 Months-, and if we obferve the 
ordinary courfe of Geftation in other viviparou Animals, it 
is according to the Bignefs and Term of Life, that the Female 
ufually goes with Young. Thus you have Bitches and Cats going 
but p Weeks, while Mares and Gows go p Months : So that, 
C At er is paribta, this our Animahttay be fuppos’d to go 15 or 16 
Months ; and Mr Knox in his Relation of the Ifland of Ceylan , 
tells us, they go not with Young above one Year : Some fay, they 
bring forth after every third Year; and others, never but once 
in their Life. The firft Opinion may be probable, but the fecond 
is fcarce to be believed for it would be ftill more wonderful, 
and next to an Impoflibility, tofeefuch Numbers of Elephants- in 
Armies and Countries, as we read of. Mr. Tavernier tells us, 
‘ He has been inform’d, that the Great Mogul keeps Three or 
‘ Four Thoufand Elephants ; but that the chief Matter allur’d him, 
‘ he had not above 500 faid to be of his Houfe, and defign’d 
1 for carrying Women, Tents and Luggage, and about So or 90 
‘ for War j which is a great Number of tam’d ones. And from 
thence we may fuppofe, that there muft be a far greater Num- 
ber of Wild ones in his Dominions, befides what are in the 
Kingdom of Pegu (where, as Schotto relates from Garzias ab Orta , 
at one Hunting there were 4000 taken 'at once) Slant, Cochin 
and Boutan near Great Tartary , befides thele of the Ifland of 
Sumatra and Ceylan ; where Tavernier reports for a certain truth, 
‘ That when any King or Roja has one of them, if they bring 
‘ the Breed of any other Place, fo foon as the other Elepbantsbe - 
* hold the Ceylan Elephants , by an Inftind of Nature they do them 
‘ Reverence, by laying their Trunks upon the Ground, andrai- 
‘ fing them up again. Tis faid the Male neVer copulates with 
the Female after once Ihe is impregnate } and fome will have 
us to believe, that every Male keeps to his own Female. Tis 
alfo faid to be a very temperate Creature, and feldom in Luft. 
T wernier 
