504 
DESTRUCTION OF AN ELEPHANT. 
usual means used to arouse her. The pupil of the eye was 
dilated, and unaffected by the application of a lighted taper, 
the respiration only telling of her existence. After letting 
her remain some minutes, and resorting to a third and a fourth 
application of the chloroform, I proceeded to inject into the 
stomach six fluid ounces of hydrocyanic or prussic acid, of 
Scheele’s strength. This, with the assistance of the keeper, 
and a syringe with a long flexible tube, was easily accom- 
plished. The animal was then permitted to remain for 
three-quarters of an hour, and it lay without exhibiting the 
least sign of pain or feeling ; perhaps the only difference was 
a little more labour in the breathing. After the end of the 
time above stated, the keeper, with a few slaps of his hand, 
and the aid of his voice, roused her, and in a very few r minutes 
she appeared very little the worse for what had been given 
her. On the keeper asking her to have some ale, she replied 
by the familiar snort peculiar to these tame animals ; and 
drank a quart with as much relish as usual, and more than 
I could have imagined after such a dose of poison. I then 
determined to give her two drachms of strychnine ; one, per- 
haps, of the most powerful and speedy poisons with which 
we are acquainted, and acting in a manner different from 
prussic acid. Accordingly, it was made into a ball, with 
linseed meal and honey, and given to her by the keeper ; in 
fact, she ate it without making any trouble about it. During 
nearly two hours, I could not perceive that it produced the 
slightest effect upon the beast, although at one time some 
rather more frequent and extended action of the legs led me 
to anticipate a successful termination to my efforts. In this, 
however, I was disappointed, as at the end of two hours not 
the slightest difference was discernible. I then determined 
to give a larger dose of strychnine, and administered a ball 
containing one ounce of that poison. This being made as 
before, she ate it, and the result proved as fruitless as the 
former one. I now consulted Mr. Rice and Mr. Flewitt as 
to what other means offered any chance of success (without 
our having to seek the aid of the bullet), so as to rid the 
animal of her existence ; the most deadly and active poisons, 
carefullyadministered,not having produced the slightest effect; 
when, however, it was determined to make another attempt. 
Accordingly, I proceeded to make a continuous application 
of chloroform, in the anticipation that the animal would sink 
under its influence, such having been the case with a bear, 
I think, at the London Zoological Gardens. At three 
o’clock the next day, Wednesday, the animal having been 
during the interval in her usual state, the sponge was again 
