H. R. if. THE PRINCE OF WALES’ HHOOT. 
691 
Elephants {E. maximus). 
The visitor to Nepal is struck with the numbers of elephants met with. The 
total roll-call of elephants used in connection with the Royal shoots was 423, 
which were divided into three sections according to the district, viz , , those 
assigned to Thore, those to Haraiya and those to Kasra. What the 
camel is to the desert the elephant is to Nepal — practically the only means 
of transport through its pathless jungles. In the wild state they are plentiful 
in the South of Nepal (the Terai). In some years they are more commonly 
found than in others. During the rains they visit the cultivated portion of the 
Terai doing a considerable ariiount of damage to crops, etc. For the greater 
part of the time they are buried in the dense jungle roaming in herds of 80 to 90 
and, with the exception of an occasional ‘rogue’, doing a great deal of harm 
to life and property, these elephants unless molested seldom attack. Numbers 
are annually caught in Nepal and tamed, a young elephant being completely 
domesticated by the Nepalese in six months though an old elephant will often 
take a year to thoroughly tame. The pad elephant is perhaps more comfortable 
as a means of transport than the howdah-carrying beast. The danger of the 
animal bolting is a contingency which might at any time arise in hunting from 
an elephant in a heavy forest country, where an occurrence of this nature is 
fraught with extreme danger to the occupants of a howdah or indeed of 
a pad. A friend of mine related an exciting experience which befell him 
while shooting in the Terai. An infuriated rhino took it into his head to 
charge, and selecting the elephant on which he was seated made a terrific 
onrush. The elephant immediately turned and bolted for dear life, hotly 
pursued by the monster. My friend’s mount was frantic with fear and went 
crashing through the jungle. In a moment half the howdah was swept off by the 
branch of a tree, the great beast not abating the pace one jot went on and on. 
My friend thought he would be killed and stood an excellent chance of ending 
his career. The rhino was close behind and would certainly have ‘ got 
home ’ had she not been turned from her purpose by her calf, who stopped 
abruptly and the mother seeing she was unaccompanied turned and gave up the 
chase. The elephant swerved to the left fortunately striking an open bit of 
country, but she did not give up her headlong flight, till she had put a good 2 
miles between herself and the scene of the adventure. 
Collection of Animals, Birds and Reptiles presented by H. H. The 
Mahar.aja of Nepal to H. R. H. The Prince of Wales on Sunday, 
December 18th, 1921, at the Shooting Camp, Biknathori. 
Mammals and Invertebrates. 
1 Baby Elephant {E. maximus). 
1 Rhino Calf {R. unicornis). 
2 I.eopard Cats (F. bengalensis). 
2 Himalayan Black Bears {V. himalayanus). 
1 Black Leopard (F. pardus). 
1 Clouded Leopard {F. nebulosa). 
1 Tiger {F. tigris). 
1 Tibetan Fox (F. ferrilatus). 
1 Mountain Fox ( V. montanus). 
2 Sambhar.s (C. unicolor). 
1 Tahr (H. jemlaicusK 
3 Musk Deer (.'/. moschiferus). 
1 One-hornecl Sheep t^Ovis sp.). 
1 Four-horned Sheep ( „ ). 
1 One-horned Tibetan ShaM l Goat (Ovts sp.). 
