400 
ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 
it ran off with fury, and would suffer no person to come within 
several yards of it. The man who had care of it at length hit 
upon a contrivance for securing it. By a few words and signs 
he gave the mother of the animal sufficient intelligence of what 
was wanted ; the sensible creature immediately seized her 
young one with her trunk, and held it firmly down, tho ugh 
groaning with agony, while the surgeon completely dressed the 
wound : and she continued to perform this service every day till 
the animal was perfectly recovered . 1 
Again, as still further corroboration of this point, I 
may quote the following from Sir E. Tennent’s 6 Natural 
History of Ceylon : ’ — 
Nothing can more strongly exhibit the impulse to obedience 
in the elephant than the patience with which, at the order of 
his keeper, he swallows the nauseous medicines of the native 
elephant-doctors ; and it is impossible to witness the fortitude 
with which (without shrinking) he submits to excruciating 
surgical operations for the removal of tumours and ulcers to 
which he is subject, without conceiving a vivid impression of 
his gentleness and intelligence. Dr. Davy when in Ceylon was 
consulted about an elephant in the Government stud, which 
was suffering from a deep, burrowing sore in the back, just over 
the back-bone, which had long resisted the treatment ordinarily 
employed. He recommended the use of the knife, that issue 
might be given to the accumulated matter, but no one of the 
attendants was competent to undertake the operation. 4 Being 
assured/ he continues, ‘ that the creature would behave well, I 
undertook it myself. The elephant was not bound, but was 
made to kneel down at his keeper’s command ; and with an 
amputating knife, using all my force, I made the incision 
required through the tough integuments. The elephant did 
not flinch, but rather inclined towards me when using the 
knife; and merely uttered a low, and as it -were suppressed 
groan. In short, he behaved as like a human being as possible, 
as if conscious (as I believe he was) that the operation was for 
his good, and the pain unavoidable. 
Major Skinner witnessed the following display of 
intelligent action by a large herd of wild elephants. 
During the hot season at Nenera Kalama the elephants 
have a difficulty in finding water, and are therefore 
* Bingley, Animal Biography, vol. i., p. 155. 
