248 
the elephant. 
spending changes in the emotions of the ele- 
phants. 
The male elephant, however docile and 
obedient to his keeper, is subject, especially 
when kept in close confinement, to periodical 
fits of rage, which render him extremely dan- 
gerous. Thus in March 1826, a noble animal? 
known by the name of Chuni, which had be- 
longed to the collection at Exeter Change 
ever since its arrival in this country from 
Bengal in 1809, which had been introduced 
on the stage of Covent Garden theatre, and 
which had grown to the unusual height of 
thirteen feet, manifested such symptoms of 
ungovernable fury, that Mr. Cross, the pro- 
prietor, found it necessary to destroy him; 
though he might have obtained 1000/. for him 
if he could have got him out of the building 
alive. He had begun to demolish his cage, 
snapping the bars of oak, eight or ten inches 
square, like matches. The work of death was 
