Ill 
THE ELEPHANT 
87 
diction in the character of elephants that tends to 
increase the interest in the animal. If they were 
all the same, there would be a monotony ; but this 
is never the case, either among animals or human 
beings, although they may belong to one family. 
The elephant, on the other hand, stands so entirely 
apart from all other animals, and its performances 
appear so extraordinary owing to the enormous 
effect which its great strength produces instant¬ 
aneously, that its peculiarities interest mankind 
more than any smaller animal. Yet, when we 
consider the actual aptitude for learning, or the 
natural habits of the creature, we are obliged to 
confess that in proportion to its size the elephant is 
a mere fool in comparison with the intelligence of 
many insects. If the elephant could form a home 
like the bee, and store up fodder for a barren season ; 
if it could build a nest of comfort like a bird, to 
shelter itself from inclement weather; if it could dam 
up a river like the beaver, to store water for the 
annual drought; if it could only, like the ordinary 
squirrel or field mouse, make a store for a season 
of scarcity, how marvellous we should think this 
creature, simply because it is so huge! It actually 
does nothing remarkable, unless specially instructed ; 
but it is this inertia that renders it so valuable to 
man. If the elephant were to be continually exert¬ 
ing its natural intelligence, and volunteering all 
manner of gigantic performances in the hope that 
they would be appreciated by its rider, it would be 
unbearable ; the value of the animal consists in its 
