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THE STORY OF THE ELEPHANT. 
Jumbo, over eleven feet in height at the withers and weighing over six and 
one-half tons, was raised in captivity at London and was in this country for 
several seasons. He was the chief attraction at a circus while on this side 
of the Atlantic. He was without doubt the largest specimen ever in this 
country, but I have seen a number larger and heavier both in Africa and in 
Ceylon and Bengal. The height of the African elephant, which is considered 
larger than the Asiatic, is probably never over fifteen feet, and his weight 
is certainly not more than eight or nine tons. His length of body is in some 
instances over thirty feet. 
The dimensions of the tusks vary greatly, and the maximum length is 
only approximately known. Several specimens measuring over twenty feet 
were brought me by natives, who declared they had seen much longer ones. 
One of these tusks weighed between two hundred and three hundred pounds. 
The tusks of the elephant furnish exceedingly fine ivory, which is used 
for various purposes, such as knife-handles, combs, billiard-balls, etc. There 
is a great art in making a billiard-ball. Some parts of the tusk are always 
heavier than others, so that if the heavy part should fall on one side of the 
ball, it would not run true. The object of the maker is either to get the 
heavier portion in the center, or to make the ball from a piece of ivory of 
equal weight. In either case, the ball is made a little larger than the proper 
size; it is then hung up in a dry room for several months, and finally turned 
down to the requisite dimensions. 
It is of course impossible to obtain any accurate data as to the age which 
the elephant may attain in its wild state, and can only, therefore, suggest an 
approximation to what this may be from captive specimens. Although full 
grown at the age of twenty-five, an elephant, as determined by the condition 
of its teeth, is not then mature. A female captured in Coorg in 1805, when 
about three years of age, did not appear to be particularly old-looking in 
1898, although she had then passed her prime. Other individuals have been 
known to live in captivity for over a century; and since it is obvious that the 
artificial mode of life which prevails in this state cannot be one tending to 
promote longevity, it is probable that the estimate of a century and a half as 
the duration of life in the wild state is not excessive. 
In India each elephant has his own individual master or keeper, and a 
great attachment often springs up between the beast and his human friend. 
In many cases when the keeper falls ill or is killed, the elephant must be 
killed, for he will not obey any one else. Some of the tamed animals refuse 
to take instructions from any one but their master, and the intelligence 
