Chap. XXYIII. MODE OF MEASURING ELEPHANTS. 
563 
the young one, the meat not being at all necessary at that time; 
but it is right to add, that I did not feel sick when my own blood 
was up the day before. We ought perhaps to judge those deeds 
more leniently in which we om^selves have no temptation to 
engage. Had I not been previously guilty of doing the very same 
tiling, I might have prided myself on superior humanity, when 
I experienced the nausea in viewing my men kill these two. 
The elephant first killed was a male, not full grown; his height 
at the withers 8 feet 4 inches; circumference of the fore foot 
44 inches x 2 = 7 feet 4 inches. The female was full grown, 
and measured in height 8 feet 8 inches; circumference of the fore 
foot 48 inches x 2 = 8 feet (96 inches). We afterwards found, 
that full-grown male elephants of this region ranged in height at 
the withers from 9 feet 9 inches to 9 feet 10 inches; and the ck- 
cumference of the fore foot to be 4 feet 9J inches x 2 = 9 feet 
7 inches. These details are given because the general rule has 
been observed, that twice the circumference of the impression 
made by the fore foot on the gTOund is the height of the animal. 
The print on the ground being a little larger than the foot itself, 
would thus seem to be an accurate mode of measuring the size 
of any elephant that has passed; but the above measm:ements 
show, that it is applicable only to fuU-grown animals. The 
greater size of the African elephant in the south, would at once 
distinguish it from the Indian one; but here they approach 
more nearly to each other in bulk, a female being about as large 
as a common Indian male. But the ear of the African is an 
external mark which no one will mistake even in a picture. 
That of the female now killed, was 4 feet 5 niches in depth, and 
4 feet in horizontal breadth. I have seen a native creep under 
one' so as to be quite covered from the rain. The ear of the 
Indian variety is not more than a third of tliis size. The repre¬ 
sentation of elephants on ancient coins shows that this important 
characteristic was distinctly recognised of old. Indeed, Cuvier 
remarked that it was better known by Aristotle than by Buffon. 
Having been anxious to learn whether the African elephant 
is capable of being tamed, through the Idndness of my friend 
Admiral Smyth, I am enabled to give the reader conclusive evi¬ 
dence on this point. In the two medals furnished from his work, 
‘ A descriptive Catalogue of his Cabinet of Koman and Imperial 
2 o 2 
