E L £ 
would not permit it; efpecially as Mr. Imhoff, to whom 
lie belonged, was abfcnt. That gentleman, however, 
returned two da’ys after ; but, when the two elephants 
were brought together, in - .order that Mr. Imhoff’s cu- 
riofity might be indulged with fo novel a fight, the fe¬ 
male, being no longer in heat, was fo uncivil as to give 
the male a kick in the face, when he was ufing what (he 
then thought improper liberties; nor did (lie afterwards 
permit him to cover her, though, when (landing toge¬ 
ther, they mutually indulged in a few' careffes. 
“ During the time they were kept together, the male 
never (liowed ligns of his pafiions being excited, by any 
exudation from the duffs of the glands near his temples; 
which has been confidered asThe fign of a male elephant 
being peculiarly ready for the female. This, I am in¬ 
clined to believe, is a vulgar error; as not one of the 
elephants I have feetT cover, in a domeftic (late, nor any 
of the males which were caught fingly, or rather en¬ 
trapped, by their defire to have connexion with the tame 
females, had, at thofe times, the ftnalleft appearance of 
fitch an exudation. Had this happened, in any one in¬ 
fiance, during my refidence in Tiperah, T niuft have 
known it; for, when this exudation takes place, the ele¬ 
phant has a dull heavy look, and it is dangerous for 
ftrangers to go near him. I have feen elephants in this 
fituation, after they had been many years caught; but, 
though they were then faid to have their pafiions ex¬ 
cited, I have never known one to cover during the con¬ 
tinuance of this exudation: nor have elephants, fo far as 
I have been able to obferve, any particular fealons of 
love, like horfes. Of five inftances of elephants covered 
at Tiperah, one received the male in February, another 
in April, a third in June, a fourth in September, and the 
fifth in October. Befides thefe, an attempt was made by 
a tame male, to cover, in the month of January, a wild 
female, then in heat. When the female is in heat, the 
parts of generation (how it, by the fulnefs of the labia; 
and, if (lie is placed near a male, (lie endeavours, by ca¬ 
reffes, to excite his defires. It may here be proper to 
obferve, in refutation of what has been affected by the 
comte de Button, and for the purpofe of correcting the 
errors of other zoologifts in this fo much mifreprefented 
article of natural hiftory, that the penis of a full-grown 
elephant is from two feet four to tw'o feet fix inches in 
length, and from fourteen to fix teen inches in circumfe¬ 
rence. I caufed the penis of two males to be meafured, 
after their pafiions were excited, in order to afcertain the 
real faft. On fome occafions, I have feen the penis ab- 
folutely touch the ground, when the elephant has been 
walking. 
“ After the female had been covered by the male, as 
above related, there being then no other female ready, 
he was placed with an elephant which had had a young 
one about four years before, and fome months ago was 
reported to have been in heat. It was thought, after 
Come trial, that (he was likely to permit him to cover, as 
(he careffed Tim occafionally, and roufed his pafiions ; 
but (he would not allow him to gratify his defire. The 
drivers, tired of this coynefs, and ftimulated perhaps by 
the hopes of another gratuity, were fo brutal as to tie 
her, and let the male make an attempt upon her, while 
tied. His attempt, however, was to no purpofe ; though 
he continued his efforts till he appeared to be quite ex- 
haufted. This being told me, I feverely reprimanded 
the people ; and ordered the female to be left at full li¬ 
berty to rej eft or receive the male, as'(he might think 
proper. Here, however, was pofuive proof, that the 
male would have effefted his purpofe by force, when he 
found he could not obtain it any other way. lie remained 
at Comillah till Oftober, 1793, without my being able 
to procure a female that was in heat; he was then fent 
to Calcutta. 
“ I now became extremely folicitous about the health 
of the female which was covered in June; and gave par¬ 
ticular direftions not to overheat her, but merely to give 
Vol. VI. No. 364. 
P H A S. 461 
her as much food and exercife as were likely to keep 
her in the heft, condition, as (lie,was now known to be 
pregnant. In three months after (he was covered, (lie 
became.fuller, her flefh felt fofter, and her breads began 
to (well. Thefe marks of her being with young, were 
fo evident to the driver, that he mentioned them of his 
own accord ; which convinced me, that an elephant, 
threg months after conception, may be known by the 
keepers to be pregnant. She was (even feet three incites 
high, when covered ; but, after this increafed fo faft, not 
i:t bulk only, but alfo in height, as to exceed feven feet 
eight incites, before (he brought forth. On the i6tffof 
March, 1795, (lie produced a fine male ; juft twenty 
months and eighteen days after (lie was firft covered. 
The young one was thirty-five inches and a half high ; 
and had every appearance of having arrived at fits full 
time, being the largeft I had known produced in Tipe¬ 
rah. We have many young produced every year, by 
the females which are taken while breeding, and thefe 
feldont exceed thirty-four inches; this, however, may be 
owing to the weak and reduced (late the mothers are 
brought to, while breaking in. 
“ The young of the elephant, at lead all thofe I have 
feen, begin to nibble and fuck the breadToon after birth ; 
prefiing it with the trunk, which, by natural inftinft, 
they know will make the milk flow more readily into the 
mouth, while fucking: but the young certainly never 
fuck with the trunk, as afferted by fome authors. Ele¬ 
phants never lie down to give their young ones fuck ; 
and it often happens, when the dam is tall, that (lie is 
obliged, for fome time, .to bend her body towards her 
young, to enable him to reach the nipple with his mouth ; 
confequently, if ever the trunk was ufed to lay hold of 
the nipple, it would be at this period, when he is making 
laborious efforts to reach it with his mouth, but which 
he could always eafily do with his trunk, if it anfwered 
the purpofe. In fucking, the young elephant always 
grafus the nipple (which projects horizontally from the 
bread) with the fide of Ills mouth. I have very often 
obferved this; and fo fenfible are the attendants of it, 
that, with them, it is a common praftice to raife a final! 
mound of earth for the young one to (land on, and thus 
lave the mother the trouble of bending her body every 
time (he gives fuck, which (he cannot readily do when 
tied to her picket. 
“ Tame elephants are never fnffered to remain loofe ; 
as inftances occur of the mother leaving even her young, 
and efcaping into the woods; from which they never re¬ 
turn of their own accord, as has been fo confidently af¬ 
ferted. Another circumftance deferves notice : if a wild 
elephant happens to be feparated from her young, for 
only two days, though giving fuck, (he never afterwards 
recognizes or acknowledges it. This reparation fome- 
times happened unavoidably, when they were enticed 
feparately into the outlet of the keddah. I have been 
much mortified at fuch unnatural conduft in the mother; 
particularly when it was evident the young elephant knew 
its dam, and, by its plaintive cries and fubmiflive ap¬ 
proaches, folicited her afliftance. „ 
“ Having mentioned a fufficient'nurrib'er of inftanefes, 
to prove the ability, as well as the inclination, of the 
elephant, to propagate his fpecies in a domeftic (late, and 
that without any (igns of- peculiar modefty, and having 
afeertained the period of geftation to be twenty months 
and eighteen days, it may be neceffary to obferve, that 
it is a difficult matter to bring a male, which has been 
taken about the prime of life, into good condition to aft 
as a ftallion ; for, being naturally bolder, and'of a more 
ungovernable difpofition, than the female, he is not in 
general eafily tamed, till reduced very low ; and it re¬ 
quires confiderable time, as well as much expence and 
attention, before lie can be brought into fuch higli order 
as is requifite. He muft alfo be of a gentle temper, and 
difpofed to put confidence in his keeper ; for he will not 
readily have connexion with a female, wliilft under the 
6 B influence 
