Though the elephant be easily tamed, and contracts a great familiarity and kindnefs for man, it can never be so thoroughly domesticated as to procreate while in confinement. All those that have ever been under the dominion of man have been bred in the desart, and catched by art. The various devices that have been employed for catching them, have been so often re-told, in books of various descriptions, that it is needlefs to repeat them here. The tame elephants themselves have been found to be at all times the best agents for subduing the wild ones when first caught.

The elephant is a native of Asia and Africa, and is not to be found in its natural state either in Europe or America. From the river Senegal to the Cape of Good Hope, they are met with in great numbers. In this extensive region, as they are more numerous than in any other part of the world, so are they lefs fearful of man, The savage inhabitants of this dreary country, instead of attempting to subdue this powerful animal, and rendering it subservient to their necefsities, seem only desirous of avoiding its fury. In the internal parts of the country, which are uninhabited by man, they are found in large herds; but these are only at times seen by a few persons who venture a little into those inhospitable regions. Along the coasts, especially near the European settlements, few are to be seen; but the inhabitants there, allured by the gain they make by their tufks, are now become extremely expert in shooting them, and frequently make excursions into the interior parts of the country, for the

April 10. sake of hunting such stragglers from the herd as may chance to fall in their way; but in this kind of enterprise the hunters run great rifks, and are therefore obliged to act with much caution. In approaching this animal, great care must be taken to steal upon him unperceived. If the elephant discover his enemy near, he rushes out, and endeavours to kill him. One of these hunters being out upon a plain, under the shelter of a few scattered thorn trees, thought he could be able to advance near enough to shoot an elephant that was at a little distance from him; but he was discovered, pursued, and overtaken by the animal, which laid hold of him with his trunk, and beat him instantly to death. It is peculiarly dangerous to attack a female elephant while its young is along with it; for the affection between the parent and the young is so strong and reciprocal, that unlefs they be both killed, there is no safety; for the survivor will never desert its fallen companion, but afsail the enemies with the utmost fury, till either itself or the hunters be killed. Mr Bruce relates a combat of this sort, in which the dam was shot at the first by the hunters, and though the young was so small as not to exceed the size of an ass, and had run away at first from fear; yet on seeing its dam fall, it returned, and attacked the hunters with the utmost fury, until it was at length fhot dead by them.

The height of the elephant at the Cape, is from twelve to fifteen feet. The female is lefs than the male, and her tufks do not grow to such a size

The largest tulks weigh an hundred and fifty pounds, and are usually sold to the governor of the Cape, at the rate of a guilder per pound; so that a man may earn three hundred guilders at one shot; a strong inducement for running some risk. The tusk is the only part of the elephant that is productive of profit to the hunter.

The eyes of the elephant are small; but they are lively, brilliant, and capable of great expression. His ears are large, and much longer in proportion to his body than those of the afs; they lie flat on the head, and are commonly pendulous; but he can raise and move them with great facility, and frequently uses them as a fan to cool himself. His hearing likewise is remarkably fine; for he delights in the sound of musical instruments, and moves in cadence to the

trumpet and tabor. There are four grinders in each jaw, closely united together, forming with the jaw bone one hard and compact body. The texture of the skin is uneven, wrinkled, and knotty; full of deep fissures, resembling the bark of an old oak tree, which run in all directions over its surface. It is of a deep tawny colour, approaching to black; the inside of the fear is of a faint flesh colour. The 2 legs resemble mafsy columns of fifteen or eighteen inches in diameter, and not exceeding four or five feet in height. The foot is fhort, and divided into five toes, covered with the fkin so as not be visible. -To each toe there is affixed a nail or a hoof of a horny substance.

The trunk, or proboscis, is composed of membranes, nerves, and muscles; and is both an organ

of feeling and of motion. The animal can only move and bend it, but can contract, lengthen, and turn it in every direction. The extremity of the trunk terminates in a protuberance, which stretches out in the form of a finger, and pofsefses in a great degree the nicenefs and dexterity of that useful member. It is equally flexible, and as capable of laying hold of objects as the fingers of a man. With it he lifts from the ground the smallest piece of money; he selects herbs and flowers, and picks them up one by one; he unties the knots of ropes, opens and shuts gates, &c. With his trunk he grasps any body which it is applied to so firmly, that no force can tear it from his gripe. It is eight feet long in an elephant of fourteen feet high, and five feet in circumference at the thickest part. The nostrils are situated at the extremity; through which it draws in water by a strong suction, either for the purpose of quenching its thirst, or of washing and cooling itself, which it frequently does by taking a large quantity, part of which it carries to its mouth and drinks, and by elevating its trunk, allows the remainder to run over every part of its body. The mouth is situated directly under the trunk, from each side of which, project upwards, the two large tusks which are so valuable on account of the ivory, of which substance they entirely consist.

Roots, herbs, leaves, and tender wood, are the ordinary food of the elephant. He does not ruminate, and has but one stomach; this want however is amply supplied by the magnitude and length of his

intestines, and particularly of the colon, which is from fifteen to twenty feet in length, and two or three in diameter. When one of them discovers a plentiful pasture, he calls to the others, and invites. them to partake. As they require a great quantity of forage, they frequently change their pastures, and do incredible damage wherever they stray into cultivated grounds. On these occasions it is difficult to drive them off. They go in herds, nor is it easy to separate them. They generally act in concert, whether they attack, march, or fly.

The ordinary walk of the elephant is not quicker than that of a horse; but when pushed he assumes a kind of ambling pace, which in fleetness is equal to a gallop. He goes forward with ease; but it is with great difficulty he turns himself round; and that not without taking a large circuit. It is generally in narrow and hollow places that the negroes attack him, and cut off his tail, which they value above every other part of his body. He swims well, and is of great use in carrying baggage across large rivers. When swimming he raises his long trunk above the surface of the water for the sake of respiration, every other part of his body being below. In this manner several of these animals swim together, and steer their course without danger of running foul of each other.

The elephant when tamed is gentle, obedient, and docile; patient of labour, and so attentive to the command of its governor, that a word or a look is sufficient to stimulate it to the most violent exertions. In India, where they were once employed in VOL. xiv.

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