CHAPTER III.. Training and Conduct in Captivity.

TRAINING AND CONDUCT IN CAPTIVITY.

Alleged superiority of the Indian to the African elephant—not true 150

Ditto of Ceylon elephant to Indian 152

Process of training in Ceylon 155

Allowed to bathe 156

Difference of disposition 158

Sudden death of “broken heart” 160

First employment treading clay 161

Drawing a waggon ib.

Dragging timber ib.

Sagacity in labour ib.

Mode of raising stones 162

Strength in throwing down trees exaggerated ib.

Piling timber 163

Not uniform in habits of work 164

Lazy if not watched 165

Obedience to keeper from affection, not fear ib.

Change of keeper—story of child 166

Ear for sounds and music 167

Ur-re! note ib.

Endurance of pain 168

Docility 169

Working elephants, delicate 170

Deaths in Government stud 171

Diseases 172

Subject to tooth-ache ib.

Question of the value of labour of an elephant 174

Food in captivity, and cost 175

Breed in captivity 176

Age 177

Theory of M. Fleurens ib.

No dead elephants found 179

Sindbad’s story 181

Appendix.—Passage from Ælian 183

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

View of an Elephant Corral Frontispiece

Brain of the Elephant 26

The Trunk as figured in the fifteenth century 28

Bones of the Fore-leg 41

Elephant descending a Hill 44

Elephant’s Well 55

Elephant’s Stomach, showing the Water-cells 59

Elephant’s Trachea 60

Water-cells in the Stomach of the Camel 62

Section of the Elephant’s Skull 80

Ground Plan and Fence of a Corral 112

Noosing Wild Elephants to face 124

Mode of tying an Elephant 126

His Struggles for Freedom 127

Impotent Fury 130

Singular Contortions of an Elephant 132

Attitudes of Captives to face 134

Obstinate Resistance 135

Attitude for Defence 147

Figures of the African and Indian Elephants on Greek and Roman Coins 151

Medal of Numidia 156

Modern Hendoo ib.

PART I.

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS.

THE WILD ELEPHANT