In this family the individuals have their upper incisors in the form of elongated tusks; molars compound and in small number; five toes on all the feet; nose prolonged into a proboscis.

THE ELEPHANT.

THE human race excepted, the elephant is the most respectable of animals. In size, he surpasses all other terrestrial creatures, and in understanding he is inferior only to man. Of all the brute creation, the elephant, the dog, the ape, and the beaver, are most admirable for their sagacity; but the genius of the dog is only borrowed, being instructed by man in almost every thing he knows. The monkey has only the appearance of wisdom, and the beaver is only sensible with regard to himself, and those of his species. The elephant superior to them all three: he unites all their most eminent qualities. hand is the principal organ of the monkey's dexterity; the elephant with trunk which serves him instead of arms and hands, with which he can lift up, and seize the smallest, as well as the largest objects, carry them to his mouth, place them on his back, hold them, or throw them far off, has the same dexterity as the monkey, and at the same time the tractableness of the dog. He is, like him, susceptible of gratitude, capable of a strong attachment. He uses himself to man without reluctance, and submits to him, not so much by force, as by good treatment; he serves him with zeal, intelligence, and fidelity. In fine, the elephant, like the beaver, loves the society of his equals, and makes them understand him. They are often seen to assemble together, disperse, act in concert, and if they do not erect buildings, and do not work in common, it is, perhaps, for want of room only, and tranquillity; for men have very anciently multiplied in all the regions inhabited by the elephant; he consequently lives in fear and anxiety, and is no where a peaceful possessor of a space large and secure enough to establish his habitation on a settled spot. Every being in nature has his real price, and relative value; to judge of both in the elephant, we must allow him at least the judgment of the beaver, the dexterity of the monkey, the sentiment of the dog, and, to add to these qualifications, the peculiar advantages of strength, size, and longevity. We must not forget his arms, or his defence, with which he can pierce through and conquer the lion. We must observe, that he shakes the ground at every step; that with his trunk he roots up trees; that with the strength

The genus Elephas, of which there are only two species, has two upper incisors or tusks; four upper and four lower molars. Tusks slightly arched towards their extremity, composed of ivory cased in a crust of enamel: molars composed of vertical and transverse laminæ covered by enamel; five toes on all the feet; nose elongated into a cylindrical proboscis, moveable in all directions, with a moveable appendix at the termination, serving the purpose of a finger; head very large; neck short; eyes small, lateral; ears extremely flat and very large; body large and massive; tail short, tufted at the end; two

mammæ.

of his body he makes a breach in a wall; that being terrible by his force, he is invincible by the resistance only of his enormous mass, and by the thickness of the leather which covers it; that he can carry on his back a tower armed in war, with a number of men; that he alone moves machines, and carries burthens, which six horses cannot move. To this prodigious strength he joins courage, prudence, coolness, and an exact obedience. He preserves moderation even in his most violent passion; he is more constant than impetuous in love; in anger he does not forget his friends; he never attacks any but those who have given him offence; he remembers favors as long as injuries. Having no taste for flesh, and feeding chiefly upon vegetables, he is not naturally an enemy to other animals; he is beloved by them all, since all of them respect him, and have no cause to fear him. For these reasons, men have had at all times a veneration for this great, this first of animals. The ancients considered the elephant as a prodigy, a miracle of nature; they have much exaggerated his natural faculties; they attribute to him, without hesitation, not only intellectual qualities, but moral virtues.

In a wild state, the elephant is neither bloody nor ferocious; his manners are social; he seldom wanders alone; he commonly walks in company, the oldest leads the herd, the next in age drives them, and forms the rear; the young and the weak are in the middle. The females carry their young, and hold them close with their trunks. They only observe this order, however, in perilous marches, when they go to feed on cultivated lands. They walk or travel with less precaution in forests and solitary places, but still keeping at such a moderate distance from each other, as to be able to give mutual assistance, and seasonable warnings of danger. Some, however, straggle, and remain behind the others; none but these are attacked by hunters, for a small army would be requisite to assail the whole herd, and they could not conquer without a great loss of men. It is even dangerous to do them the least injury; they go straight to the offender, and, notwithstanding the weight of their body, they walk so fast that they easily overtake the lightest man in running; they pierce him through with their tusks, or seize him with their trunks, throw him against a stone, and tread him under their feet; but it is only when they have been provoked, that they become so furious and so implacable. It is said, that when they have been once attacked by men, or have fallen into a snare, they never forget it, and seek for revenge on all occasions. As they have an exquisite sense of smell, perhaps more perfect than any other animal, owing to the large extent of their nose, they smell a man at a great distance, and could easily follow him by the track. These animals are fond of the banks of rivers, deep valleys, shady places, and marshy grounds; they cannot subsist a long while without water, and they make it thick and muddy before they drink. They often fill their trunks with it, either to convey it to their mouth, or only to cool their nose, and to amuse themselves in sprinkling it around

them. They cannot support cold, and suffer equally from excessive heat; for, to avoid the burning rays of the sun, they penetrate into the thickest forests. They also bathe often in the water; the enormous size of their body is rather an advantage to them in swimming, and they do not swim so deep in the water as other animals; besides, the length of their trunk, which they erect, and through which they breathe, takes from them all fear of being drowned.

Their common food is roots, herbs, leaves, and young branches; they also eat fruit and corn, but they have a dislike to flesh and fish. When one of them finds abundant pasture, he calls the others, and invites them to come and feed with him. As they want a great quantity of fodder, they often change their place, and when they find cultivated lands, they make a prodigious waste; their bodies being of an enormous weight, they destroy ten times more with their feet, than they consume for their food, which may be reckoned at the rate of one hundred and fifty pounds of grass daily. As they never feed but in great numbers, they waste a large territory in about an hour's time; for this reason, the Indians and the negroes take great pains to prevent their visits, and to drive them away, by making a great noise, and great fires; notwithstanding these precautions, however, the elephants often take possession of them, drive away the cattle and men, and sometimes pull down their cottages. It is difficult to frighten them, as they are little susceptible of fear; nothing can stop them but fireworks, and crackers, thrown amongst them, the sudden effect of which, often repeated, forces them sometimes to turn back. It is very difficult to part them, for they commonly attack their enemies all together, proceed unconcerned, or turn back.

The female elephant goes two years with young; she only brings forth one at a time, which has teeth as soon as brought forth. He is then larger than a boar; yet his tusks are not visible, they appear soon after, and at six months old are some inches in length; at that age, the elephant is larger than an ox, and the tusks continue to increase till he is advanced in years.

It is very easy to tame the elephant. But there is no domestic elephant that has not been wild before. The manner of taking, taming, and bringing them into submission, deserves particular attention. In the middle of forests, and in the vicinity of the places which they frequent, a large space is chosen, and encircled with palisadoes; the strongest trees of the forest serve instead of stakes, to which cross pieces of timber are fastened, which support the other stakes; a man may easily pass through this palisado; there is another great opening, through which the elephant may go in, with a trap hanging over it, or a gate which is shut behind him. To bring him to that inclosure, he must be enticed by a tame female, ready to take the male; and when her leader thinks she is near enough to be heard, he obliges her to indicate by her cries the condition she is in. The wild male answers immediately, and begins his march to join her she repeats her call now

and then, and arrives first to the first inclosure, where the male, following her track, enters through the same gate. As soon as he perceives himself shut up, his ardor vanishes, and when he discovers the hunters, he becomes furious. They throw at him ropes with a running knot to stop him; they fetter his legs and his trunk, they bring two or three tame elephants, led by dexterous men, and try to tie them with the wild elephant, and at last, by dint of dexterity, strength, terror, and caresses, they succeed in taming him in a few days.

The elephant, once tamed, becomes the most tractable and the most submissive of all animals; he conceives an affection for his leader, he caresses him, and seems to guess whatever can please him. In a little time he understands the signs, and even the expression of sounds; he distinguishes the tone of command, that of anger or good nature, and acts accordingly. He never mistakes the words of his master. He receives his orders with attention, executes them with prudence and eagerness, without precipitation; for his motions are always measured, and his character seems to participate of the gravity of his body. He is easily taught to bend the knee to assist those who will ride on his back. He caresses his friends with his trunk, and salutes with it the persons he is directed to take notice of. He makes use of it to lift burdens, and helps to load himself. He has no aversion to being clothed, and seems to delight in a golden harness or magnificent trappings. He is easily put to the traces of carts, and draws ships upon occasion. He draws evenly, without stopping, or any marks of dislike, provided he is not insulted by unseasonable correction; and provided his driver seems to be thankful for the spontaneous exertion of his strength. His leader is mounted on his neck, and makes use of an iron rod, crooked at the end, with which he strikes him gently on the head to make him turn or increase his pace. But often a word is sufficient, especially if he has had time to make himself well acquainted with his leader, and has a confidence in him. His attachment is sometimes so strong and so lasting, and his affection so great, that commonly he refuses to serve under any other person; and he is known to have died of grief for having in anger killed his governor.

If it is true, as has been affirmed, that the elephant lives two hundred years, and that he begets when he is one hundred and twenty years old, each couple brings forth forty young in that space of time. Besides, having nothing to fear from other animals, and little even from men, who take them with great difficulty, the species has not decreased, and is generally dispersed in all the southern parts of Africa and Asia.

From time immemorial, the Indians made use of elephants in war. Amongst those nations unacquainted with the European military discipline, they were the best troops of their armies; and as long as battles were decided by mere weapons, they commonly vanquished. Yet, we see in history, that the Greeks and Romans used themselves soon to those mon

sters of war; they opened their ranks to let them go through; they did not attempt to wound them, but threw all their darts against their leaders, who were forced to surrender, and to calm the elephants when separated from their troops; and now that fire is become the element of war, and the principal instrument of death, the elephants, who are afraid of the noise and the fire of the artillery, would be rather an incumbrance in battle, and more dangerous than useful.

In those regions, however, where our cannons and murdering arts are

yet scarcely known, they fight still with elephants. At Cochin, and in parts of Malabar, they do not make use of horses, and all those who do not fight on foot are mounted upon elephants. In Tonquin, Siam, and Pegu, the king, and all the grandees, never ride but upon elephants. On festival days they are preceded and followed by a great number of these animals richly