Mr. Andersson thus describes the appearance of a herd of African elephants in their native wilds :"I had returned but a short time to my ambush when a herd of female elephants and their calves came on, perfectly heedless of the fire which had previously taken place. With a rush they gained the water, exactly opposite to where I was perched on my ant-hill. Soon afterwards they were joined by several other troops, pouring in from different directions, consisting of males and females intermixed.

It was quite remarkable to see how they ranged themselves closely side by side, like a line of infantry. They drew themselves up in single file, occupying the entire width of the water (which at that point was three hundred yards broad). I estimated their numbers at between a hundred and a hundred and fifty. The moon was just then nearly at its zenith, and shed a glorious and dazzling light on the huge creatures below; I felt no inclination to disturb so striking a picture.'

Dr. Livingstone informs us that portions of the elephant are favourite dishes among the native Africans. "We had the elephant's foot cooked for ourselves in native fashion. A large hole was dug in the ground, in which a fire was made, and when the inside was thoroughly heated the entire foot was placed in it, and covered with the hot ashes and soil; another fire was made above the whole, and kept burning all night. We had the cooked foot for breakfast next morning, and found it delicious. It is a whitish mass, highly

gelatinous, and sweet like marrow. A long march, to prevent biliousness, is a wise precaution after a meal of elephant's foot. Elephant's trunk and tongue are also good, and after much simmering resemble the hump of a buffalo and the tongue of an ox; but all the other meat is tough, and from its peculiar flavour only to be eaten by a hungry

man."

The Indian elephant has been used from time immemorial both as a beast of burden and for drawing heavy loads, and many are the amusing and interesting stories told of its cunning and sagacity. The following is from the pen of Lady Barker

"When we paid them a visit upon the afternoon of the storm, the huge beasts were taking a bath, or rather giving it to themselves by filling their trunks with water and dashing it over their heads, trumpeting and enjoying themselves immensely. At a little distance the cooks were busy baking muffins, as large as a soup-plate, and nearly as thick, in mud ovens; and the grass-cutters had been down to a pond near to wash the dust off the large bundles of grass for the elephants' suppers. We talked a little to the mahouts, and one very picturesque old man seemed exceedingly proud of his elephant's superior slyness and cunning, and begged us to stay and see him 'cheat;' so we waited till Burra Sahib,' or 'Mr. Large,' had finished his bath, and came slowly up to the ma hout for his supper.

"The mahout called out to the cook to bring the muffins, and made us retire behind a tree and watch what Burra Sahib did. As soon as the cook went away, the elephant put up his trunk and broke off a large bough of the tree above him. This they generally do to serve as a brush to keep off flies, so we knew that was nothing remarkable. He then looked slyly around him, with his bright, little, cunning eyes; and as he could not see his mahout he thought the coast was clear, and hastily snatched up a muffin, which he put under the branch on the top of his head. I noticed how carefully he felt with his flexible trunk if any edge was uncovered, and arranged the leaves so as to hide his spoil completely.

"Burra Sahib then raised his voice and bellowed for his supper in loud and discordant tones. The mahout then ran up as if he had been a long distance off, stood in front of him, and commenced handing him the muffins, counting, as he did so, one, two, three, and so on. The elephant received each in his trunk, and put it gently into his huge mouth, bolting it as though it had been a small pill. Twelve muffins was the allowance, and he required this sort of food to keep him in good condition. When the mahout came to number eleven muffin he looked about for the twelfth in great dismay, pretending that he could not think what had become of it, and calling for the cook to scold him, searching on the ground, and wondering, in good Hindostanee, where that other muffin could

I

be. The elephant joined in the search, turning over an empty box which was near, and trumpeting loudly.

"The mahout was delighted to see how much this farce amused me, and at last he turned suddenly to the elephant, who was still hunting eagerly for the missing muffin, and reviled him as a thief and a 'big owl,' adding all sorts of epithets, and desiring him to kneel down, which Burra Sahib did very reluctantly. The mahout then scrambled up on his head, snatched off the branch, and flung down the muffin, belabouring the elephant well with the bough which had served to conceal it. It seems that the trick had been played successfully many times before Burra Sahib was found out, and the poor cook used to get into trouble, and be accused of keeping the missing muffin for his own private consumption."

LEARN:

Flex-i-bil'-i-ty, the power of being | Trum'-pet-ing, the voice of the elephant

pic-tu-resque' bil-i-ous-ness | de-li'-ci-ous