c. 1665.—"Il y fait si mauvais pour le Vaisseaux au commencement de ce mois à cause d'un Vent d'Orient qui y souffle en ce tems-là avec violence, et qui est toujours accompagnè de gros nuages qu'on appelle Elephans, parce-qu'ils en ont la figure...."—Thevenot, v. 38.
1673.—"Not to deviate any longer, we are now winding about the South-West part of Ceilon; where we have the Tail of the Elephant full in our mouth; a constellation by the Portugals called Rabo del Elephanto, known for the breaking up of the Munsoons, which is the last Flory this season makes."—Fryer, 48.
[1690.—"The Mussoans ([Monsoon]) are rude and Boisterous in their departure, as well as at their coming in, which two seasons are called the Elephant in India, and just before their breaking up, take their farewell for the most part in very rugged puffing weather."—Ovington, 137].
1756.—"9th (October). We had what they call here an Elephanta, which is an excessive hard gale, with very severe thunder, lightning and rain, but it was of short continuance. In about 4 hours there fell ... 2 (inches)."—Ives, 42.
c. 1760.—"The setting in of the rains is commonly ushered in by a violent thunderstorm, generally called the Elephanta."—Grose, i. 33.
ELEPHANT-CREEPER, s. Argyreia speciosa, Sweet. (N. O. Convolvulaceae). The leaves are used in native medicine as poultices, &c.
ELK, s. The name given by sportsmen in S. India, with singular impropriety, to the great stag Rusa Aristotelis, the sāmbar (see [SAMBRE]) of Upper and W. India.
[1813.—"In a narrow defile ... a male elk (cervus alces, Lin.) of noble appearance, followed by twenty-two females, passed majestically under their platform, each as large as a common-sized horse."—Forbes, Or. Mem. 2nd ed. i. 506.]
ELL'ORA, (though very commonly called Ellóra), n.p. Properly Elurā, [Tel. elu, 'rule,' ūru, 'village,'] otherwise Vērulē, a village in the Nizam's territory, 7 m. from Daulatābād, which gives its name to the famous and wonderful rock-caves and temples in its vicinity, excavated in the crescent-shaped scarp of a plateau, about 1½ m. in length. These works are Buddhist (ranging from A.D. 450 to 700), Brahminical (c. 650 to 700), and Jain (c. 800-1000).
c. 1665.—"On m'avoit fait a Sourat grande estime des Pagodes d'Elora ... (and after describing them).... Quoiqu'il en soit, si l'on considère cette quantité de Temples spacieux, remplis de pilastres et de colonnes, et tant de milliers de figures, et le tout taillé dans le roc vif, on peut dire avec verité que ces ouvrages surpassent la force humaine; et qu'au moins les gens du siècle dans lequel ils ont été faits, n'étoient pas tout-à-fait barbares."—Thevenot, v. p. 222.