The trunk or proboscis of the Elephant, from which the name of the order to which this animal belongs is derived, is certainly a remarkable and wonderful organ. It is really a prolongation of the nose, of a sub-conical form, consisting of two tubes divided by a septum. At the extremity on the upper side, above the opening of the nostrils, is a lengthened process to be looked upon in the light of a finger; beneath this finger is a tubercle, opposable to it, and acting, so to speak, as a thumb. With this organ, which is nearly eight feet in length, of considerable stoutness, and extreme sensibility, the Elephant is enabled to uproot or shake trees, lift a cannon, or pick up a pin. By its aid, food and water are carried to the mouth, and when necessary, it can be converted into a syringe or a shower-bath. The length of the organ does away with the necessity of a long neck, a short and muscular neck being absolutely required for the support of the enormous head and tusks.
The principal characters of the Indian species, as compared with the African, are the small ears, concave forehead, small eye, lighter colour, and the possession of four instead of three nails or hoofs on the hind foot. There is also a very remarkable difference in the teeth, those of the Indian species being built up of a series of plates much more numerous and more closely packed together than in the African species.
THE INDIAN ELEPHANT.[257]—There are but two living species of Elephant—the Indian (Elephas indicus) and the African (Elephas africanus), although some naturalists have considered the Elephant of Sumatra and Ceylon to be a distinct species, and Schlegel has separated it from both the Indian and African, and defined it as E. sumatrensis. It has been, however, shown by Dr. Falconer and others, that although certain differences are to be noticed, they are not of sufficient value to create a new species; but they are still of sufficient importance to form a variety.
In size, notwithstanding the differences of opinion to be found between certain writers on this subject, some saying that the Indian and others that the African Elephant is the larger, it seems perfectly clear that there cannot be much difference between the two species, and that the maximum height is about eleven feet.
The Indian Elephant (where the progress of civilisation has not interfered with it) is found over the greater part of the forest lands of India, Ceylon, Burmah, Siam, Cochin-China, the Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra; but it is doubtful whether it is indigenous to any of the other islands of the Eastern Archipelago. Unlike the African species, to a certain extent, it appears to have a partiality for coolness and shade; indeed, Sir J. Emerson Tennent says that “although found generally in warm and sunny climates it is a mistake to suppose that the Elephant is partial either to heat or to light. In Ceylon, the mountain tops, and not the sultry valleys, are its favourite resort. In Oovah, where the elevated plains are often crisp with the morning frost, and on Pedura-talla-galla, at the height of upwards of eight thousand feet, they are found in herds, whilst the hunter may search for them without success in the hot jungles of the low country.”
In some parts of the country Elephants are exceedingly destructive to crops of grain. And in various parts of India, notwithstanding the care and trouble taken to watch the crops, they do much injury. When the rice approaches maturity it is necessary to place watchers throughout the night in places which they frequent. Stages are erected on posts twelve or fourteen feet high, and on one side of the stage a small shed is made for the watchmen, two of whom always mount the same stage. One feeds a fire kept constantly burning on the open part, while the other in his turn is allowed to sleep, and when any Elephants come into the field, he is awakened and both join in shouting and making all the noise they can with sticks and drums.
The food of the Elephant appears to be considerably varied, and chosen by the animal with no small amount of daintiness; sweet-tasting fruits, seeds, and blossoms he has the greatest partiality for, and in their selection much destruction is occasioned by a herd of these huge animals. Tennent says that in Ceylon, where the food of the Elephant is most abundant, the animal never appears to be in a hurry to eat; but amuses himself with playing with the leaves, shaking the trees, tearing the bark, and now and then pausing to eat, altogether taking the whole affair in a very leisurely sort of way. He is especially fond of the fruit of the palmyra palm, and never fails to make his appearance in the districts where these trees grow when the fruit begins to fall to the ground. Although the amount of food consumed by Elephants in their wild state is very large, there is reason to believe that many stories told of their extraordinary eating capabilities are much exaggerated. It by no means follows that because an Elephant in a tame state will eat so much bread, turnips, hay, &c., that it consumes the same quantity of its natural food in a wild state. The Elephants are believed to drink nightly in very hot weather, but in cool weather only every third or fourth day, and for this purpose they travel long distances to their watering-places, even as far as ten or twenty miles, refreshing themselves by a bath and a drink at the same time when they reach their destination.
Various modes are used for catching Elephants; but the usual practice is to drive them into what is termed a keddah. The keddah is a large area surrounded by a broad ditch, and towards the entrance is a similar construction to the main body, but smaller, acting as a sort of funnel, into which the Elephants enter when driven from the jungle, and which assists in getting them into the keddah itself.
On discovering a large herd of Elephants, a body of men, often numbering six or eight thousand, are collected to surround them, carrying all sorts of instruments likely to create a noise, such as firearms, drums, trumpets, &c., Elephants being exceedingly alarmed by any unusual noises. By this means they are gradually driven into the keddah, sometimes from a distance of thirty or forty miles, which frequently occupies some days. When the Elephants find themselves fairly entrapped, they become violent and use their utmost endeavours to break down the barriers.
