The Agagir swordsmen of the Hamram Arabs hamstring the Abyssinian elephants with swords. The Abyssinians still eat the flesh and that of hippopotami, as .deseribed by Strabo (lib. xvi. p. 772, and Died. Sic. lib. p. 161).
In India, at the present day, the herds driven into the kraal or kheddah are sometimes very numerous. In January and February 18-2 Mr. Sanderson captured 10G in the comparatively small forest tract near Dacca ; and immediately afterwards, 23 more near the Garo Hills ; and in 1874 (1st July) he captured 53 of a herd in .Mysore.
The Ceylon elephants are found in all the uncul tivated parts of the island, but their favourite haunts are near to the farms, to which they prove so destructive, that the colonial governtnent paid 7s. Gd. for every tail of the animal which was brought to the authorities. Mr. Talbot paid £200 during one year for tails, which would give 600 as the number of elephants destroyed. One officer actually killed, during his residence on the island, no less than 600 of these gigantic animals. They are ordinarily shot with a rifle. The sportsman approaches his game in front, so that he may aim at either of the only two vital parts upon which a rifle ball will have any effect, ono being directly in the forehead, through which the brain is pene trated, and the other behind tho ear.
The catching and taming of elephants furnish a largo source of revenue to the Nepal government. The T'haroo elephant catchers, flaying marked down a wild herd of 300 or 400 elephants, about 200 T'haroo collect together, inounted upon ele phants, and accompanied by two large taking ele phants,' highly fed, and thereby kept always must (sensual). The herd of wild elephants having been started, they get away trumpeting and whistling into the thickest part 'of the forest, hotly pursued by the mounted T'haroo, each of whom is pro vided with three or more nooses, called the moosack, which is made of very strong raw hide, well soaked in oil, and so ingeniously contrived, that when once attached to the elephant, the hind leg,s are gradually drawn together at every step it takes, until it is brought to a complete stand-still. The chase continues frequently for
20 miles at full speed, until in fact the wild herd becomes blown, and is brought to a stand. The danger then commences, from the wild ones dashing at their pursuers, in their turn causing the most intense e-xeitement during half an hour, until the arrival of the two must elephants, whose bulk prevents their keeping up with the more active ones ridden by the Tharoo. These twb elephants, each having three keepers upon their backe, dash into the herd. Their appearance, accompanied by the powerful nauseous odour emitted by must elephants, creates an immediate panic among the wild ones, and soon paralyzes their efforts of resistanck. The active little T'haroo now slide down from their steeds, and, under cover of ono of the must elephants, who pushes himself forcibly against the wild one selected from the herd, they in a most dexterous and daring manner slip the moosack on to each of the hind legs, which performance occupies about three minutes. The noosed elephant ia then allowed to depart, and ho goes off evidently delighted ; but as the noose becomes contracted at every stride, he finds his intended flight brought to a close at a distance of sixty or seventy yards. After operating upon about fifty wild elephants in a shnilar manner, the T'haroo permit the remainder of the herd to abscond, and employ themselves in fastening the noosed ele phants to separate trees, where they are detained from two to three weeks under the careful charge of the takers. If any of the captured show symptoms of violence, they are immediately punished most severely by two of the large tame elephants, who belabour them unmercifully with their trunks. Two such thrashings effectually cure the most insubordinate, and at the expiration of six weeks the once free and independent denizen of the forest has a keeper 01:1 his back, and becomes as quiet as if he had been in a state of subjection all his life. The full-grown female elephants of Nepal seldom exceed 7i feet in height, but the males of forty years old, at which age they are considered to be full grown, average from 9 to 11 feet.