ASIATIC ELEPHANT. The more familiar Indian elephant is prominently distinguished from the African by having a rather high, oblong head with a concave forehead, cars hardly more than half as large, and the eye smaller. Tusks are pre=ent only in the males and are only about half as large or heavy as African tusks; and the molar teeth are different. There are four and five toes on the hind feet, and the trunk terminates in the flexible finger-like pro longation already described. 1 he height of the average male is about O feet, and of the average female about S feet, weighing from 2 to 3 tons: but specimens exceeding 10 feet in height are not very rare. They become fully grown at the age of twenty-five, hut their teeth do not show complete maturity until some years later. Sev eral captive specimens have been known to live a eentury, and it seems likely that in a wild state they may sometimes reach an age of 150 years. Their distribution is somewhat less ex tensive than formerly, but the species ranges at the present day through the forested regions from Ceylon, the we-tern Ghats. and Himalayan foot hills eastward to Coehin China and southward to Sumatra and Borneo; but Blanford believes that their presence in Borneo may be due to human agency. They keep to the shady forests, rarely showing themselves in the open except at night or on cloudy or rainy days. for they soon feel great distress from exposure to the sun.
Elephants breed not rarely in it state of domes tication, although where owned for breeding pur poses, as m Siam, the studs are kept up by the capture and addition of new individuals. They are generally tamed within a few months after they are captured; some degree of severity being employed at first, which. however, as soon as the animal has begun to respect the power of Mall, is exchanged for kindness and gentleness of treatment. Elephants intended for domestica tion are captured in various ways. It was for merly common to take them in pitfalls, but in this way they were often much injured. Another method frequently practiced is by the aid of tame elephants. Alale elephants chiefly are cap tured in this way. the decoy elephants employed being females, trained for the purpose. With these the hunters very cautiously approach the animal they mean to capture. Two of the fe males take their places, one on each side of him. while the men contrive to get beneath their bodies, and to pass ropes round the legs of the intended captive. His two hind legs are fastened together by six or eight ropes, another rope keeping them tight at the intersections, and a strong cable with a running noose is attached to each hind leg. About twenty minutes are
usually spent in fixing the necessary ropes, pro found silence being maintained if the process goes on unobserved. or some of the other hunters distracting the attention of the elephant from those who are engaged in this work: and when at last. becoming sensible of his danger, he tries to retreat, an opportunity is soon found of tying him, by means of the long cables which trail be hind him, to some tree strong enough for the purpose. Ilis fury then becomes ungovernable, and it is not until he has thoroughly exhausted himself, and begins t6 suffer severely from fatigue, thirst, and hunger. that the next steps are taken toward taming him.
But these huge animals are not always cap tured singly; whole herds are often taken at once. This is accomplished by means of an in closure, toward which the elephants are driven by great numbers of men encircling a consider able space, and contracting the circle by slow degrees. Weeks, or even months, are spent in this operation, and at last the elephant:. hemmed in on every side except the mouth of the in closure, enter' it, and the gate is immediately closed. The modes of constructing the inclosure are different in different parts of the East. Tame elephants are sometimes sent into it, and the captive; are in succession made fast to trees there. in a way somewhat similar to that prac ticed in capturing single elephants.
These elephants first became known in Europe from their employment in the wars of the East. They have been taught to cut and thrust with a kind of scimitar carried in the trunk, and it was formerly usual for them to be sent into battle, covered with armor, and bearing towers on their backs, \Vide]] contained warriors. But the prin cipal use of the elephant in war is for carrying baggage and for dragging guns. Elephants are used in the East for carrying perso»s on their backs, a number being seated together in a 'howdah,' while the driver (mahout) sits on the elephant's neck, directing it by his voice and to' a small goad. Elephants have always a con spicuous place in the great processions and state displays of Eastern princes, and white elephants —albinos—are peculiarly valued. Elephants are also employed in many kinds of labor, and dis play great sagacity in comprehending the nature of their task and adapting themselves to it.