The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1891-04-09
INTELLIGENT ANiMAi.
Instances of Reasoning Power In
Elephants.
The Careful Manner In Which They Guard
Children In Their Native County.
A Peculiar Trait of the Mann
moth Brute.


A Peculiar Trait of the Mann
moth Brute.
Every one knows that the elephant
can be trained to do all kinds of work."
says Thomas w. Knox in his volume en-
titled 'sHorse Stories and Stories OF
Other Animals" ''While have no hest
tation abont relating instances bearing
on this statement, prefer to tell of oc-
soning power in the animal.
TT is customary in the settlements to
water the cattle from large wooden
buckets filled with water pumped from
a we'll. This is done that they may not
drink the water of the reservoirs, which
is stagnant and unwholesome. Ordi-
narily the pumping is done at early
morning by one of the elephants, the
work taking nearly an. hour. Accus-
toned to the task, he does not wait to
be ordered, and every morning, an hour
before sunrise, he is at his labor with
the precision of living alarm-clocls.
II was staying once at Trichinopoly,
at the house of friend of mine, mer-
chant, who owned grand villa few
leagues outside the city. The sun was
rising, and my servant had just awak-
ened me for my bath. Passing through
the yard saw large white elephant
working at the pump. He closed his
eyes sadly, and was apparently trying
to turn his thoughts from his wearisome
labor. He saluted my presence with
joyful Tapping of his ears, for during
the two days since my arrival l had
given him many dainties, but he did not
cease from his work, which had to be
finished.
81 was stroking him with my hans in
passing, when noticed that one of the
two planlls which supported the bucket
on either side had fallen away. 1t thus
happened that the bucket, being up
held on one side only, spilled it's con-
tents, without a possibility of being
filed.
1.-The elephant did not think that his
work was ended because one side of the
bucket was filed; nor did he attempt
the impossible feat of trying to fill the
other side until both sides were even.
In few minutes the water commenced
to run from the lower side of the buck
ct, and the animal began to show signs
OF uneasiness; nevertheless, he contin-
ued to pump Soon, however, he
dropped the handle, and drew nearer
to observe the cause of the trouble. He
returned to the pump three times, each
time coming back to examine the buck
ct. / awaited the end of this strange
scene with unflagging interest. All at
once waving of the ears seemed to in
dictate that an idea had occurred to him.
HE came over to lift up the plank
that had fallen away, and for moment
thought that he intended to put it
back in its place under the lower side
of the bucket. But he was not troubled
about the lower side, which was al
ready filled with water: it was the
other side which annoyed him. Lifting
the bucket carefully, he supported it
for a moment with one of his great feet,
while with his trunk he pulled out the
second plank and placed the bucket on
solid earth, thus making it even on all
sides. This done, the labor of filling it
was easy.
1.-The elephant is much attached to
the women and children in the villages,
and it would be dangerous for stran-
ger to make even an unfriendly gesture
in the presence of this animal.
1T is a remarkable sight to see him
guard his masters children in their
promenades; he watches every thing
beasts, serpents, turf pits and swamps.
in fact, any danger which may be i'm
agined is overcome by his presence. His
pace is regulated by that of the children,
and he attends them, gathering flowers,
fruit from the trees and sugar canes; at
a motion from one of them he win break
a tree branch il one desires to make a
whip or cane. At the slightest noise
which he does not understand, If he sees
a jackal or hyena in the distant thicket,
he instantly gathers his brood under his
trunk, commences to roar with rage,
and any thing, lion, tiger or man, which
threatens harm to his charges, is in
danger of being dashed TO the ground.
In the lowlands of the Ganges, a
swampy country covered with jungles
and rice fields, the royal Bengal tiger is
found of great size and ferocity. The
combats between this terrible beast and
the elephant, guarding the cattle, serv-
ants or children of his master, are of
almost daily occurrence. The royal
Bengal tiger is so fierce that he never
refuses to fight his adversary, although
the end Of the combat generally finds
him crushed to death under the feet of
his terrible enemy. In spite of the fact
that the elephant is an Implying foe in
his battles with the tiger, bear or rhi-
noceros, he never molests the smaller,
inoffensive animals. No matter what
power a keeper may have over him, it
is impossible to make him crush an
insect. 4
There is little insect which children
in France call les betes bon Dieu.
The same insect is found in India, but
growing to a size twice as large as in
France. Ihave often seen one of these
little creatures placed on q level surface,
in the troughs Of a yard, for instance.
I have seen the elephant ordered to
crush the insect, but never, for master
or driver, would he lift his foot above it
in passing by, evidently avoiding any
opportunity to do harm. If, on the CON
trary, he is commanded to bring it to
you, he will pick it up delicately with
his trunk and place it in your hands
without bruisinQ it's WINGS"
Electric Cars for Iheumatics.
Accounts come from st. Louis of the
latest craze in that city, which is to ride