The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-09
THEODORE ROOSEVELT WRITES
ON THE HABITS OF ELEPHANTS
Big
in
oreoe

Theodore Roosevelt, writing in Scrib-
ner's magazine for October, says of the
elephant:
With the possible exception of the lion,
the elephant is the wisest and most IN
feresting of all the kinds of big game.
Most of them at times perform queer and
unexpected feats or show traits that upset
the Observers previous generalizations
gut the lion is forced by the exlgencies
of life of prey to develop abilities as
marked as they are sinister; and the ele-
phant instead of growing in stupidity as
1gell as weight has become the most intel
lgent of gramnivores, with an emotional
and intellectual nature sufficiently COM
plex to make him a subject-of endless
interest to the observer.
The elephants physical and mental
equipment fts it for life under utterly
iiverse- sehditions. Most game animals
live in narrowly circumscribed habitats;
for instance, the bushbuck In the forests,
the hartebeests on the plains, the oryN
in dry, almost desert country.
Elephant Wanders Everywhere
But the elepahnt wanders everywhere,
being equally at home in the haunts of
bushbuck oryx and hartebeesr. 1t goes
high among the cold bamboo belts of the
mountains, it loves tbs hot, dense.
swampy lowland forests, it lives in the
barren desert where it has to travel
score of miles for drink of bitter water.
Sometimes herds make long migrations,
swarming for several months in a To-
nf
not an elephant will be found within 100
miles of it.
Elsewhere they may live in the same
neighborhood all the year round.
On the south slope of Mt. Kenia found
the elephants living in the daytime in
the thick forest, but at night often wan
dering down into the plain fields near the
native villages. In the ,Lado 1 found
herds of elephants living day and night
in the same places, in the dry, open plains
of tallish grass, sprinkled with acacias
and a few palms. The old bulls usually
keep by themselves, alone or in small par
ties: herds exclusively composed of cows
and calves are common; but often both
sexes mingle in a herd. and some of the
largest tuskers are always accompanied
by herds of cows. which seem to take
pride in them and watch over and pro-
test them.
Mother Joins the Herd
By the time the calf is a week old the
Uother has Joined the herd, usually COM
posed of other nursing or expectant moth
sexes
The COW takes the utmost care of the
calf; if it is drinking at pool she will
chase away any other member of the
herd which she thinks may interfere with
it. The cows guard the calves against
the attacks of wild beasts.
In extremely rare cases, three-parts
grown elephant cows, or half grown bulls,
have been attacked by parties of hungry
lions; but a rule, an animal is safe
after it is three or four years old.
Young calves, however, are eagerly
sought after by lions and even by leopards
and hyenas. The COWS are always on the
alert against such foes, and drive them
away in a twinkling if they are discov-
cred, uniting In the rush against them,
just as they frequently unite in a rush
against the human hunter.
Spend Time Eating
Elephants, like most game spend the
major part of their time eating; but un-
like most game, their food is of great
variety. They Craze and browse indiffer-
entity They are fond of making inroads
on the fields OF the natives, devouring inn
mense quantities of beans and corn and
melons. and destroying far more than
they devour
They are fond of various fruits, some
~ them SO small that it must be both
1sncrious. and delicate work to pick them
in s0fficient numbers to stay the giant
beasts appetite. | have watched one
feeding on grass; it behaved in the usual
Ieisureiy elephant manner, plucking roll
of grass with it's trunk, perhaps waving
IL about and then tucking 1t away into
its mouth 49,
In the stomach of another found bark,
leaves, abutilon tips, and the flowers,
and twig-ends of a big shrub or bush.
Donbeya mairobenss
They wreck the small trees on which
& they feed, butting or rather pressing
them down with their foreheads, or get
ting on their knees and uprooting them
with their tusks. They are fond Of feei-
ing on the acacias, although 1t is hard
to see how they avoid wounding both
I 4he.r trunks and their tongues and jaws
With the thorns. have watched one
neoak on an acacia branch, thrust II