Year: 1860

The first employment 10 which an ele-
plant is put is treading clay in brick field,
or dragging a wagon in double harness with
a tame companion. But the work in which
the display of sagacity renders his labors
of the highest value is that which involves
the use of heavy materials and hence in
dragging and piling timber, or moving
stones for the construction of retaining
walls and the approaches to bridges, his
services in an unopened country are of the
utmost importance. When roads are TO be
constructed along the face of steep declivi-
ties, and the space is so contracted that
risk is incurred either of the elephant fall
ing over the precipice or of rocks slipping
down from above, not only are the meas
ures which he resorts TO the most judicious
and reasonable that could be divised. but If
urged by his keeper TO adopt any other, he
manifests reluctance which shows that he
has balanced in his own mind the compar-
ative advantages of each. He appears, on
all occasions, to comprehend the purpose
and object which he is expected topromote,
and hence he voluntarily executes a varie-
ty of details without any guidance whatso-
ever from his keeper. This is one charac-
telistic in which the elephant manitests a
superiority over the horse although in
strength in proportion to his weight he does
not equal the latter. His minute motions
when enerossed in such operations, the ac-
tivity of his eye, and the earnestness of his
attitudes, can only be comprehended by be-
ing seen. In moving timber and masses of
rock the trunk is the instrument with which
he mainly goes to work, but those which
have tusks turn them 20 account; TO get
weighty stone ont of a hollow he kneels
down so as TO apply the pressure of his
head to move it upwards, then steadying it
with one foot till he can raise himself he
applies fold of his trunk to shift its place,
and adjust it accurately in position; this
done, he steps round to view it on either
side, and re-adjust it with due precision.
He appears to guage his task by his eye,
to form Judgment whether the weight be
proportionatc to his strength. IF doubtful
of his own power, he hesitates and halts,
and if urged against his will, he roars and
shows temper.


In clearing an opening through forest
land, the power of the African elephant,
and the strength ascribed TO him by re-
cent traveller, as displayed in uprooting
trees has never been equalled or approach
ed by anything | have seen of the elephant
in Ceylon or heard of them in India. OF
course, much must depend on the nature of
the timber and the moisture Of the soil; a
strong tree on the verge of a swamp may
be ovelthrown with greater ease than a
small and low one in parched and solid
ground. | have seen no stree" deserving
the name, nothing but jungle and brush
wood, thrown down by the mere movement
of an elephant without some special exer-
ton of force. But he is, by no means fond
of gratuitously tasking his strength and his
| food being so abundant that he obtains it
without an effort, it is not altogether ap-
parent, even were he able TO do so, why he
should "assail the largest trees in the for
est" and cucumber his own haunts with
their broken stems especially as there is
scarcely anything which an elephant more
dislikes than TO venture amongst fallen tim
Der.


A tree of twelve inches in diameter, re-
sisted successfully the most strenuous strug-
gles Of the largest elephants ] saw led td
il in corral; and when directed by their
keepers TO clear away growing timber the
removal of even small tree, or a healthy
young cocoa-nut palm, is a matter both o.
time and exertion TO the tame ones. For
this reason the services of an elephant are
of much less value in clearing forest than
in dragging and piling felled timber. But
In the latter occupation in particular, he
manifests an intelligence and dexterIty
which are surprising TO stranger, because
the sameness of the operation enables the
animal TO 90 on for hours disposing of log
after log, almost without hint or direc-
tion from his attendant. In this manner
two elephants employed in piling ebony
and satinwood in the yards attached TO the
commissariat at Colombo, were so accus-
toned 10 the work that they were enabled
TO accomplish it with greater rapidity than
if it had been done by dock laborers
When the pile attained ceatain height
and they were no lor ger able by their con
ioint efforts fo raise one of the heavy log
of ebony to the summit, they had beer
taught TO lean two pieces against the heap
up the incline plane Of WHICH they gently
rolled the remaining logs, and placed then
irimly on the top.