Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon

ts of Elephants-Elephants in the Lake-Herd of Elephants Bathing-Elephant-shooting-The Rencontre-The

culty to an immense extent, but although the amount of the same power possessed by animals may be infinit

ear to be closely allied, they a

n various features, as circumstances may call forth the operation of the power; but so wonderful are the attributes of Nature that the details of her arrange

ases, never improves. It is possessed now in the nineteenth century by every race of

a. This is the effect of "reason;" but "instinct," although beautiful in its original construction, remains, like the blossom of a tree, ever the same-a limited effect produced by a given cause; an unchangeable la

is their share of instinct. Reason differs from instinct as combining the effects of thought and reflection; this

erless exemplifications of these powers, in some of which the efforts of com

comfortable little dwelling within? Where does the needle and thread come from? The first is the delicate bill of the bird itself, and the latter is the

days of Adam constructed her nest in a similar manner, whic

f their nests is to avoid the attacks of snakes and lizards. These nests are about two feet long, composed of beautifully woven grass, shaped like an elongated pear. They are attached like fruit to the extreme end of a

of the occupants; but, however wonderful the arrangement and the beauty of the work as exhibited among b

allery of fine clay in the direction of his operations; beneath this his devastation proceeds until he has penetrated to the interior of the beam,

ndous nests, it is true, but their interior economy is less active and thrifty than that of many other species of ants,

in and lay them in their respective places. This looks very like a power of reasoning, as it is decidedly beyond instinct. If they were to carry out the eggs every morning, wet or dry, it would be an effort of instinct

tom of turning the reasoning powers

from underneath a building, in which case their ravages could on

ledge of the habits of the black ant

ncing, in a narrow line of many yards in length, to storm the stronghold of the white ants. They enter the hole, and they destroy every white ant in the building. Resistance there can be none, as the plethoric, slow-going white ant is as a mouse to a cat in the encounter with his active enemy, added to which the black ant is furnished with a most venomous sting, in addition to a powerful pair of mandibles.

ning powers among the insect classes, but this faculty bec

d in the performance of well-trained dogs, especially among pointers and setters. Again, in the feats performed by educated animals in the circus, where the elephant has lately endeavored to prove a want o

tion. The former, even in their wild state, are so little inferior to some natives, either in their habits or appearance, that I should feel some reluctance in denying them

ace. This monkey stands upward of three feet high, and weighs about eighty pounds. He has immense muscular power, and he has also a great peculiarity in the formation of the skull, which is closely allied to that of a human being, the lowe

tion of reason hardly to be expected in any animal. They are likewise wonderfully sagacious in a wild state in preserving themselves from accidents, to which, from their bulk

und, standing among the alleys roamed by the fragments heaped around them. It is surprising to witness the dexterity of elephants in traversing ground over which a man can pass with difficulty. I have seen places on the mountains in the neighborhood of Newera Ellia bearing the unmistakable marks of elephants where I could not have conceived it possible for such an animal to stand. On the precipitous sides of jungle-covered mountains, where the ground is so steep that a man is forced to cling to the underwood for support, the elephants still plough their irresistible course. In descending or ascending these places, the elephant a always describes a zigzag, and thus lessens the abruptness of the inclination. Their immense weight acting on their broad feet, bordered by sharp horny

agacity assures him is insecure; he will sound it with his trunk and press upon it wit

fixed in a swamp. This is the more extraordinary as their habits induce them to frequent the most extensive morasses, deep lakes, muddy tanks and estuaries, and yet I have never seen even a young one get into a s

these days, as the number of guns have so disturbed the elephants in Ceylon that they rarely come out to drink until late

ell; we had been for some weeks in the most unhealthy part of the country, and I was just recovering from a touch of dysentery: altogether, we were looking forward with pleasure to our return to comfortable quarters, and for the time we were tired of jungle life. Howev

to scare them. This looked all right; so we loaded the guns and started without loss of time, as it was then one P. M., and the natives described the tank as a mile distant. Being perfectly conversant with the vague idea of space describe

that, as usual, we should be led tip to some dense, thorny jungle, and told that the elephants were somewhere in that direction. Not being very sanguine, I had accordingly taken no trouble about my gun-bearer

ts within two hundred yards from the dam a couple of feet deep in water, with a proportionate amount of sticky mud beneath, and through this we splashed until the dam appeared about fifty yards on our right. It was a simple earthen mound, which rose about ten feet from the level of the

osite side. He almost immediately beckoned us to come up. This we did without loss of time, and

rass. In the lake, browsing upon the grass, we counted twenty-three elephants, and there were many little ones, no doubt, that we could not distinguish in such rank vegetation. Fiv

the cool water. However, this was not elephant-shooting, and the question was, how to get at them? The natives had no idea of the sport, as they seemed to think it very odd

tack; and even were the elephants within the forest, there appeared to be no possibility of following them up through such deep wate

formed a mud embankment strengthened by sticks and wattles. Poor fellows! we were not surprised at their wishing the elephants destroyed; the repair of their fragile dam was now a

ded to a width of about two hundred yards, after which it

illagers for about a half a mile along the edge of the lake, with orders to shout and make a grand hullaballoo on arriving at their station. It seemed most probable that on being disturbed

nd trunks, the whole herd closed together and made a simultaneous rush for their old thoroughfare. Away we skipped through the water, straight in shore through the forest, until we reached the dry ground, when, turning sharp to our right, we so

sitions, so as to command either side of the herd on their arrival, with our gun-bearers squatted around us behind our respective trees, while the non-spor

down exactly upon us, and not a hundred yards distant. Here was luck! There was a grim and very murderous smile of satisfaction on either countenance as we quietly cocked the rifles and awa

re within twenty yards, and we were still undiscovered, when those rascally villagers, who had already taken to the trees, scrambled stil

th took the same bird, and down went another to the joint shots. Palliser then got another shot and bagged one more, when the herd pushed straight out to the deep lake, with the exception of a few elephants, who turned to the right; after which Palliser hurried through the mud and water, w

meet the herd once more on their entrance to the jungle. It was now that I deplored the absence of my regular gun-bearers; the village people had no taste for this gigantic scale of amusement, and the men who carried my guns would not keep up; Fortunately, Carrasi, the best gun-bearer, was there, and he ha

did not take the same precaution, and the leading elephants both saw and winded us when at a hundred paces distant. This time, however, they were determined to push on for a piece of thicker jungle, which they knew lay in this direction,

me so near and gaining upon them, took to the ruse of a beaten fleet and scattered in all directions; but I kept a few big fellows in view, who were still pretty well together, and managed to overtake the rearmost and knock him over. Up went the tail and trunk of one of the leading bulls at the report of the shot, and trumpeting shrilly, he ran first to one side,

vertake them, as they were going at a slapping pace and I was tolerably blown with a long run at full speed, part of which had been thr

But it was only for a few seconds, for, on entering the thick bushes, he wheeled sharp round and came rushing out in full charge. This was very plucky, but very foolish, as his ret

e through the forest. Carrasi now came to my assistance and likewise held on by his tail; but away we went like the tender to a steam-engine; wherever the elephant went there we were dragged in company. Another man now came to the rescue; but his assistance was not of the slightest rise, as the animal was so powerful and of such weight that he could have run away with half a dozen of us unless his legs were tied. Unfortunately we had no rope, or I could have secured him immediately, and seeing that we had no power over him whatever, I was obliged to run back for one of the guns to shoot him. On my return it was laughable to see the pace at which he was running away with the two men, who were holding on to his tail like grim death, the elephant not having ceased roaring during the run. I accordingly settled him, and returned to have a little conversation with the rascals were still perched in the trees. I was extremely annoyed, as these people, if they had possessed a grain of sense, mi

the hunted villager while he was hastening toward my direction. This combination of sounds naturally led him to expect that some accident had occurred, especially as some of the yells indic

it happened, in such deep mud and water the elephants had it all their own way, and our joint bag could not produce mor

and we were obliged to leave him behind for some weeks; fortunately, there was an ex

ry and runs madly away in a day's shooting. I now have to speak of the reasoning powers of the canine race, and I confess my weakness. I feel perfectly certain that the pen will serve me the same trick, and that it will be plunging through a

as the fork is conveying delicate morsels to your mouth. There is neither hope nor despair exhibited in his countenance-he knows those pieces are not for him. There is an expression of impatience about the eye as he scans your features, which seems to say, "Gre

. Watch his expression of intense and yet careful excitement, as he draws upon his game, step by step, crouching close to the ground, and occasionally moving his head slowly round to see if his master is close up. Look at the bitch at the other end of the field, backing him like a statue, while the old dog still creeps on. Not a step farther will

ese dogs in driving a large flock of sheep? Then turn to the Mont St. Bernard dog and the Newfoundla

ot sufficiently domesticated, and their intercourse with man is confined to the one particular branch of hunting; but in this purs

ply a hound, this was confined to elk hunting; he was like the foxhunter of the la

7, by F. J. Templer, Esq. He subsequently belonged to

actly where to look for one. I am convinced that he knew the date of a track from its appearance, as I have constantl

am flows through the centre. To this the elk, who are out feeding in the night, are sure to repair at about four in the morning for their las

rike off to the jungle and try along the edge, until he reached the spot at which the elk had entered. At these times he committed the only fault which he possessed (for an elk-hound); he would immediately open upon the scent, and, by alarming the e

h his finding and hunting, although the rest of the pack would shoot ahead, and the elk was frequently brought to bay and killed before old Bluebeard had finished his hun

of of his reasoning powers du

an Newera Ellia, and are situated in the district of Dimboola. They are composed of undulating knolls of fine grass, wi

ut was very uncertain, and having long lost all sound of the hounds we wandered here and there to no purpos

minutes at my post when I observed, at about six hundred yards distant, a strong ripple in the river like the letter V, and it immediately struck me that an elk had co

llows to cross, and I accordingly lost sight of the elk; but upon arriving at the spot where I imagined the elk would land, I saw her going off across the patina, a quarter of a mile away. The greyh

at a tremendous pace, and, being fresh, they rapidly overhauled her; gradually the distance between them diminished, and at length they had a fair course down a gentle inclination which led toward the river. Here the greyhounds soon

nning another elk, we ran to a hill which overlooked the river and kept a bright look-out. We soon discovered that he was true upon the sam

e returned after his fruitless search, and once more he took to water. I began to despair of the possibility of his finding; but the true old bound was now swimming steadily down the stream, crossing and recrossing from either bank, and still pursuing his course down the river. At length he neared the spot where I knew that the elk had landed, and we eagerly watched to see if he would pass the scent, as he was now sever