The Wonders of the Jungle, Book One

The Tricks

all the things that an animal has to learn in order to get enough to eat every day, what to do when food is scarce, how to be comfortable a

learn is not like a lesson in school, but just play. In fact they

eaches it to feed from the jungle. All elephants eat tender shoots, herbs, and fresh young leaves; they seize

Child Lea

the little elephant watches her do it. Then she looks at a low bou

nd pulls it down. But it cannot get the end of the bough into its mo

ight!" says M

right. Then its Mamma puts her own trunk over that of her child, and turns it

ys. "So you must bend your trunk, or turn it, or twist it,

hant has to learn-how to use its trunk as we use

to-day in the courtyard of a palace in India. He is the biggest elephant that ever was; that is why he lives in

held in honor of the King of England. On that day a lovely cloth of silk woven with gold was put on the elepha

n he visited India a few years ago; and at other times he has carried G

st like a man, and it is written down in books with the names of all the grand off

amma were quite wild then. It was only after

d "Swats" Tor

pping his trunk into the water, she had another useful thing to teach him. In the jungle there are swarms of tormenting flies; they come buz

trunk will not reach more than halfway down the side of the body; and the elephant is too stiff to bend his body as we do; and

actually make the trunk longer, but he breaks off a small bough of a tree and holds it at the end

ma taught him to do. After t

The sun gets very hot, and when the elephants are feeding from tree to tree, or marching throu

ard themselves from th

head and over his back! But his trunk would soon get tired of holding anything as big as that! Besides, he has to use his trunk all the time to feed!

ers his Back

is careful to lay them in proper order, and to criss-cross them, so that the boughs will not fall off. In fact,

o prevent any rain or sunshine from creeping in through the little spaces between the thatches. So also the thatch on the ele

ground; then he curls up the trunk over his back, and blows the dust over the gaps in the thatch on his back. Of course he has to do

lephants to think out, all by themselves? An

Papa. In feeding through the jungle, when all the elephants march and eat from tree to tree, Salar walked with his Papa, and beg

nts Walk u

pa kept watching him with the corner of his eye. Little by little he drew nearer and nearer to Salar, and waited till the youngster came to a part where the

runk, you simp!

ear out of the water. Then what was Salar's joy and surprise to find that he could breathe quite well, though his feet were

another butt, though still holding the yo

the water. So he learned to do a wonderful thing-he learned to remain completely under the water, so that his feet were a

so that a whole herd of elephants can walk into a stream in time of danger, and disappear from sight,

, on reaching the river, that the whole herd had disappeared as if by magic. They saw nothing, and did not dream that the little things floating he

e elephants are the wisest of all animals, next after men folks. And

down trees in the jungle to clear a way for himself; or sometimes he has to do that to make an open spa

Break Down or

nk, just as you might use your hand to pull out a small shrub. Then he chose a tree about six inches

with all his weight-as you see in the picture. The tree bent more an

risking around his father, impa

bout the same size. He made a dash at t

said nothing. For all

d not yet started growing on it. The tree looked quite hard and strong, but it was rea

reaking a Tre

just as he had seen his father do to the other tree,-snap went the tree lik

d I not show you, silly, how to try it first careful

did!" Salar sai

st remember never to put your foot into anything before trying it first with your tr

elephant put his back on it and heaved. Little by little the tree bent on that side, but not very much. The elep

t hits the nail on one side, and then on the other side; and he g

and then he heaved from the other side; and he went on heaving from side to side, till he loosened the tree fr

with his body, though of course he co

rned from his father, and I shall tell you