ELEPHANTINE MEMORY.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SFECITATOR.1
SIR,-2 propos of your article on "The Elephant Inquest" in the Spectator of February 24th, perhaps the following may interest yon. An elephant was being sent up from Bombay to the Delhi Assemblage in January, 1877, by the then Governor, Sir P. Wodehouse. On the way it met a party of men, one of whom had been its mahout and had ill-treated it, as it turned out afterwards. Without any warning, it singled out this man and killed him instantly, and then escaped into the jungle, without hurting any one else. We had an elephant out with a party hog-hunting, carrying our things. It was seen to go off without its mahout, but before doing so it replaced with its trunk some things that bad fallen off its back. What wonderful reasoning power ! Sir P. Wodehouse had a young African elephant he was very fond of shoe ing. One day it got obstreperous, and he sent for an old Indian elephant to keep it in order. It was most amusing to see the way it whacked the small one with its trunk, bat it had the desired effect. It is a pity these sagacious and interesting animals should be so ill-treated at times, for they are undoubtedly very vindictive and their memory is wonderful.—I am, Sir, dec.,
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