A SOCIABLE YOUNG ELEPHANT.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—I venture to send you the following instance of the' sociability of a young elephant. Three elephants trapped in the Gurwhal Forest were sent for education to the Forest Bungalow at Myapore, where I was stopping ; two were full- grown, the third was half-grown. The latter did not evince any part:cala.r attachment to either of the others, and was probably the progeny of neither. The full-grown elephants were fettered and chained to trees, the umbrage of which they preferred to the sunshine, in front of each sat a mahout- talking to them nearly all day, occasionally throwing them bits of sugar-cane. The animals, however, sulked and were- fretful, sometimes making demonstrations of charging their mahouts, for which they were scolded, and just pricked on their trunks with the point of a spear. By persistence in this treatment and luxurious living—bread, coarse sugar, and
rum, in addition to their usual vegetable diet—they were soon domesticated. The young one who grubbed with the others, was .quite able to take care of himself, and was not under restraint, but free to go where he would,—the forest he came from was but twelve links away. He made himself acquainted with the exterior of the bung.alow, with its precincts, with the people, and seemed to think his lines bad fallen in pleasant places, at -once settling down to enjoy life. He would pick my pockets, and if there was no sugar there would beg and coax me to go and get some, but he had not the politeness to trumpet thanks, —wanted more! Perhaps everybody knows that twice the girth of an -elephant's foot is its height to the shoulder.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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