THE ELEPHANT.
[To TEE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—As an instance of the sagacity of the elephant, the fol- lowing anecdote may be of interest. It was told me by Mr.. Quay,--at the time a non-commissioned officer in the 1st Battalion of the 60th Rifles, but now one of her Majesty's Yeomen of the Guard.
In 1853, his regiment was marching from Peshawur to Kopulvie, and was accompanied by a train of elephants. It- was the duty of the mahout in charge of each elephant to prepare twenty chupatties, or fiat cakes made of coarse flour,. for his charge. When the twenty chupatties were ready, they were placed before the elephant, who, during the process of counting, never attempted to touch one of them until the full number was completed. On the occasion related by Mr. Quay, one of the elephants had seized the opportunity of his mahout's attention being distracted for a moment, to steal and swallow one of the chupatties. When the mahout, having finished the preparation, began to count them out, he of course dis- covered the theft, and presented his charge with nineteen, in place of the usual number. The elephant instantly appre- ciated the fact of there being one less than ho had a. right to expect, and refused to touch them, expressing his indignation by loud trumpetings. This brought the- conductor of the elephant line (with whom Mr. Quay had been in conversation) on the scene. Having heard the- explanation of the mahout, the conductor decided that the mahout was in fault for not keeping a better look-out,
and ordered him to provide the twentieth cake at his own cost. When this was prepared and added to the pile, the elephant at once accepted and ate them.
It is incredible that an elephant, sagacious as he is, should be able to count up to twenty. At the same time, it is difficult to find any other explanation, except one which would imply the possession of a still higher degree of intelligence,—namely, the consciousness of his own delinquency, and an expectation (justified by the result) of what would follow when he called the conductor's attention by trumpeting.--I am, Sir, &c.,
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