stocked with wild elephants.

"I am sure it will be regarded as a matter for hearty congratulation
by all who are interested in so fine and harmless an animal as is
the elephant that there is no danger of its becoming extinct in India.
Though small portions of its haunts have been cleared for tea or
coffee cultivation, the present forest area of this country will
probably never be practically reduced, for reasons connected with
the timber supply and climate of the country; and as long as its
haunts remain the elephant must flourish under due regulations for
its protection."

Elephants are caught in various ways. The pitfall is now prohibited,
so also is the Assam plan of inclosing a herd in a salt lick. Noosing
and driving into a _kheddah_ or inclosure are now the only legitimate
means of capture. The process is too long for description here, but
I may conclude this article, which owes so much to Mr. Sanderson's
careful observations, with the following interesting account of the
mode in which the newly-caught elephant is taught to obey:--

"New elephants are trained as follows: they are first tied between
two trees, and are rubbed down by a number of men with long bamboos,
to an accompaniment of the most extravagant eulogies of the animal,
sung and shouted at it at the top of their voices. The animal of course
lashes out furiously at first; but in a few days it ceases to act
on the offensive, or, as the native say, 'shurum lugta hai'--'it
becomes ashamed of itself,' and it then stands with its trunk curled,
shrinking from the men. Ropes are now tied round its body, and it
is mounted at its picket for several days. It is then taken out for
exercise, secured between two tame elephants. The ropes still remain
round its body to enable the mahout to hold on should the elephant
try to shake him off. A man precedes it with a spear to teach it to
halt when ordered to do so; whilst, as the tame elephants wheel to
the right or left, the mahout presses its neck with his knees, and
taps it on the head with a small stick, to train it to turn in the
required direction. To teach an elephant to kneel it is taken into
water about five feet deep when the sun is hot, and, upon being
pricked on the back with a pointed stick it soon lies down, partly
to avoid the pain, partly from inclination for a bath. By taking it
into shallower water daily, it is soon taught to kneel even on land.

"Elephants are taught to pick up anything from the