. The naturalist's library; containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects; . and little even from men, who takethem with great difficulty, the species has not decreased, and is generallydispersed in all the southern parts of Africa and Asia. From time immemorial, the Indians made use of elephants in those nations unacquainted with the European military discipline,tney were the best troops of their armies; and as long as battles weredecided by mere weapons, they commonly vanquished. Yet, we see inhistory, that the Greeks and R
. The naturalist's library; containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects; . and little even from men, who takethem with great difficulty, the species has not decreased, and is generallydispersed in all the southern parts of Africa and Asia. From time immemorial, the Indians made use of elephants in those nations unacquainted with the European military discipline,tney were the best troops of their armies; and as long as battles weredecided by mere weapons, they commonly vanquished. Yet, we see inhistory, that the Greeks and Romans used themselves soon to those mon- MAMMALIA—ELEPHANT. 283 sters of war; they opened their ranks to let them go thiough; tiey did notattempt to wound them, but threw all their darts against their leaders, whowere forced to surrender, and to calm the elephants when separated fromtheir troops; and now that fire is become the element of war, and the prin-cipal instrument of death, the elephants, who are afraid of the noise and thefire of the artillery, would be rather an incumbrance in battle, and moredangerous than In those regions, however, where our cannons and murdering arts areyet scarcely known, they fight still with elephants. At Cochin, and in partsof Malabar, they do not make use of horses, and all those who do not fighton foot are mounted upon elephants. In Tonquin, Siam, and Pegu, theking, and all the grandees, never ride but upon elephants. On festival daysthey are preceded and followed by a great number of these animals richly 284 MAMMALIA-ELEPHANT. caparisoned, and covered with the richest stuffs. On comparing the rela-tions of travellers and historians, it appears that elephants are morenumerous in Africa than in Asia; they are there also less mistrustful, notso •wild, and, as if they knew the unskilfulness and the little power of themen with whom they have to deal in this part of the world, come everyday without fear to their habitations. The foll
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookidnaturalistsl, bookyear1851
