once distinguish it from the Indian one; but here they
approach more nearly to each other in bulk, a female being about as
large as a common Indian male. But the ear of the African is an external
mark which no one will mistake even in a picture. That of the female now
killed was 4 feet 5 inches in depth, and 4 feet in horizontal breadth.
I have seen a native creep under one so as to be quite covered from the
rain. The ear of the Indian variety is not more than a third of this
size. The representation of elephants on ancient coins shows that this
important characteristic was distinctly recognized of old. Indeed,
Cuvier remarked that it was better known by Aristotle than by Buffon.

Having been anxious to learn whether the African elephant is capable
of being tamed, through the kindness of my friend Admiral Smythe I am
enabled to give the reader conclusive evidence on this point. In the two
medals furnished from his work, "A descriptive Catalogue of his Cabinet
of Roman and Imperial large brass Medals", the size of the ears will
be at once noted as those of the true African elephant.* They were even
more docile than the Asiatic, and were taught various feats, as walking
on ropes, dancing, etc. One of the coins is of Faustina senior, the
other of Severus the Seventh, and struck A.D. 197. These elephants were
brought from Africa to Rome. The attempt to tame this most useful animal
has never been made at the Cape, nor has one ever been exhibited in
England. There is only one very young calf of the species in the British
Museum.

* Unfortunately these illustrations can not be presented in
this ASCII text. A. L., 1997.

The abundance of food in this country, as compared with the south, would
lead one to suppose that animals here must attain a much greater size;
but actual measurement now confirms the impression made on my mind by
the mere sight of the animals, that those in the districts north of
20 Deg. were smaller than the same races existing southward of that
latitude. The first time that Mr. Oswell and myself saw full-grown male
elephants on the River Zouga, they seemed no larger than the females
(which are always smaller than males) we had met on the Limpopo. There
they attain a height of upward of 12 feet. At the Zouga the height of
one I measured was 11 feet 4 inches, and in this district 9 feet 10
inches. There is, however, an increase in the size of the tusks as we
approach the equator. Unfortunately, I never