ects, which in a few weeks destroy and carry away the bodies of large
trees, without leaving a particle behind; thus clearing the place for
other vegetables which soon fill up every vacancy: and in places where
two or three years before there has been a populous town, if the
inhabitants, as is frequently the case, have chosen to abandon it,
there shall be a very thick wood, and not a vestige of a post to be
seen, unless the wood has been of a species which from its hardness is
called iron wood."

"Thank you, Uncle Thomas. I see, I was quite wrong in supposing that the
ants are of no use. I really did not imagine that they could have been
so serviceable."

CHAPTER III.

Uncle Thomas describes the Manner in which Wild Elephants are
caught, and relates some Curious Stories of the Cunning, Affection,
and Intelligence of the Elephant.

"Well, Boys, you are once more welcome!--I am going to tell you some
stories about the Elephant to-night, which I hope will interest you
quite as much as those which I told you about the dog. Next to the dog
the elephant is one of the most intelligent animals; some of his
actions, indeed, seem to be rather the result of reason than mere
instinct. But I must first tell you about the animal in its native
forests.

"In the luxuriant forests with which a large portion of Asia is covered,
this huge animal reigns supreme. Its size and strength easily enable it
to overcome the most formidable opponents. The intelligence with which
it has been endowed by its Creator would make it a most formidable enemy
to man, but that the same All-wise Being has graciously endowed it with
peaceful and gentle feelings. In its native forests it roams about
without seeking to molest any one, and even when caught and tamed it
very soon becomes gentle and obedient.

"In the East Indies the elephant is in very general use as a beast of
burden. For this purpose it is hunted and caught in great numbers by the
Natives, who employ some very ingenious devices to deceive them, and to
drive them into the ambuscades which they form for them. The manner in
which whole herds are captured is as follows:--

"When the herd is discovered by parties who are sent out for the purpose
of reconnoitering, they take notice of the direction in which it is
ranging, and as, if their food is plentiful, they generally continue to
advance in one direction for miles together, the hunters construct, at a
considerable d