THE ELEPHANT.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 21, Issue 89, 2 December 1910, Page 2

THE ELEPHANT.

HIS INTELLIGENCE.

The trunk of the elephant was called “a hand” by old writers, and it seems to have acted in the development of the elephant’s intelligence In the same way as man’s hand has in regard to his mental growth, though in a less degree. The Indian elephant has a single tactile and grasping projection, (sometimes called a “finger”) placed above between the two nostrils at the end of the trunk; the . African elephant has one above and one below, I have seen the elephant pick up with this wonderful trunk with equal facility a heavy man and then a threepenny piece.

‘•yThe intelligence of the elephant is •sometimes exaggerated by reports and stories ; sometimes it is not' sufficiently estimated. It is not fair to compare the intelligence of the elephant with that of the dog—bred and trained by man for thousands of years. So far as one can judge, there is no wild animal, except the higher apes, which exhibits so much and so varied intelligence as the elephant. The elephant—like man standing on his hind legs—has a wide survey of things around him owing to his height. He can take time to allow of cerebral intervention in his actions since he is so large that he has little cause to be afraid and to hurry. He has a fine and delicate exploring organ in his trunk, with its hand-like termination ; with this he can and does experiment and builds up his individual knowledge and experience. Elephants act together In the wild state, aiding one another to uproot trees too large for one to deal with, alone. They readily. understand and accept the guidance of man, and with very small "persuasion and teaching execute very dexterous v^ork— such as piling of timber. If man had selected the more intelligent elephants for breeding over-' a space of a couple of thousand years a prodigy of animal intelligence /would have resulted. But man has ; never “bred*’ the elephant at all.— Sir Ray Lankester, in the “Telegraph.”