The ears of the African species are
enormous, and when thrown back they completely cover the
shoulders; they are also entirely different in shape from those
of the Indian species. When an African bull elephant advances in
full charge with his ears cocked, his head measures about
fourteen feet from the tip of one ear to that of the other, in a
direct line across the forehead. I have frequently cut off the
ear to form a mat, upon which I have slept beneath the shade of
a tree, while my people divided the animal.
The back of the Indian elephant is exceedingly convex; that of
the African is exactly the reverse, and the concavity behind the
shoulders is succeeded by a peculiarity in the sudden rise of the
spine above the hips. The two species are not only distinct in
certain peculiarities of form, but they differ in their habits.
The Indian elephant dislikes the sun, and invariably retreats to
thick shady forests at sunrise; but I have constantly found the
African species enjoying themselves in the burning sun in the
hottest hours of the day, among plains of withered grass, many
miles from a jungle. The African is more active than the Indian,
and not only is faster in his movements, but is more capable of
enduring long marches, as proved by the great distances through
which it travels to seek its food in the native's corn-fields.
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