ELEPHANTS RUNNING A FERRYBOAT

FOUR elephants came near causing the wreck of a New York ferryboat with nearly a hundred passengers aboard one night. The animals were driven on the boat at Port Richmond, Staten Island, by their trainer, after an exhibition there, taking places in the center of the boat. The trainer left them and went into the men's cabin for a time.

One of the elephants, however, seemed to take a great liking to the engine-room, and the engineer looked up from his work to see its enormous trunk feeling around at valves and levers. He made a jump for a corner of the engine-room. Then the animal managed to get its head inside the doorway.

At the same time a second elephant had become equally interested in the shining machinery, and approached from the door on the other side. By this time the engineer was in actual terror, and, picking up his lunch-basket, tried to beat back one of the elephants.

Finally he made a dive and escaped between the forelegs of the animal, and then the boat began to run wild. The distance to the shore was short, and if the elephants could not be driven away in a few minutes a wreck was certain. The

trainer, however, turned up in time, and the threatened disaster was averted.

Like some people, elephants seem to have a large bump of curiosity.

THE ELEPHANT'S INTELLIGENCE

ELEPHANTS Sometimes submit to painful surgical treatment in order that they may be cured of some wound or other difficulty. The story is told of an elephant which had been severely wounded, going alone to the hospital and extending itself so that the surgeon could easily reach the injured part. The account says, "Though the pain the animal suffered was so severe that he often uttered the most plaintive groans, he never interrupted the operation, but exhibited every token of submission to the surgeon till his cure was effected."

Another instance is related even more remarkable. A young elephant had a severe wound in his head. "Nothing could induce it to allow the injury to be attended to. At length by certain signs and words, the keeper explained to the mother what was wanted. The sagacious animal immediately seized the young one with her trunk, and though it groaned with agony, held it to the ground while the surgeon was thus enabled to

dress the wound. Day after day she continued to act in the same way till the wound was perfectly healed."

If animals are willing to suffer thus for future good, surely we should be.

THE AFFECTION OF ELEPHANTS

ELEPHANTS are not only among the most intelligent of animals, but they manifest strong affection one for the other.

Two elephants, male and female, which had been brought separately to Paris, were placed in adjoining apartments divided by a strong high wooden gate. The male soon discovered that this gate was fastened by a bolt which was within his reach. Withdrawing this bolt, he at once rushed into the other apartment. The meeting of the two elephants was most affectionate. Their trumpetings and cries of joy shook the building, and they blew air from their trunks like blasts from a blacksmith's bellows. The female moved her ears rapidly, and entwined her trunk around the body of the male, and the male encircled her with his trunk.

Pure love and sincere affection are admirable wherever found. Only when love is perverted or debased does it become unlovely.

ELEPHANT LANGUAGE AND

LEADERSHIP

ALL animals have some means of communicating with each other and of expressing their thoughts, feelings, and desires.

Elephants have their language; and those most familiar with them say it is not difficult to understand.

Mr. Courtney Ryley Cooper, in the Saturday Evening Post, the paper Benjamin Franklin started, tells us that "when an elephant wishes to make an imperative demand, it does it by a sharp blast; when it begs or coaxes, the trumpet is soft or pleading, almost a whine; when one elephant is frightened and another isn't, the calm one quiets the other by a soft, low, self-expressive note."

Then, he says, they have their “love lullaby "; their "danger signal "; their "warning chirrup, announcing an impending stampede; their "wailing cry of pain or distress "; and finally their sound of "gratitude or contentment.”

If an elephant wishes you to know that it is greatly pleased, it thumps on the ground with its trunk to attract your attention, then puts its trunk to its ear and gently blows into it.

Such is the language of elephants.

Among elephants there is also order, leadership, government, and discipline. In captivity, some large, motherly female elephant is quite often the leader.

Once when a young elephant kept up a great squeal of distress because he had been led forth to receive his training lesson by a hook placed gently back of his ear, the leader of the herd, after carefully examining around his ear to make sure that he had not been injured, stepped in front of him and gave him a good crack on his head with her trunk to make him cut out his foolishness. Like some other mothers, she did not believe in children crying before they were hurt.

JUMBO

JUMBO was a famous African elephant of gigantic size-so large, in fact, that his name has been taken to indicate anything of great size. He was captured in 1861, on the banks of the Settite River, Abyssinia, when young, or when only about three and one-half feet high, and brought to Paris. When about three years old he was transferred to the Royal Zoological Gardens in London.

For nearly twenty years he was a great favorite with the English children. In 1882, however,