POSTSCRIPT.

SINCE the publication of the first edition of this book, poor Jack has sunk under a complication of diseases. His demise was thus noticed in the Observer of the 13th of June, 1847.

"The habitual visitors of the Zoological Gardens in the Regent's Park, will learn with regret that their old friend, the elephant, known by the familiar name of "Jack," departed this life on Sunday morning last, after a short illness. During the last few weeks preceding his dissolution, the health of the poor brute had been rapidly deteriorating. On Friday, the 5th inst., the skin under the lower-jaw cracked, and a copious effusion of blood took place. This was the reason which determined the authorities of the garden to keep poor Jack in solitary confinement, but he did not long survive his seclusion. On Sunday morning he sunk back upon his haunches, with his fore-legs extended before him, and remained in this motionless posture for about two hours, when at half past seven o'clock, his trunk dropped to the ground, and he expired without making any further movement. He did not fall over, but stiffened in the upright position in which he lay, not even his head sinking. The probable cause of Jack's death, was a disease provoked by his great weight, and aggravated by the want of sufficient exercise, in that part of his fore-legs situated below the knee. This was productive of excessive irritation, which affected the nervous system generally. His sufferings were terminated by a stroke of apoplexy. A large abscess had formed under the lower jaw, of itself quite sufficient to cause death. Thus terminated the career of poor Jack, whose amusing tricks and docile manner had rendered him everybody's favourite. His mangled remains are distributed amongst the medical professors resident in the metropolis, the larger having been assigned to the College of Surgeons, the Veterinary College, and the King's College. It is

32

expected that the sale of the skin will realize a considerable sum ; and an attempt will be made to recover the dispersed fragments of the skeleton. The loss of this fine specimen of the elephantine tribe must prove a very serious one to the Zoological Society, and can scarcely be replaced for a less sum than £800 or £1,000. The height of the elephant was between twelve and fourteen feet."

I find, among my papers, the following note:

"The last time I saw poor Jack alive, was on Whit-Sunday 1847, when I had the honour of attending His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Constantine of Russia in his walk over the garden, in company with Sir Roderick Murchison, Professor Owen, and the Grand Duke's suite.

"The elephant was miserably fallen away, and stood, as he had long previously remained, supporting himself by laying his huge trunk along the bar that fronted his apartment. He was evidently suffering much, and the keeper warned me not to go near, his temper having become ferocious. I knew him well, however, and ventured to approach: and he threw up his trunk and showed his molar teeth in his open mouth at my usual signal. I had nothing to give him but bran, and that he took from my hand.

"After his death, when the opération of skinning was going on, the sight was disgusting enough. The skinners, in the obscure light of the den, looked like vultures on the huge bloody mass. Professor Owen was desirous of securing the brain entire, and had given his directions accordingly; but his aids, though skilful, met with difficulties, and were obliged to send for him. There had been great inflammation of the brain. The dura mater adhered to the pia mater, and this last to the brain. In the Professor's endeavour to extract the brain, he was wounded in the left hand in two places by spicula of bone. Mr. Cooper (of Tenterden Street) cauterized the worst wound. His friends were uneasy, remembering the recent melancholy death of Mr. Potter, of University College Hospital, who long lingered, and at last sank, in consequence of the absorption of deleterious matter, in extracting the pelvis of a diseased subject (abscess) with an abrasion of the skin of the hand. Professor Owen had the dangerous symptom of pain up the arm; but when I saw him on Thursday evening that pain had left him, and he was only suffering from the pain of the cauterized wound. In the throat of the elephant was an abscess a foot deep. The Professor told me that the heat of the body was very great, the chemical heat having immediately succeeded the animal heat."

To this, I have only to add that, to the great joy of his many friends, the Professor entirely recovered from his perilous wound; and that I have obtained from the intelligent keepers of the animals kept in the garden of the Zoological Society of London, the following information relative to the elephant.

After he became ill, and suffered from the disease of the joint of the fore-leg, poor Jack remained on his legs till within two hours of his death. In the summer of 1846, he rolled in the mud in the paddock two or three times; but he had not laid down to rest for two years, dating from March, 1847. About midsummer, 1846, he "fell off in his appetite," to use the keeper's expression; and for the last six months of his life had not taken more than half of his usual allowance. His temper was not altered by his illness until he was unable to move about, and then a marked change for the worse took place. There must be some mistake in the measurement given in the Observer; for the keeper informs me, that when he was last measured (in June, 1846) his height was nine feet three inches; and he could hardly have gained such an addition in two years, and while under the pressure of disease. The age of poor Jack was, it is supposed, about forty years. See pp. 260, 261, 262 of this volume.* W. J. B.

31st January, 1848.

With reference to the note relative to the alleged absence of the nightingale from Wales (p. 74), I have been favoured with the following interesting narrative, written to my friend, William Pyle Taunton, Esq., of Ashridge, in the county of Hants, by Mr. and Mrs. Storey Maskelyne, both good observers, and blest with accurate ears for bird-music.

Mr. Storey Maskelyne thus writes to Mr. Taunton on the 31st of March in the present year:-"Whether the nightingales accompanied us into Wales from their favourite shady coverts here (Basset Down House, near Wroughton, Swindon, Wilts), and tuned their nocturnal note solely for us, I will not decide, but our neighbours among the Welsh never confessed to hearing them.

66

Having much business at the time alluded to on our hands, we generally retired late to bed: it was generally at a matutinal hour rather than before midnight. As we were pretty well crowded in our cottage, I always kept a skylight open till we

* At p. 260, the age of Jack is stated as thirty-three years; and such it was when the account was written. The falling off in the height, stated as about nine feet six inches, at p. 260, may have been the result of illness.

went to bed, when it was secured the last thing. One night, or rather morning, to my infinite delight, I heard the notes of our Basset-Down favourite! I shut down the skylight, but opened our bed-room window, and we enjoyed beyond expression on that, and on many a subsequent night, the delicious harmony of these birds. We could not be mistaken."

Mrs. Storey Maskelyne writes to Mr. Taunton on the 5th of April, in the present year, thus-"Your letter has been forwarded to me here, and I lose no time in giving you the information you require on the subject of our favourite bird's visits to the principality. The Welsh say the nightingale never passes the Bulch Hill. This I doubt, as we certainly frequently heard a song so lovely and varied, it could be no other than the "most musical, most melancholy" songstress of the night. We were frequently late, between eleven and twelve, and then we heard the singing. Being acquainted with the note, we could distinguish it in the day-time, and have frequently detected the bird by its song in one of the woods by our house at Glanwysk, where a walk goes round the wood on the hill, so there was no doubt of the locality of it. I also heard it in other places. The situation was near the confluence of the Usk and the Senny, in the parish of Devynnock. The singing was not confined to one season; we heard it several years: and I make no doubt, were I there now, this warm weather would be propitious to our having the same treat again."

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