To me it seems that the only thing necessary to establish the
elephant as an animal of remarkable intellect and power of
original reasoning is to set forth the unadorned facts that lie
ready to hand.

Cuvier recorded the opinion that in sagacity the elephant in no
way excels the dog and some other species of carnivora. Sir
Emerson Tennent, even after some study of the elephant, was
disposed to award the palm for intelligence to the dog, but only
"from the higher degree of development consequent on his more
intimate domestication and association with man." In the mind of
G. P. Sanderson we fear that familiarity with the elephant bred a
measure of contempt; and this seems very strange. He says:

"Its reasoning faculties are undoubtedly far below those of the
dog, and possibly of other animals; and in matters beyond its
daily experience it evinces no special discernment."

To me it seems that all three of those opinions are off the
target. The dog is not a wild, untrammeled animal; and neither
dogs, cats nor savage men evince any special discernment "beyond
the range of their daily experience." Moreover, there are some
millions of tame men of whom the same may be said with entire
safety.

Very often the question is asked: "Is the African elephant equal
in intelligence and training capacity to the Indian species?"

To this we must answer: Not proven. We do not know. The African
species never has been tried out on the same long and wide basis