We studied the herd for some minutes, estimating the ivory and trying in vain to pick out the bulls.

There is very little difference between the appearance of a cow and a bull elephant when the latter has only moderate-sized tusks.

Usually the tusks of the male are heavier and thicker, but except for this distinction there is very little noticeable difference between the two.

Of course, an elephant with gigantic tusks is at once known to be a bull, but if he has small tusks it is a matter of considerable guesswork.
[Drawing: _Two Kongoni on Guard_] We could not tell which ones of this herd were bulls, but assumed that there must surely be several small-sized or young bulls among them.

We decided to go nearer, knowing that the elephant's eyesight is very poor, and with such a favoring wind his sense of smell was useless.