232 STRANGE BEASTS OF CHINA. 



" upper Jaw the great Teeth consentaneous, and the Tongue loll- 

 " ing out. Afterwards viewing the more Inland Pars of Crafraria. 

 " Coasting the Shore in a Gaily, we beheld at least fifty Sea-Horses 

 "within a Stones-cast, neighing, and playing divers Tricks in the 

 "Water: a slave with his Musquet kill'd one of them; which 

 " bringing Ashore, and dividing it amongst his Companions, they 

 " pull'd out his Teeth, and gave me some of the biggest of them. 

 " His Skin is very hard ; he hath no Hair but only in the end of 

 "his Tail, which turns in; they cast a Brightness like polish'd 

 " black Horn, and are about the bigness of a Quill or small Reed, 

 " of which the Cafres make Bracelets, both for Ornament, and to 

 " prevent the Palsie : Of their Teeth are made Beads, Crosses, 

 " and Images ; some stop the Flux of Blood : but all have not 

 "this Vertue, only those that are taken at a certain Season of the 

 " Year. In the Royal Hospital at Coa there is a great Sea-Horse 

 " Tooth, which being apply'd to a Vein that is open'd, will imme- 

 " diately stop the Blood. The Story of a Prince of Malabar slain 

 " by the Portuguese, is sufficiently known, whom they finding 

 "wounded with many Bullets, yet without any sign of Blood, 

 "though his Wounds were gaping, stripped, and pulling away 

 " a piece of the Bone of the Hippopotame that hung about his 

 " Neck, the Blood like a Torrent that breaketh over the Banks, 

 " flow'd out of the dead Corps, being before so stopp'd and coagu- 

 " lated only by the frigid Nature of this Creature. Thus Father Boim. 



Amongst Fowls the Bird Rot/til which they call Fum Hoam, 

 deserve the first and chiefest place ; of whom Father Boim in his 

 Flora gives us this following account : 



" This Bird (saith he) of most admirable beauty, if at any time 

 " absent or a while unseen, it is an Omen of some Misfortune to 

 " the Royal Fumily the Male is call'd Fum, the Female Hoam ; 

 rt they have their Nests in the Mountains near Peking; their Heads 

 "are like a Peacocks : the Chiwses emblem their Shoulders to 

 " the Vertues their Wings signify Justice, their Sides Obedience, 

 "and the Nest Fidelity. This J'ious Bird, us they term it, is in 

 " this like Rhinoceros, that it neve* turns, but goeth backward, 

 " with the Majestic pace of a Stag ; it hath a Cock's Train, Crest- 

 " ed like a Serpent, Feet like a Tortoise, and Angels Wings. 

 "The Emperor, Calaos, and Mandorins, have these Birds Em- 

 4 'broider'd on their Vests and other Habits. 



Fn the Kingdom of Svchie are Fleece-bearing Hens, they are 

 small Duck-leg'd, yet bold and daring, and are much esteem'd by 

 the Women for their callow Down and soft Plumage, resen bh'ng 

 Wooll, delightful to handle. 



