History of the Rhinoceros 173 



have been employed with greater facility and the same result for the 

 purpose of defence. And if they had really employed cowhide to this 

 end, why should the Chou li not simply state that cuirasses were made of 

 this material (niu p'i)? Why should it introduce the story of two won- 

 derful animals se and si, interwoven with religious beliefs of longevity, 

 if nothing but a mere every-day cowhide was at issue? On the other 

 hand, there is every reason to believe that the skin of ox or cow was never, 

 for religious reasons, employed in ancient China in the making of armor. 

 The ox was a sacred, and in a measure inviolable animal, looked upon as 

 the helpmate in gaining man's daily bread. He was the animal sacrificed 

 to the deities Heaven and Earth. There is no account to the effect 

 that neat-leather was ever employed for cuirasses; while the tradition 

 that rhinoceros-skin is a fit material for this purpose, as we saw, has 

 been maintained even by later authors. 



