250 ANECDOTES OF ANIMALS. 



knowing she must die soon, and then be thrown over- 

 board. Jack, however, had no inclination to gratify 

 the Chinamen ; and when poor Jean breathed her last, 

 two masses of ballast iron were placed one on each 

 cheek, and lashed to her neck and shoulders in such a 

 manner that, by their projection, they made a long, 

 sharp snout, which would penetrate into the mud. 

 She was lowered over the ship's side, head foremost ; 

 and when below the surface of the water, the rope was 

 cast off, and her well-loaded carcase went down too 

 deep even for the search of the cunning Chinese. 1 



RHINOCEROSES. 



Wrni quite as little personal beauty as the Pachy- 

 dermata, of which I have hitherto treated, the Rhi- 

 noceros takes his place among the powerful of the 

 earth. He has no tusks, but bears one or two horns 

 upon his nose. Of these, when there are two, the fore- 

 most is the largest. All are curved and polished, and 

 appear to be formed of hairs, aggregated into a solid 

 mass. The bones of the nose are remarkably thickened 

 and developed iuto that form which is best adapted to 

 resist a shock namely, the arch ; and by this, not 

 only is the animal able to carry its horn high, but to 

 bear the tremendous resistance with which it meets 

 when it uses that horn. In all but one species the 

 upper lip is prolonged, and capable of such extension 

 that it becomes prehensile. It protrudes this lip, lowers 

 its horn or horns, so as to lean forwards, and rushes at 



1 The source whence I obtained this anecdote has escaped me, 

 bui I think it is from the pen of Captain Basil Hall. 



