87 THEORY OF THE EARTH. 



bute at the present day to the horn of the rhino- 

 ceros. When this horn was first imported into 

 Greece, the animal to which it belonged might 

 still have been unknown. In fact, Aristotle 

 makes no mention of the rhinoceros, and Aga- 

 tharchides was the first who described it. In the 

 same manner, ivory was in use among the an- 

 cients long before they were acquainted with the 

 elephant. It is even possible that some of their 

 travellers might have given to the rhinoceros the 

 name of Indian ass, with as much propriety as 

 the Romans denominated the elephant the bull 

 of Lucania. Every, thing, moreover, that is said 

 of the strength, size, and ferocity of this wild ass 

 of theirs, corresponds very well with the rhinoce- 

 ros. In succeeding times, naturalists, who had 

 now become better acquainted with the rhinoce- 

 ros, finding this denomination of Indian ass in 

 the writings of authors who had preceded them, 

 might have taken it, from want of proper exami- 

 nation, for that of a distinct animal ; and from 

 the name, they would have concluded the animal 

 should have solid hoofs. There is, indeed, a full 

 description of the Indian ass given by Ctesias*,but 

 we have seen above that it had been taken from 

 the bas-reliefs of Persepolis, and must therefore go 

 for nothing in the real history of the animal. 



* .Elian, Anim. iv. 52 ; Photius, Bibl. p. 154. 



