THE RHINOCEROS. 109 



excellent by the Indians and Negroes*; and 

 Ko'be lays he often eat it with pleafure. His fkin 

 makes the harder! and beft leather in the world f ; 

 and not only his horn, but all the other parts of 

 his body, and even his blood £, urine, and ex- 

 crements, are efteemed to be antidotes againft 

 poifon, or remedies for particular djfeafes. Thefe 

 antidotes or remedies, extracted from different 

 parts of the rhinoceros, are of equal u{q in the 

 Indian pharmacopoeia as the theriaca in that of 

 Europe [|. Mod of the virtues afcribed to both 

 are probably imaginary: But how many objects 

 are in the higheft repute, which have no value 

 but in the opinions of men ? 



The rhinoceros feeds on the grofleft herbs, as 

 thirties, and thorny ihrubs, which he prefers to 

 the foft p aft lire of the bed meadows §. He is 



fond 



* The Indians cat the flefii of the rhinoceros, and reckon 

 it- excellent. They even derive advantage from his blood, 

 which they collecl with care as a remedy for difeafes in the 

 bread ; Hill. Nat. de Siam, par Gervai/e, p. 35. 



f His {kin is of a fine gray colour, approaching to black, 

 like that of the elephant ; but it is rougher and thicker than 

 that of any other animal. . . . The fkin is covered every 

 where, except on the neck and head, with fmall knots or 

 tubercles, &c. ; Voyage de Chardin, torn. 3. p. 45. 



\ Voyage de Mandelflo, torn. 2. p. 350. 



|| Voyage de la Comp. des Iudes de Hollande, torn. 7. 

 p. 48 4. 



§ This animal feeds upon plants, and prefers brufhwood, 

 broom, and thirties. But of all plants he is fondeft of a frirub 

 which refembles the juniper, and is called the rhinoceros jhrvb. 

 Great quantities of it grow on heathy lands and on the 



mountains j 



