no THE RHINOCEROS. 



fond of the fugar cane, and likevvife eats all 

 kinds of grain. Having no appetite for fkfh, he 

 neither diftnrbs the fmall, nor fears the large ani- 

 mals, but lives in peace with all, not excepting 

 the tiger, who often accompanies the rhinoceros, 

 without daring to attack him. This peaceful 

 difpolition renders the combats between the ele- 

 phant and the rhinoceros very fufpicious: Such 

 combats mud at leaft be rare, fince there is no 

 motive to war on either fide. Befides, no an- 

 tipathy has ever been remarked between thefe 

 animals. They have been known, even in a 

 ftate of captivity, to live peaceably together, 

 without difcovering any marks of refentment or 

 antipathy *. Pliny, I believe, is the firft author 

 who mentions thefe combats between the ele- 

 phant and rhinoceros. It appears that thefe a- 

 nimals were compelled to fight at the Roman 

 fpe&acles t ; an ^ from hence, probably, the 

 idea was formed, that, when in their natural 



ftate 



mountains ; Defcfipt. du Cap. de Bonne-efperance, par Kolbc, 

 torn. 3. p. 17. 



* The Dutch hiftory, entitled VAmbaJfade de la Chine, gives 

 a falfe defcription of this animal, efpecially when it exhibits 

 the rhinoceros as the chief enemy of the elephant ; for the 

 rhinoceros I am mentioning was kept in the fame liable with 

 two elephants, and I have feveral times {ten them near each 

 other, without difcovering the fmalleft antipathy. An jEthi- 

 opian ambafiador had brought this animal as a prefent 3 

 Voyage de Char din, torn. 3. p. 45. 



f The Romans took pleafure in making the rhinoceros and 

 elephant fight at their public fhews ; Singular, ds la France 

 Antarfiique, par Andre Thevet, p. 41. 



