ii2 THE RHINOCEROS. 



the eyes, and about the ears *. Hence the 

 hunters, inftead of attacking him face to face, 

 follow him at a diftance by the tracks of his 

 feet, and watch till he lies down to fieep. We 

 have, in the royal cabinet, a foetus of a rhino- 

 ceros, which was extracted from the body of 

 the mother, and fent to us from the ifLind of 

 Java. By the memoir which accompanied this 

 foetus, we are informed, that twenty-eight hun- 

 ters having aflembled to attack the mother, they 

 followed her at a diftance for fome days, de- 

 taching one or two of their number, from time 

 to time, in order to reconnoitre her fxtuation ; 

 that, by this means, they furprifed her when 

 afleep, and filently approached fo near, that the 

 whole twenty-eight mufkets were difcharged at 

 once into the lower part of her belly. 



From the defer iption given by Dr Parfons, it 

 appears that this animal has an acute and very 

 attentive ear. We are likewife aflured that his 



fenfe 



* It is difficult to kill him ; and men never attack him 

 without danger of being torn to pieces. Thofe who are ac- 

 cuitomed to hunt the rhinoceros find means, however, to de- 

 fend themfelves from his fury ; for he is fond of marfhy 

 grounds ; they obferve when he repairs thither, and, con- 

 cealing themfelves among the buihes oppofue to the direction 

 of the wind, they watch till he lies down either to fleep or to 

 v. low, that they may have an opportunity of fhooting him 

 near the ears, where alone he can receive a mortal wound. 

 They place themfelves againft the wind ; becaufe the fcent 

 of the rhinoceros is fo acute, that he never approaches any 

 objeft he perceives till the fmell of it reaches his noftrils j 

 Hiji. IVai. de Sia?n, far Cervaife, p. 35. 



