MAMMALIA-RHINOCEROS. 305 



body ; they are the only hairy parts of it. The end of the tail is, like that 

 of the elephant, furnished with a tuft of large bristles, very hard and very 

 solid. Huge and seemingly unwieldy as the rhinoceros is, he has the 

 power of running with very great swiftness. 



The rhinoceros which arrived in London in 1739, had been sent from 

 Bengal. Although he was young, (being but two years old,) the expens- 

 es of his food, and his voyage, amounted to near one thousand pounds 

 sterling ; he Avas fed with rice, sugar, and hay. They gave him daily seven 

 pounds of rice, mixed with three pounds of sugar ; which they divided into 

 three parts. He had, also, a great quantity of hay and green grass, to which 

 he gave the preference. His drink was nothing but water, of which he 

 drank a great quantity at once. He was of a quiet disposition, and let his 

 manager touch him on all the parts of his body. He grew unruly when he 

 was struck, or was hungry ; and in both cases he could not be appeased 

 without giving him something to eat. When he was angry, he leaped 

 forward with impetuosity to a great height, beating furiously the walls with 

 his head ; which he did with a prodigious quickness, notwithstanding his 

 heavy appearance. 



This rhinoceros, when he was two years old, was not much higher than 

 a young cow who has not yet borne young ; but his body was very long and 

 very thick. The tongue of this young rhinoceros was soft, like that of a 

 calf; his eyes had no vivacity; they are like those of a hog in form, and 

 Avere placed very low ; that is, nearer the opening of the nostrils. 



Mr Parsons says, that he has observed a very particular quality in this 

 animal ; he hearkened with a sort of continual attention to any noise ; so 

 that, if he even was sleepy, employed in eating, or in satisfying other urgent 

 wants, he started instantly, raised up his head, and "gave attention till the 

 noise had ceased. 



It is certain that some rhinoceroses have but one horn on the nose, and 

 others two. In the two-horned rhinoceros, one of the horns is smaller than 

 the other, and is situated above it. When the animal is quiescent these 

 horns are loose, but they become fixed when it is irritated. There are single 

 horns of three feet and a half, and perhaps of more than four feet in length, 

 by six or seven inches in diameter at the base ; there are also double horns 

 which are but two feet in length. Commonly, these horns are brown, or 

 olive color ; yet some are gray and even white. They have only a small 

 concavity, in form of a cup, at their basis, by which they are fastened to the 

 skin of the nose ; the remaining part of the horn is solid, and very hard. It 

 is with this weapon that the rhinoceros is said to attack, and sometimes to 

 wound mortally the largest elephants, whose long legs give the rhinoceros, 

 who has them much shorter, an opportunity of striking them with his horn 

 under the belly, where the skin is tender, and more penetrable ; but if he 

 misses the first blow, the elephant throws him on the ground, and kills him. 

 The horn of the rhinoceros is more valued by the Indians, than the ivory 

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