RHINOCEROS. 



corner of each jaw, and fix grinders in each ; the firft re- 

 mote from the cutting teeth. That part of the head which 

 reaches from the fore-part of the horn to the upper lip, 

 may be called the nol'e : this is very thick and bulky, and 

 has a kind of circular fweep down towards the noftrils ; on 

 all this part there is a great number of rugae or wrinkles. 



The noftrils are fituated very low, in the fame direction 

 with the opening of the mouth, and not more than an inch 

 from it ; and, when viewed in a fore -view, the whole nofe, 

 from the top of the horn to the verge of the lower lip, is 

 fhaped like a bell. The under lip is like that of an ox, but 

 the upper more like that of a horfe, and he ufes it as that 

 creature does, to gather up hay from the rack, or grafs 

 from the ground : but with this fuperior advantage, that 

 this creature has a power of extending this lip to fix or 

 feven inches in length from the nofe, and there drawing it 

 to a point : with this lip, thus extended, the creature is 

 able to grafp a ftick, or any fmall fubitance, and hold it 

 extremely fait ; and this power of prolonging the lip ferves, 

 in many purpofes, to the fame end as the trunk ot that 

 other unwieldy animal, the elephant. 



The tongue of the rhinoceros is faid to be fo rough as to 

 be able to rub a man's flefh off from the bones ; but in this 

 young fubjeft it was fo foft, that it refembled that of a calf. 

 It may poiTibly grow harder with age ; but the ftory of its 

 effefts feems of a piece with the many other falfe marvels re- 

 ported of this animal. The eyes are dull and flecpy, much 

 like thofe of a hog in fhape ; he feldom opens them entirely ; 

 and it is to be obferved, that they are fituated nearer the 

 nofe than thofe of any other known quadruped. The ears 

 are broad and thin towards the top ; the neck is very fhort ; 

 the (boulders are thick and heavy ; the body is thick, and 

 juts out at the fides, and has a hollow in the back ; the belly 

 hangs low ; the legs are fhort, thick, and flrong ; the hoots 

 are divided into three part-, each pointing forward ; the tail 

 is (lender, flatted at the end, and covered on the fides with 

 very (tiff thick black hairs ; the (kin is naked, rough or tu- 

 berculated, lying about the neck in valt folds ; there is 

 another fold from the (boulders to the fore-legs, and another 

 from the hind part of the back to the thighs. The (kin is 

 thick, and feems almoft impenetrable, infomuch that it will 

 turn the edge of a fcymitar, and refill a mufket-ball ; it 

 feels like a piece of board of half an inch thick. It is co- 

 vered in all parts, more or lefs, with a fort of incruftations, 

 refembling fcales. Thefe are fmall on the neck, and largeft 

 of all on the (houlders and hips ; between the folds of this 

 thick (kin, the cuticle, which is left bare, is loft and eafily 

 penetrable. The fcabby incruftations of the (kin have been 

 called fcales by fome writers ; but this is a very wrong term, 

 for they have nothing of the nature of fcales, nor any thing 

 of regularity in them. 



The creature is of the retromingent, and therefore pro- 

 bably of the retrogenerative kind. Thofe animals that have 

 been brought to Europe have been young and fmall ; but, 

 according to Bontius, they equal the elephant in the bulk 

 of their bodies, though they are lower, on account of the 

 fhortnefs of their legs. They inhabit Bengal, Siam, Co- 

 chinchina, Ouangfi in China, and the ides of Java and Su- 

 matra. They are fond of ihady forells, the neighbourhood 

 of rivers, and marfhy places ; and are fond of wallowing in 

 the mud like the hog. The rhinoceros is a folitary animal, 

 brings one young at a time ; is quiet and inoffenfive, but 

 furious when provoked ; very fwift and dangerous ; and, 

 though dull of fight, has a moll exquiiite fmell. It grunts 

 like a hog. The flefh of this animal is eaten. The (kin, 

 flefh, hoofs, teeth, and dung itfelf, are ufed in India medi- 

 cinally. The horns are in great repute as an antidote 



ag nit poifon, efpecially thofe of the virgin female, called 

 abbada; cups of which are faid to communicate virtue to 

 the liquor poured into them. Redi, who has been very fa- 

 gacious in difcovering the falfity of many of the pretended 

 medicines taken from animals, yet gives us, on the teltimony 

 of his own experience, an account of fome very remarkable 

 virtues in the parts of the rhinoceros. The blood, he aftures 

 us, is excellent in colics and in dyfenteries. The decoction 

 of the (kin, he affures us, is a grand ftomachic antidote ; and 

 the horns are very valuable and alexipharmic. 



This animal is the unicorn of fcripture, and the Indian 

 afs of Ariilotle, who fays it has but one horn. 



BlCORNIS ; Tw^o-horned Rhinoceros. This fpecies in- 

 habits Africa, but, according to Pallas, the bones of it are 

 found buried in the north of Ruflia. Its flefh refembles that 

 of a hog ; the vifcera thofe of a horfe ; the fecond horn n 

 (liorter, and placed over the firft ; it has no gall-bladder, 

 and no fore-teeth ; the (kin is without folds, granulated, 

 and of a deep aflien-grcy ; between the legs it is fmooth, 

 and flefh-coloured ; in other parts there are a few briftles, 

 but they are moll numerous about the ears and end of the 

 tail. This animal inhabits Africa only ; and feems, in its 

 manners, to agree with the former. The mifchici it does 

 is more the effetl of a fenfelefs impulfe than of rage ; for, 

 though its light is bad, its fenfes of hearing and fmelling 

 are exquiiite, fo that the lead noife or fcent puts it in mo- 

 tion ; and in running to the fpot from which the alarm pro- 

 ceeds, it overturns and tramples on animals, or any thing 

 elfe which it meets with in its way, but never fbavs or re- 

 turns to renew the charge. There is a variety, but not 

 often feen, that has three horns; the third being an ex- 

 crefcence on one of the others. 



Mr. Bruce'* defcription of the manner of feeding, as 

 well as of fome other particulars relative to the two-horned 

 rhinoceros, feems highly worthy of notice. He informs us, 

 that " befides the trees capable of mod refinance, there 

 are, in the vaft forefts within the rains, trees of a fofter 

 coniiitence, and of a very fucculent quality, which feem to 

 be deltined for his principal food. For the purpofe of gain- 

 ing the higheft branches of thefe, his upper lip is capable 

 of being lengthened out, fo as to increafe his power of lav- 

 ing hold with this, in the fame manner as the elephant does 

 with his trunk. With this lip, and the afliltance of his 

 tongue, he pulls down the upper branches which have mod 

 leaves, and thefe he devours firft. Having (tript the tree 

 of its branches, he does not therefore abandon it ; but, 

 placing his fnout as low in the trunk as he finds his horns 

 will enter, he rips up the body of the tree, and reduces it 

 to thin pieces, like fo many laths ; and when he has thus 

 prepared it, he embraces as much of it as he can in his 

 monftrous jaws, and twills it round with as much eafe as 

 an ox would do a root of celery, or any fuch pot-herb or 

 garden-fluff. 



" When purfued, and in fear, he poffeffes an aflonifhing 

 degree of (wiftnefs, confidering his fize, the apparent un- 

 wieldmefs of his body, his great weight before, and the 

 fhortnefs of his legs. He is long, and has a kind of trot, 

 which, after a few minutes, increafes in a great proportion, 

 and takes in a great diftance ; but this is to be underitood 

 with a degree of moderation. It is not true, that in a plain 

 he beats the horfe in fwiftnefs. I have palled him with eafe, 

 and feen many worfe mounted do the fame ; and though it 

 is certainly true that a horfe can very feldom come up with 

 him, this is owing to his cunning, but not his fwiftnefs. 

 He makes conllantly from wood to wood, and forces him- 

 felf into the thickeft part of them. The trees that are dry 

 are broke down, like as with a cannon-fhot, and fall behind 



him, 



