THE SUHFACE OF THE GLOBE. 51 



The unicorn rhinoceros, though very remote from Rome, was equally 

 well known there. Pompey exhibited one. Strabo has accurately 

 described another at Alexandria*. 



The rhinoceros of Sumatra, described by Mr. Bell, and that of Java, 

 discovered and sent over by Messrs. Duvaucel and Diard, do not appear 

 to live on the continent. Therefore it is not astonishing that the ancients 

 had no knowledge of them, and perhaps if they had they would not have 

 distinguished them. 



The hippopotamus has not been so well described as the preceding 

 species ; but we find very exact delineations of it on the monuments 

 left by the Romans, which represent things relative to Egypt, such as 

 the statue of Nilus, the mosaic of Palestrina, and a great many medals. 

 In fact, the Romans saw them often, they were exhibited by Scaurus, 

 Augustus, Antoninus, Commodus, Heliogabalus, Philip, andCarinusf. 



The two species of camels, that of Bactria, and that of Arabia, are 



small quantity on the posterior edge of the upper parts of the ears. This animal 

 has a wonderful acuteness in its hearing ; the slightest noise disturbs him, whether 

 eating or sleeping ; and, under the greatest engagements nature imposes upon him, 

 he stops every thing suddenly, and lifts up his head with great attention till the 

 noise is over. 



The skin of the rhinoceros is thick and impenetrable. In several parts of the 

 body it is covered over with hard incrustations, particularly on the shoulders and 

 buttocks. Between the folds the skin is soft and smooth, and of a pale flesh colour. 



The folds of this quadruped are necessary to render the body flexible. The skin 

 is so inflexible and impenetrable in most parts, that without folds they could not 

 bend. But by the wisdom of Providence, these folds are placed in such parts of the 

 body as to facilitate the performance of any voluntary motion the animal may be dis- 

 posed to make. 



The rhinoceros utters a note similar to the grunt of a boar, but somewhat shriller 

 when it is enraged. One hundred and twenty-four pounds of food, and a propor- 

 tionate quantity of drink, is consumed by this animal in a day. The animal of 

 which Dr. Parsons speaks consumed every day three pounds of sugar and seven 

 pounds of rice, with about a truss of hay per week, besides greens of different kinds. 



From the time of his being taken to the time of his landing in England, his ex- 

 penses were said to amount to one thousand pounds. The rhinoceros commonly 

 lives in solitude, moves slowly, ploughing the earth with his horn, and casting huge 

 stones behind him. When he runs, his tail is extended like that of a bull. The 

 rhinoceros is greatly tormented by the stings of numerous insects, and, as a means 

 of defence, they roll themselves in the mire, which hardening in the sun, forms a 

 sort of cuirass to the naked skin. The flesh of the rhinoceros is similar in its flavour 

 to pork, and better than that of the elephant. The horn is much esteemed by the 

 Asiatics, they make drinking cups of them ; they are sometimes sculptured with con- 

 siderable taste. The hide is employed to make whips. An interesting memoir, by 

 M. Frederick Cuvier, has appeared in the splendid work published by him conjointly 

 with M. Geoffroy St. Hilaire, on the animals in the menagerie in the Garden of 

 Plants at Paris. It relates to the rhinoceros lately living in that establishment. 



It was from this memoir that the figure of the rhinoceros was taken. We are 

 happy to add, that for those geologists who directed their attention to fossil animals, 

 that there is at present a very interesting specimen of this genus of large animals in 

 the Surrey Zoological Gardens. — Eng. Ed. 



* See in my work the chapter on the rhinoceros. 



t See in my Researches the chapter on the hippopotamus. 



