200 SINGLE-HORNED RHINOCEROS. 



India, as well as of the islands of Java, Sumatra, 

 &c. This animal falls far short of the Elephant 

 in sagacity and docility. It is, however, of a quiet 

 and inoffensive disposition, but very furious and 

 dangerous when provoked or attacked; he is said 

 to run with great swiftness, and, from his strength 

 and impenetrable covering, is capable of rushing 

 with resistless violence through woods and obsta- 

 cles of every kind; the trees bending like twigs 

 while he passes between them. In general habits 

 and manner of feeding the Rhinoceros resembles 

 the Elephant ; residing in cool sequestered spots, 

 near waters, and in shady woods : it delights in 

 rolling occasionally in the mud, in the manner of 

 a hog. Its skin is so hard as to be impenetrable 

 by any common weapons, except on the belly : it 

 is even said, that, in order to shoot a full-grown 

 Rhinoceros of advanced ' age, it is necessary to 

 make use of iron bullets; those of lead having 

 been known to be flattened against the skin. 



The bones of the Rhinoceros, like those of the 

 Elephant, are often found in a fossil state in va- 

 rious parts of the world; and in the year 1772 an 

 entire Rhinoceros was found buried in the banks 

 of a Siberian river, in the ancient frozen soil, 

 with the skin, tendons, and some of the flesh, in 

 the highest state of preservation. It was disco- 

 vered in the sandy banks of the river Witim, 

 which falls into the Lena, below Jakutsk, in N. 

 lat. 64-. A full account of this curious discovery- 

 is given by Dr. Pallas, in the 17th vol. of the 

 Petersburgh Transactions. 



