44 Sir Everard Home on a new species of rhinoceros 
Exeter Change, it endeavoured to kill the keeper, and nearly 
succeeded. It ran at him with the greatest impetuosity ; but 
fortunately the horn passed between his thighs, and threw 
the keeper on its head : the horn came against a wooden 
partition, into which the animal had forced it to such a depth, 
as to be unable for a minute to withdraw it, and during this 
interval the man escaped. 
Its skin, although apparently so hard, is only covered with 
small scales of the thickness of paper, with the appearance of 
tortoise shell ; at the edges of these, the skin itself is ex- 
ceedingly sensible, either to the bite of a fly, or the lash of a 
whip ; and the only mode of managing it at all was by means 
of a short whip. By this discipline the keeper got the manage- 
ment of it, and the animal was brought to know him ; but 
frequently, more especially in the middle of the night, fits of 
phrenzy came on, and while these lasted, nothing could con- 
troul its rage, the rhinoceros running with great swiftness 
round the den, playing all kinds of antics, making hideous 
noises, knocking every thing to pieces, disturbing the whole 
neighbourhood, then all at once becoming quiet. While the 
fit was on, even the keeper durst not make his approach. The 
animal fell upon its knees to enable the horn to bear upon 
any object. It was quick in all its motions : ate ravenously 
all kinds of vegetables : appearing to have no selection. They 
fed it on branches of the willow. It possessed little or no 
memory ; dunged in one place, and if not prevented, ate the 
dung, or spread it over the sides of the wall. Three years 
confinement made no alteration in its habits. 
The account in the Bible of an unicorn not to be tamed, 
mentioned by Job, bears so great an affinity to this animal, 
