112 SINGLE-HORNED RHINOCEROS* 
cool sequestered spots,, near waters, and in shady 
woods. Like the hog, he delights in occasionally 
wallowing in the mire. 
The Asiatics sometimes tame and bring these 
animals into the field of battle, to strike terror 
into their enemies. They are, however, in gene** 
ral so unmanageable, that they do more harm than 
good ; and in their fury it is not uncommon for 
them to turn on their masters. 
The flesh is eaten by the inhabitants of the 
country. The skin, flesh, hoofs, teeth, and even 
the dung, are also used medicinally. The horn, 
when cut through the middle, is said to exhibit 
on each side, the rude figure of a man ; the out* 
lines being marked by small white strokes. Many 
of the Indian princes drink out of cups made of 
this horn ; imagining, that when these hold any 
poisonous draught, the liquor will ferment till it 
runs quite over the top. Goblets made of the 
horns of the young, are esteemed the most valu- 
able. Professor Thunberg, when at the Cape, 
tried these horns, both wrought into goblets and 
unwrought, both old and young horns, with seve- 
ral sorts of poison, weak as well as strong, but 
did not observe the least motion, or effervescence ; 
when, however, a solution of corrosive sublimate 
was poured into one of them, there arose indeed a 
few bubbles, which were produced by the air that 
had been inclosed in the pores of the horn, and was 
now disengaged from it. Martial informs us, that 
the Roman ladies of fashion used these horns in 
the baths to hold their essence bottles and oils. 
The Javanese make shields of the skin. 
The single horned rhinoceros is a native of seve- 
ral parts of India, as well as of the islands of 
Ceylon, Java, and Sumatra. It is also found iii 
Ethiopia. The female produces only one young 
one at a birth. 
