places in the burning climates where they are bred; and as to its rough tongue, that is so far from the truth that no animal of near its size has so soft a one. have often felt it myself," says Ladvocat, in his description of this animal; "it is smooth, soft, and small, like that of a dog, and to the feel it appears as if one passed the hand over velvet. I have often seen it lick a young man's face who kept it, and both seemed pleased with the action."

The age of these animals is not well known. It is said by some that they bring forth at three years old; and, if we may reason from analogy, it is probable they seldom live till above twenty. That which was shown in London was said, by its keeper, to be eighteen years old, and even at that age he pretended to consider it as a young one: however, it died shortly after, and that probably in the course of nature.

The rhinoceros is a native of the deserts of Asia and Africa, and is usually found in those extensive forests that are frequented by the elephant and the lion. As it subsists entirely upon vegetable food, it is peaceful and harmless among its fellows of the brute creation; but, though it never provokes to combat, it equally disdains to fly. It is every way fitted for war, but rests content in the consciousness of its security. It is particularly fond of the prickly branches of trees, and is seen to feed upon such thorny shrubs as would be dangerous to other animals either to gather or to swallow. The prickly points of these, however, may only serve to give a poignant relish to this animal's palate, and may answer the same grateful ends in seasoning its banquet that spices do in heightening ours.

In some parts of the kingdom of Asia, where the natives are more desirous of appearing warlike than showing themselves brave, these animals are tamed, and led into the field to strike terror into the enemy; but they are always an unmanageable and restive animal, and probably more dangerous to the employers than those whom they are brought to oppose.

The method of taking them is, chiefly, watching them till they are found either in some moist or marshy place, where, like hogs, they are fond of sleeping and wallowing. They then destroy the old one with fire-arms; for no weapons that are thrown by the force of man are capable of entering this animal's hide. If, when the old one is destroyed, there happens to be a cub, they seize and tame it. These animals are sometimes taken in pitfalls, covered with green branches, laid in those paths which the rhinoceros makes in going from the forest to the river side.

There are some varieties in this animal as in most others. Some of them are found in Africa with a double horn, one growing above the other: this weapon, if considered in itself, is one of the strongest and most dangerous that Nature furnishes to any part of the animal creation. The horn is entirely solid, formed of the hardest bony substance, growing from the upper maxillary bone by so strong an apophyse as seemingly to make but one part with it. Many are the medicinal virtues that are ascribed to this horn when taken in powder; but these qualities have been attributed to it without any real foundation, and make only a small part of the many fables which this extraordinary animal has given rise to.*

*ENMITY AGAINST THE ELEPHANT.-The rhinoceros and male elephant have been discovered both dead-the elephant's bowels being ripped open, and the rhinoceros transfixed under the ribs by one of the elephant's teeth. These combats are, however, very rarely seen. Major Lally, in one of his hunting parties, as mentioned in the Oriental Field Sports, having arrived at the summit of a low range of hills, was suddenly presented with a distinct view of a most desperate engagement between a rhinoceros and a large male elephant; the latter, to all appearance, protecting a small herd which were retiring in a state of alarm.

The elephant was worsted, and fled, followed by the rhinoceros, into a heavy jungle where much roaring was heard, but nothing could be discerned.

TRICK-DEFENCE.-The rhinoceros, as well as the camel, is retromingent; and, like that animal, not only smells extremely rank, but its urine is highly offensive and corrosive. This might be of no moment, had not the rhinoceros a filthy trick of discharging his urine suddenly at such as are behind him, causing great pain and inflammation to the individual unfortunately operated upon. The lizard and spider are equally obnoxious on this

CHAP. XXIV.

THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.

THE hippopotamus is an animal as large and not less formidable than the rhinoceros; its legs are shorter, and its head rather more bulky than that of the animal last described. We have had but few opportunities in Europe of examining this formidable creature minutely; its dimensions, however, have been pretty well ascertained by a description given us by Zerenghi, an Italian surgeon, who procured one of them to be killed on the banks of the river Nile. By his ac

count, it appears that this terrible animal, which chiefly resides in the waters of that river, is above seventeen feet long from the extremity of the snout to the insertion of the tail; above sixteen feet in circumference round the body, and above seven feet high: the head is near four feet long and above nine feet in circumference. The jaws open about two feet wide, and the cutting-teeth, of which it has four in each jaw, are above a foot long.*

Its feet in some measure resemble those of the elephant, and are divided into four parts. The tail is short, flat, and pointed; the hide is amazingly thick, and

* SIZE OF THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.-The head of a hippopotamus has recently been brought to England, with all the flesh about it, in a high state of preservation. This amphibious animal was harpooned while in combat with a crocodile, in a lake in the interior of Africa. The head measures near four feet long and eight feet in circumference: the jaws open two feet wide, and the cutting-teeth, of which it has four in each jaw, are above a foot long and four inches in circumference. Its ears are not bigger than a terrier's, and are much about the same shape. This formidable and terrific creature. when full-grown, measures about seventeen feet long from the extremity of the snout to the insertion of the tail, above sixteen feet in circumference round the body,

and stands above seven feet high. It runs with astonishing swiftness for its great bulk at the bottom of lakes and rivers, but not with as much ease on land. When excited, it puts forth its full strength, which is prodigious. "I have seen," says a mariner, as we find it in Dampier, "one of these animals open its jaws, and seizing a boat between its teeth, at once bite and sink it to the bottom. I

have seen it on another occasion place itself under one of our boats, and rising under it, overset it with six men who were in it, but who, however, happily received no other in jury." At one time it was not uncommon in the Nile, but now it is no where to be found in that river. except above the cataracts.MAG. NAT. HIST.

though not capable of turning a musket-ball, is impenetrable to the blow of a sabre; the body is covered over with a few scattered hairs of a whitish colour. The whole figure of the animal is something between that of an ox and a hog, and its cry is something between the bellowing of the one and the grunting of the other.

This animal, however, though so terribly furnished for war, seems no way disposed to make use of its prodigious strength against an equal enemy; it chiefly resides at the bottom of the great rivers and lakes of Africa; the Nile, the Niger, and the Zara; there it leads an indolent kind of life, and seems seldom disposed for action, except when excited by the calls of hunger. Upon such occasions, three or four of them are often seen at the bottom of a river, near some cataract, forming a kind of line, and seizing upon such fish as are forced down by the violence of the stream. In that element they pursue their prey with great swiftness and perseverance; they swim with much force, and remain at the bottom for thirty or forty minutes without rising to take breath. They traverse the bottom of the stream, as if walking upon land, and make a terrible devastation where they find plenty of prey. But it often happens that this animal's fishy food is not supplied in sufficient abundance; it is then forced to come upon land, where it is an awkward and unwieldy stranger: it moves but slowly, and, as it seldom forsakes the margin of the river, it sinks at every step it takes; sometimes, however, it is forced by famine up into the higher grounds, where it commits dreadful havoc among the plantations of the helpless natives, who see their possessions destroyed, without daring to resist their invader. Their chief method is by lighting fires, striking drums, and raising a cry to frighten it back to its favourite element; and as it is extremely timorous upon land, they generally succeed in their endeavours. But if they happen to wound, or otherways irritate it too closely, it then becomes formidable to all that oppose it: it overturns whatever it meets, and brings forth all its strength, which it seemed not to have discovered before that dangerous occasion. It possesses the same inoffensive disposition in its favourite element, that it is found to have upon land; it is never found to attack the mariners in their boats, as they go up or down the stream; but should they inadvertently strike against it, or otherwise disturb its repose, there is much danger of its sending them, at once, to the bottom. "I have seen," says a mariner, as we find it in Dampier, one of these animals open its jaws, and seizing any boat between its teeth, at once bite and sink it to the bottom. I have seen it upon another occasion, place itself under one of our boats, and rising under it, overset it with six men which were in it; who, however, happily received no other injury." Such is the great strength of this animal; and from hence, probably, the imagination has been willing to match it in combat against others more fierce and equally formidable. The crocodile and shark have been said to engage with it, and yield an easy victory; but as the shark is only found at sea, and the hippopotamus never ventures beyond the mouth of fresh-water rivers, it is most probable that these engagements never occurred; it sometimes happens, indeed, that the princes of Africa amuse themselves with combats on their fresh-water lakes, between this and other formidable animals; but whether the rhinoceros or the crocodile are of this number, we have not been particularly informed. If this animal be attacked at land, and finding itself incapable of vengeance from the swiftness of its enemy, it immediately returns to the river, where it plunges in head foremost, and after a short time rises to the surface, loudly bellowing, either to invite or intimidate the enemy; but though the negroes will venture to attack the shark, or the crocodile, in their natural element, and there destroy them, they are too well apprized of the force of the hippopotamus to engage it; this animal, therefore, continues the uncontroled master of the river, and all others fly from its approach, and become an easy prey.

66

As the hippopotamus lives upon fish and vegetables, so it is probable the flesh of terrestrial animals may be equally grateful: the natives of Africa assert, that it has often been found to evour children and other creatures that it was

able to surprise upon land; yet it moves but slowly, almost every creature endued with a common share of swiftness, is able to escape it; and this animal, therefore, seldom ventures from the river side, but when pressed by the neces sities of hunger, or of bringing forth its young.

The female always comes upon land to bring forth, and it is supposed that she seldom produces above one at a time; upon this occasion, these animals are particularly timorous, and dread the approach of a terrestrial enemy; the instant the parent hears the slightest noise, it dashes into the stream, and the young one is seen to follow it with equal alacrity.

The young ones are said to be excellent eating; but the negroes, to whom nothing that has life comes amiss, find an equal delicacy in the old. Dr. Pococke has seen their flesh sold in the shambles, like beef; and it is said, that their breast, in particular, is as delicate eating as veal. As for the rest, these animals are found in great numbers, and as they produce very fast, their flesh might supply the countries where they are found, could those barbarous regions produce more expert huntsmen; it may be remarked, however, that this creature, which was once in such plenty at the mouth of the Nile, is now wholly unknown in Lower Egypt, and is no where to be found in that river, except above the cataracts.

CHAP. XXV.

we

THE CAMELOPARD.

WERE We to be told of an animal so tall, that a man on horseback could with ease ride under its belly,

without stooping, we should hardly give credit to the relation; yet of this extraordinary size is the camelopard, an animal that inhabits the deserts of Africa; and the accounts of which are so well ascertained that we cannot deny our assent to their authority. It is no easy matter to form an adequate idea of this creature's size, and the oddity of its formation. It exhibits somewhat of the slender

(The Camelopard.)

shape of the deer, or the camel, but destitute of their symmetry, or their easy power of motion. The head somewhat resembles that of the deer, with two round horns, near a foot long, and which, it is probable, it sheds as deer are found to do; its neck resembles that of a horse; its legs and feet those of the deer, but with this extraordinary difference, that the fore legs are nearly twice as long as the hinder. As these creatures have been found eighteen feet high, and ten from the ground to the top of the shoulders, so allowing three feet for the depth of the body, seven feet remains, which is high enough to admit a man mounted upon a middle-sized horse. The hinder part, however, is much lower, so that when the animal appears standing, and at rest, it has somewhat the appearance of a dog sitting, and this formation of its legs gives it an awkward and a laborious motion; which, though swift, must yet be tiresome. For this reason the camelopard is an animal very rarely found, and only finds refuge in the most internal desert regions of Africa. The dimensions of a young one, as