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NATURAL  HISTORY, 

GENERAL    and   PARTICULAR, 

BY     THU 

COUNT  D  E  BUFFO  V 

■7 

TRANSLATED  INTO    ENGLISH, 


w 


ILLUSTRATED 
ITri    ABOVE    300    COPPER-PL 


AT  LB, 


•*ND       OCCASIONAL 

NOTES  and  OBSERVATIONS. 

^    WILLIAM    SMELL  IE- 
member    OF  THE  ANTIQUARIAN   AND   ROVAL 
SOCIETIES   OF   EDINBURGH. 

SECOND     EDITION. 


V    O    L.        VI, 


^     O     N     D     o     N: 

tinted  for  W.  Strahan  and  T  r 

_lllnd     •  Cadell>  ^  the  Straw* 


^DCC,LXXXv 

.     \6 


Qh 


}%«\v 


i 


-• 


O     N     T  .  E     N     T     S. 


I 


lie  Natural  Hiftory  of  the  Elephant 

of  the  Rhinoceros       .       92 

of  the  Camel  and  Drome- 
dary .  •         1 l  ° 

. ; of  the  Buffalo,  the  Bona- 

fas]   the   Urns,    the 
Bifon,  and  the  Zebu  150 

of  the  Moujlon,  and  0- 

ther  /htep         .  205 

, of  the  Axis  .    t       230 

. of  the  Zebu,  or  Divarf . 

Ox  .      ;     V;,,^ 

, . of  the  Tapir         '    ,     -'242 

A  differ tation  on  Nature         .         .  •  249 

Natural  Hipry  of  the  Zebra         .  .  264 

. . of  the  Hippopotamus  .  277 

_ of  the  Elk  and  Rain-Deer  315 

, 0f  the  Wild  Goat,  the  Cha- 
mois Goat,  and  other  Goats  ^2, 

. of  the  Saiga,  or  Scythian  An- 

tilope  .  •  393 

, .  of  the  A ni Hopes  or  Gazelles  297 

D  I  Pv  E  C- 


DIRECTIONS  to   the  BINDER. 

Place  Plate  CLXVI.  between  page  9z.  and  page  93. 

CLXVII.  between  page  1 16.  and  page  117. 
CLXVIII.  and  CLXIX.  between  page   ,50.  and 
page  151. 

CLXX.   and  CLXXI.  between  page  204.  and 
page  205. 

C^vv;^^TILCLXXIV-CLXXV'CLXXVL 

CLXXVII.CLXXVIILCLXXIX.andCLXXX. 
between  page  228.  and  page  220. 

CLXXXI.   CLXXXIL   between   page  238.   and 
page  239.  &       3 

CLXXXV.  and  CLXXXVi    h  ,     W  *** 
and  page  277   CLXXXVI'  betwee»  P*S*  *7* 

'  Page  363  LXXXIX*  betWeen  P^  J«K  and 

CXC.  CXCI.  CXCII.  CXCIII.  CXCIV   cxcv 
ry?t?rXCX^betWeen  P^e  392.  and  page  39,. " 

3'uS  CXCIX  -  cc  »  * 


NATURAL    HISTORY. 


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 


THE     ELEPHANT*. 


IF  the  human  fpecles  be  excepted,  the  Ele- 
phant is  the  mod  refpedable  animal   in   the 
world.     In  fize  he  furpafles  all   other  terreftrial 
creatures  j  and,  by  his  intelligence,  he  makes  as 
Vol.  VI.  A  '     near 

*  The  Elephant  has  a  long  cartilaginous  trunk,  formed  of 
multitudes  of  rings,  pliant   in  all    directions,  and  terminated 
with  a  fmall  moveable  hook.     The  noftrils  are  at  the  end  of 
the  trunk,  which  is  ufed,  like  a  hand,  to  convey  any  thing  in- 
to the  mouth.     This  animal  has  no  cutting  teeth,  but  four 
large  flat  grinders  in  each  jaw,  and  in  the   upper,  two  vaft 
tufks,  pointing  forwards,  and  bending  a  little  upwards ;  the 
largeft  of  them  imported  into  Britain  are  feven  feet  long,  and 
weigh  152  pounds  each.     The  eyes  are  fmall,  and  the  ears 
long,  broad  and  pendulous.    The  back  is  much  arched.    The 
legs  are  thick,  and  very  clumfy  and  fhapelefs.     The  feet  are 
undivided;  but  their  margins  are  terminated  by  five  round 
hoofs.     The  tail  is  like  that  of  a  hog.    The  colour  of  the  fcia 
is  dufky,  with  a  few  fcattered  hairs  on  it;  Pennanfs  Synopf. 

In  Greek,  EAe0«?;  in  Latin,  EUphantus,  Barrus  ;  in  Spaniih, 
Elephante;  in  German,  Helphant ;  in  the  Eaft,  Elf  I.  Phil,  or 
Ftl,  »s  a  Chaldean  word  which  fignifies  ivory,  and  Mun'fler 
nfcs  it  to  denote  the  Elephant.   In  the  Eaft  Indies  the  elephant 


was 


2  THE     ELEPHANT. 

r  an  approach  to  man  as  matter  can  approach. 
fpirit  *,     Of  all  animated  beings,  the  elephant, 

dog,  the  '  .  •. '•  ■-■■.  have  the  mbft 

admirable  inftinct.  But  this  inftincT:,  which  is 
only  a  refult  of  all  the  animal  powers,  both  in- 
ternal and  externa],  manifefts  itfelf  by  very  dif- 
ferent effects  in  each  of  tliefe  fpecfes.  Naturally, 
and  when  left  at  full  liberty,  the  dog  is  as  cruel 
and  bli  as  the  wolf;  but,  ainidft  all  this  fe- 

rocity of  difpbfition,  there  is  one  flexible  point 
which  we  have  cherimed.  Hence  the  natural 
difpofitions  of  the  dog  differ  not  from  thofe  of 
■acious  animals,  but  by  this  point  of  fen- 
fibility,  which  renders  him  fufceptible  of  affection 

and  attachment.     It  is  from  nature  that   he  de- 
rives 

was  formeily  cr.lled  Bar-re  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  Barrus  was 
derived  from  this  word,  and  afterwards  applied  by  the  Latins 
to  the  elephant ;  Gefner,  cap.  de  Elcphanto.  At  Congo,  it  is 
call:  J  i  cr  Manzo;    Drake,  p.  104. 

Elephas  ;   Pliuii,  lib.  8.   cap.  I.      Rati  Jynopif.   qua  J.  p.    131. 

,A.  36.     Ludolph.  JEihiop.  p.  54.    Boullaye-le-Gouz'. p. 

250.     Delhi? s  voyage,  p.  71.    Leo  Afric.  p.  336.     Kolben's  Cape, 

2.  *.  98      Bo/man's  h'lfl.  ofGuiney,  p.  23c.    Linfchotian.  iter, 

/.  55.  DiiHalde's  China,  vol.  2. p.  224.  Addanfon's  voyage,  p.  13S. 

p.  31.     Borr'i's  account  of  Cochin  China,  p.  795. 

Bdrtofj  Giiuiey,  p.  141.  206.     Seba,  torn.  \.p.  175./^.  3.   Ed~ 

221. 

L'Elephant ;  Brijfofu  quad.  p.  28. 

Elephas  maximus;  Linn.  J', ft.  nat.  p.  48. 

*  Va1  :  ct  reliqua  fagacitate  ingenii  excellit  elephas; 

Arijl.  Hijl.  anim.  lib.  9.  cap.  46. — Elephanti  funt  natura   mites 
et  manfueti,  ut  ad  rationale  animal  proxime  accedant ;  Str, 
— Vidi  dephantos  quofdam  qui  prudentiores  mihi   videbantuy 
m  in  locis  homines  ;   Vartomannus,  apud  Gefner. 
cap.  de  Elephanto. 


THE    ELEPHANT.  3 

rives  this  germ  of  fentiment,  which  man  has 
cultivated  and  expanded  by  living  long  and  con- 
ftantly  in  fociety  with  this  animal.  The  dog  a- 
lone  was  worthy  of  this  diftinguifhed  regard ; 
for,  being  more  fufceptible  of  foreign  impreiiions 
than  any  other  quadruped,  all  his  relative  powers 
have  been  brought  to  perfection  by  his  commeice 
with  man.  His  fenfibility,  his  docility,  his  cou- 
rage, his  talents,  and  even  his  manners,  are  mo- 
dified and  formed  by  the  example  and  qualities 
of  his  mafter.  We  ought  not,  therefore,  to  a- 
fcribe  to  him  all  the  powers  he  appears  to  poflefs. 
His  moft  brilliant  qualities  are  borrowed  from 
us.  He  has  acquired  more  than  other  animals, 
becaufe  he  is  more  capable  of  making  acquifi- 
tions.  Inftead  of  having  a  repugnance  to  man, 
he  has  a  natural  bias  in  favour  of  the  human  race. 
This  gentle  fentiment,  which  is  always  alive,  is 
made  evident  by  the  defite  of  pleafing,  and  has 
produced  docility,  fidelity,  perpetual  fubmiffion, 
and,  at  the  fame  time,  that  degree  of  attention 
which  is  necefiary  for  acting  accordingly,  and 
for  giving  ready  obedience  to  all  the  commands 
he  receives. 

The  ape,  on  the  contrary,  is  as  untraceable  as 
he  is  extravagant.  His  nature,  in  every  point, 
is  equally  ftubborn.  He  has  no  relative  fenfibi- 
lities,  no  gratitude,  no  recollection  of  good  treat- 
ment, or  of  benefits  received.  Averfe  to  the  fo- 
ciety of  man,  and  to  every  kind  of  reftraint,  he 
has  a  violent  propenfity  to  do  every  thing  that 

A  2  is 


4  THE     ELEPHANT. 

is  hurtful  or  difpleafmg.  But  thefe  real  faults 
are  compehfated  by  apparent  perfections.  In  his 
external  figure,  he  refembles  man:  He  has  arms, 
hands,  and  fingers.  The  ufe  of  thefe  parts  alone 
renders  him  fuperior  in  addrefs  to  other  animals; 
and  the  relations  they  give  him  to  us,  in  iimila- 
rity  of  movements  and  conformity  of  actions, 
plcafe  and  deceive  us,  and  lead  us  to  aicribe  to 
internal  qualities,  what  depends  folely  on  the 
ilructure  of  his  members. 

The  beaver,  whofe  individual  qualities  feem 
far  inferior  to  thofe  of  the  dog  and  ape,  has,  not- 
withftanding,  received  from  Nature  a  gift  almofl 
equivalent  to  that  of  fpeech.  He  makes  him- 
felf  fo  well  underftood  to  his  own  fpecies,  that 
they  unite  in  fociety,  act  in  concert,  undertake 
and  execute  large  and  long  continued  works; 
and  this  focial  attachment,  as  well  as  the  refult 
of  their  mutual  intelligence,  are  more  entitled  to 
our  admiration  than  the  addrefs  of  the  ape,  or 
the  fidelity  of  the  dog. 

Hence  the  genius  of  the  dog  (if  I  may  be 
permitted  to  profane  this  term)  is  borrowed ; 
the  ape  has  only  the  appearance  of  it ;  and  the 
talents  of  the  beaver  extend  no  farther  than  to 
what  regards  himfelf  and  his  affbeiates.  But 
the  elephant  is  fuperior  to  all  the  three;  for  in 
him  all  their  mod  exalted  qualities  are  united. 
In  the  ape,  the  hand  is  the  principal  organ  of 
addrefs.  The  trunk  of  the  elephant  affords  him 
the  fame  means  of  addrefs  as  the  ape.     It  ferves 

inflead 


THE     ELEPHANT.  5 

inftead  of  an  arm  and  a  hand;  and  by  it  he  is 
enabled  to  raife  and  lay  hold  of  fmall  as  well  as 
of  large  objects,  to  carry  them  to  his  mouth,  to 
place  them  on  his  back,  to  embrace  them  faft, 
or  to  throw  them  at  a  diftance.  He  has,  at  the 
fame  time,  the  docility  of  the  dog,  and,  like  that 
animal,  he  is  fufceptible  of  gratitude,  capable  of 
attachment,  is  eafily  accuftomed  to  man,  fubmits 
lefs  by  force  than  good  treatment,  ferves  him 
with  zeal,  fidelity,  knowledge,  &c.  In  fine, 
the  elephant,  like  the  beaver,  loves  the  fociety 
of  his  equals,  and  can  make  himfelf  to  be  under- 
ftood  by  them.  They  are  often  obferved  to  af- 
femble  together,  to  difperfe,  and  to  acvt  in  con- 
cert ;  and,  if  they  receive  no  mutual  edification, 
if  they  carry  on  no  common  operation,  it  muft, 
perhaps,  be  afcribed  to  the  want  of  room  and  of 
tranquility;  for  men  have  been  very  anciently 
multiplied  in  all  the  countries  inhabited  by  the 
elephant ;  he  is,  therefore,  perpetually  difturb- 
ed,  and  is  no  where  a  peaceable  poflefTor  of 
fufficient  fpace  to  eftablifh  a  fecure  abode.  We 
have  feen,  that  all  thefe  advantages  are  necef- 
fary  to  unfold  the  talents  of  the  beaver,  and  that, 
in  every  place  frequented  by  men,  he  lofes  his 
induftry,  and  receives  no  edification  from  afTo- 
ciating.  Every  being  has  its  relative  value  in 
Nature.  To  form  a  juft  eflimation  of  the  ele- 
phant, he  muft  be  allowed  to  pofleisthe  fagacity 
of  the  beaver,  the  addrefs  of  the  ape,  the  fentiment 
of  the  dog,  together  with  the  peculiar  advanta- 

A  3  ges 


6  THE     ELEPHANT. 

i  of  ftrength,  largenefs,  and  long  duration  of 
life.  Neither  mould  we  overlook  his  arms,  or 
tufks,  which  enable  him  to  transfix  and  conquer 
the  lion.  We  fhould  alio  confider,  that  the  earth 
fhcikes  under  his  icct;  that  with  his  hand  he 
U  ire  up  trees'";  that,  by  a  puih  of  his  body,  he 
makes  a  breach  in  a  wall;  that,  though  tremen- 
dous in  urength,  he  is  rendered  ftill  more  in- 
vincible by  his  enormous  mals,  and  by  the  thick- 

\s  of  his  fkin  ;   that  he  can  carry  on  his  back 
an  armed  tower  filled  with  many  warriors ;  tl 
he  works  machines,  and  carries  burdens  which 
fix  horfes  are  unable  to  move;  that  to  this  pro- 
digious 

*  Yeteres  probofcidem  elephant!  mantim  appellaverunt. — 
Eadem  aliquoties  nummum  e  terra  tollentem  vidi,  et  aliquan- 
do  detrahentem  arboris  ramum,  quem  viri  viginti-quatuor 
fune  trahentcs  ad  hanram  fie&ere  npn  pctueramus;  cum  folus 
elephas  tribus  vicious  motum  derahebat  ;  FartomannuSf  apud 
Gefner.  cap.  de  .  to. — Silveftrcs  elephanti  fagos,  oleaftros, 

et  palmas  dentibus  fubvertunt  radicitus ;  Oppian. — Promufcis 
elephanti  nari-j  eft  qua  cibum,  tarn  ficcum  quam  humidum, 
ille  capiat,  ori:  .         e  ac  manu  admoveat.    Arbores  etiam 

eadem  completfcndo  evellit ,  denique  ea  non  alio  utitur  modo 
nifi  ut  manu;  Arifict.  depart:',  animal.  lib.  z.  cjp.  16. — Habet 
praeterea  talem  tantamqv.e  narem  elephantus,  ut  ea  manus 
vice  utatur Suo  etiam  reefer;  erigit  atquc  oiFert,  ar- 
bores quoque  eadem  profternit,  et  quoties  immerfus  per  aquam 
ingredirur,  ea  ipfa  edita  in  fablimi  reflat  atque  refpirat  ; 
Ar'tfl.  hifi.  anim.  lib.  2.  cap.  i. — The  ftrength  of  the  elephant  is 
fo  amazing  that  it  can  only  be  known  from  experience.  I 
have  feen  an  elephant  carry  on  his  tufks  two  cannons,  fixed 
together  with  cables,  each  weighing  three  thoufand  pounds, 
which  he  firft  railed  from  the  ground,  and  then  carried  them 
to  the  diftance  of  five  hundred  paces.  I  have  alfo  feen  an 
elephant  draw  fhips  and  gallies  upon  land,  in  order  to  feU 
them  afloat;   Voyages  de  Fr.  Pjrard,  torn.  2.  p.  356. 


THE     ELEPHANT.  7 

digious  ftrength  he  adds  courage,  prudence, 
coolnefs,  and  punctual  obedience;  that  he  pre- 
ferves  moderation  even  in  his  mod- violent  paf- 
lions  ;  that  he  is  conftant  and  impetuous  in 
love  *  ;  that,  when  in  anger,  he  miitakes  not 
his  friends ;  that  he  never  attacks  ariv  but  thofe 
who  offend  him  ;  that  he  remembers  favours  as 
long  as  injuries;  that,  having  no  appetite  for 
flefh,  he  feeds  on  vegetables  alone,  and  is  bora 
an  enemy  to  no  living  creature  ;  and,  in  fine, 
that  he  is  univerfally  beloved,  becaufe  all  arii- 
mals  refpect,  and  none  have  any  reafon  to  fear 
him. 

Men  likewife.  in  all  a'^es,  have  had  a  kind  of 
veneration  for  this  firfl  and  grander!  of  terrefjtrial 
creatures.  The  ancients  regarded  him  as  a  mi- 
racle of  Nature  ;  and,  indeed,  he  is  her  higheli 
effort.  But  they  have  greatly  exaggerated  his 
faculties.  1  hey  have,  without  helitation,  afcri- 
bed  to  him  intellectual  powers  and  moral  vir- 
tues. Pliny,  JEIian,  Solinus,  Plutarch,  and  other 
aqthors  or  a  more  modern  date,  have  given  to 
thele  animals  rational  manners,  a  natural  and 
innate  religion  f,    a    kind  of  daily  adoration  of 

the 

*  Ncc  adulteria  novere,  nee  ulla  propter  foemiuas  inter  fe 
praelia,  caeteris  animalibus  perniciaUa,  non  quia  defit  iilis 
amoris  vis,  Sec;  Plin.  lib.  8.  cap.  •  5. — Mas  q  nam  impleveric 
coitu,  earn  amplius  non  tangit  ;  Ariftot.  Hifl.  aniuu  lib.  9. 
cap.      i. 

■am    indigenarum  linguam  elephanti   intoliigunt ; 

111.  lib.  4.  cap.  24 Luna  nova  nitelcente,  audio   ele- 

phantos  naturali  quadam  et  ineffabili  intelfigentia  e  iilva,  ubi 
!>4j..untur,  rames  recens  decerptos  auferre,  eofque  deinde   in 

lublime 


S  THE    ELEPHANT. 

the  fun  and  moon,  the  ufe  of  ablution  before 
worfhip,  a  fpirit  of  divination,  piety  towards  hea- 
ven and  their  fellow-creatures,  whom  they  af- 
fift  at  the  approach  of  death,  and,  after  their 
deceafe,  bedew  them  with  tears,  cover  them  with 
earth,  &c.  The  Indians,  prejudiced  with  the 
notion  of  the  metempfycofis  or  tranfmigration  of 
fouls,  are  (till  perfuaded,  that  a  body  fo  majePiic 
as  that  of  the  elephant  mull  be  animated  with 
the  foul  of  a  great  man  or  a  king.     In   Siam  *, 

Laos, 

fublime  tollere,  ut  fufpi^ere,  et  leviter  ramos  movere,  tan- 
quam  fupp.icium  quoddam  Deae  protcndentes,  ut  ipiis  pro- 
pria et  benevola  effe  vellit  ;  Mian,  lib.  4.  cap,  10. — Elephas 
eft  animal  proximum  humanis  fenfibus Quippe  intel- 
lects illis  fermonis  patrii  et  impcriorum  obedientia,  officio- 
rumque,  quae  didicere,  memoria,  amoris  et  gloriae  voluptas  : 
Imo  vero,  quae  etiam  in  homine  rara,  probitas,  prudentia, 
aequitas,  religio  quoque  fiderum,  folifque  ac  lunae  veneratio. 
Autores  funt,  nitefcente  luna  nova,  greges  eorum  defcendere  ; 
ibique  fe  puriricantes  folenniter  aqua  circumfpergi,  atque,  ita 
folutato  fidere,  in  iilvas  reverti.  •  .  .  Vifique  funt  feffi  ae- 
gritudine,  herbas  fupini  in  coelum  jacentes,  veluti  tellure 
precibus  allegata  ;  Ptin.  Hijl.  Nat.  lib.  8.  cap.  I. — Se  abluunt 
ct  purificant,  dein  adorant  iblem  ct  lunam. — Cadavera  fui 
generis  fepeliunt. —  Lamentant,  ramos  et  pulverem  injiciunt 
fupra  cadaver. — Sagittas  extrahunt  tanquam  Chirurgi  periti ; 
Plin   Milan.  Solin.  Tzetzes,  6"c. 

•  M.  Conitance  conducted  the  ambaiTador  to  fee  the  white 
elephant  which  is  fo  efteemed  in  India,  and  has  given  rife  to 
fo  many  wars.  He  is  very  fmall,  and  fo  old,  that  he  is  all 
wrinkled.  Several  mandarins  are  appointed  to  take  care  of 
him,  and  his  victuals  are  ferved  up  to  him  in  large  golden 
veflels.  His  apartment  is  magnificent,  and  the  infide  of  it  is 
handfomely  gilded  ;  Premier  voyage  da  P.  Tachardy  p.  239.  In 
a  country-houfe  belonging  to  the  king,  fituated  upon  the 
river  about  a  league  from  Siaro,  I  faw  a  fmall  white  ele- 
phant, 


THE    ELEPHANT.  9 

Laos,  Pegu  *  &c.  the  white  elephants  are 
regarded  as  the  living  manes  of  the  Indian  Em- 
perors. Each  of  thefe  animals  has  a  palace, 
a  number  of  domeftics,  golden  veffels  filled  with 
the  choicer!:  food,  magnificent  garments,  and 
they  are  abfolved  from  all  labour  and  fervitude. 
The  emperor  is  the  only  perfonage  before  whom 
they  bow  the  knee,  and  their  falute  is  return- 
ed by  the  Monarch.     By  all   thefe  attentions, 

honours, 

pliant,  which  was  deltined  to  be  fucceffor  to  the  one  in 
the  palace,  which  is  faid  to  be  three  hundred  years  old.  This 
little  elephant  is  fomewhat  larger  than  an  ox,  and  is  attended 
by  many  mandarins ;  and,  out  of  rcipedl  to  him,  his  mother 
and  aunt  are  kept  along  with  him  ;  Idem,  p.  273. 

*  When  the  King  of  Pegu  walks  abroad,  four  white  ele- 
phants, adorned  with  precious  {tones  and  ornaments  of.  gold, 
march  before  him  ;  R:cue:l  des  Voyages  de  la  Compagnie  des  hides 
de  Hollande,  torn.  3.  p.  43.  .  .  .  When  the  King  of  Pegu 
gives  audience,  the  four  white  elephants  are  prefented  to  him, 
who  do  him  reverence  by  railing  their  trunks,  opening  their 
mouths,  making  three  diftincl  cries,  and  then  kneeling.  When 
raifed,  they  are  led  back  to  their  (tables,  and  there  each  of 
them  are  fed  in  large  golden  vefTels.  They  are  twice  a  day 
■wafhed  with  water  taken  from  a  iilver  veffel.  .  .  .  During 
the  time  of  their  being  dreffed  in  this  manner,  they  are  under 
a  canopy  fupported  by  eight  domeftics,  in  order  to  detend 
them  from  the  heat  of  the  fun.  In  going  to  the  veffels 
which  contain  their  food  and  water,  they  are  preceded  by 
three  trumpets,  and  march  with  great  majefty,  regulating 
their  fteps  by  mufic,  &c.  ;  Idem,  torn.  3.  p.  40. — 'White  e- 
lephants  are  held  to  be  facred  by  the  natives  of  Pegu  :  Ha- 
ving learned  that  the  King  of  Siam  had  two,  they  fent  am- 
baffadors  offering  any  price  that  mould  be  demanded  for 
them.  But  the  king  of  Siam  would  not  fell  them.  His 
Majefty  of  Pegu,  incenfed  at  this  refufal,  came  with  his  army, 
and  not  only  carried  off  the  elephants  by  force,  but  rendered 
the  whole  country  tributary  to  him  ;   Idem,  tern.  2.  p.  223. 


to         THE     ELEPHANT. 

honours,  and  marks  of  refpect,  they  arc  flatter- 
ed, but  not  corrupted.  This  circumftance  alone 
fhould  be  fufficientto  convince  the  Indians,  that 
thefe  animals  are  not  endowed  with  human 
foi: 

After  removing  the  fabulous  credulities  of 
antiquity,  and  the  puerile  fictions  of  fuperfti- 
tion,  which  dill  exift,  the  elephant,  even  to  phi-, 
lofophers,  poiTeiTes  enough  to  make  him  be  re- 
garded as  a  being  of  the  firft  diftinction.  He 
deferves  to  be  known,  and  to  be  ftudied.  We 
fhall,  therefore,  endeavour  to  write  his  hiftory 
with  impartiality.  We  fhall  firft  conlider  him 
in  a  ftate  of  nature,  wrhen  he  is  perfectly  free 
and  independent,  and  afterwards  in  a  Hate  of 
fervitude,  when  the  will  of  his  mafter  is  partly 
the  motive  of  his  actions. 

In  a  wild  ftate,  elephants  are  neither  fangui- 
nary  nor  ferocious.  Their  difpofitions  are  gen- 
tle, and  they  make  not  a  wrong  uie  of  their  arms 
or  their  flrength  ;  for  they  never  exert  them 
but  in  defending  themfelves,  or  in  protecting 
their  companions.  Their  manners  are  focial  ; 
for  they  are  feldomfeen  wandering  alone.  They 
generally  march  in  troops,  the  oldefl  keeping 
foremoft  ,,  and  the  next  in  age  bringing  up  the 
rear.  The  young  and  the  feeble  are  placed  in 
the   middle.     The  mothers   carry  their   young 

firmly 

*  Elephanti  gregatim  femper  ingredluntur  ;  ducit  agmen 
maximus  natu,  cogit  aetate  proximus.  Armies  trantituri  mi- 
nimos  praemittunt,  ne  majorum  inceflu  atterente  alveuin, 
crefcat  gurgitis  alitudo  ;  Pith,  bift.  rut.  lib.   8.  cap.  5. 


THE     ELEPHANT.  u 

firmly  embraced  in  their  trunks.  They  obferve 
not  this  order,  except  in  perilous  marches, 
when  they  want  to  pafture  on  cultivated  fields. 
In  the  deferts  and  forefts,  they  travel  with  lefs 
precaution,  but  without  feparating  fo  far  as  to 
exceed  the  poflibility  of  receiving  affiftance 
from  one  another.  Some  of  them,  however, 
occafionally  wander,  or  lag  behind  the  troop  ; 
and  it  is  thefe  alone  whom  the  hunters  dare 
attack  ;  for  a  little  army  is  neceffary  to 
aflail  a  whole  troop  *■  ;  and  they  are  never 
vanquifhed  but  at  the  expcncc  of  feveral  lives. 
It  is  even  dangerous  to  do  them  the  fmalleft  in- 
jury t )  for  they  run  ilraight  upon  the  offen- 
der, 

*  I  dill  tremble  when  I  think  of  the  danger  to  which  we 
expofed  ourielves  in  purfuing  a  wild  elephant;  ior,  though 
there  were  only  ten  or  a  dozen  of  us,  the  one  half  of  which 
were  not  well  armed,  if  we  could  have  come  up  with  him, 
we  fliould  have  been  fooliih  enough  to  make  the  attack.  We 
thought  we  might  kill  him  by  two  or  three  fliot.  But  I  af- 
terwards faw  that  this  bufinefi  requires  two  or  three  hundred 
men  ;     Voyage  de  GuirJe,  par  Gvillaume  Bof?na?i,  p.  436. 

■J-  Solent  elephanti  magno  numero  confertim  incedere,  et 
fi  quemdam  obvium  habuerint,  vel  devitant,  vel  illi  cedunt  ; 
at  ii  quemdam  injuria  afficere  velit,  probofcide  fublatum  in 
terram  dejicet,  pedibus  deculcans  dcnec  mortuum  reli- 
querit ;  Leonls  African*  Dejcript.  Africae,  p.  744. — The  Ne- 
groes unanimoufly  relate,  that  the  elephants,  when  they 
meet  any  perfon  in  the  woods,  do  him  no  harm,  uu- 
lefs  they  are  attacked;  but  that,  when  iiiot  at,  and  not 
mortally  wounded,  they  become  extremely  furious  ;  Voyage 
de  Guinee,  par  Bofman,  p.  245. — The  wild  elephant  is  provoked 
to  purfue  a  man,  and  is  then  caught  in  a  pit- fall ;  Journal  du. 
Voyage  de  Sia?n,par  I'Abbee  de  Choify,  p.  242. — Thofe  who  hurt 


or 


12         THE     ELEPHANT. 

der,  and  though  the   weight  of  their  bodies  be 
great,  their  fteps   are   fo  long,  that    they    eafily 
overtake  the  moft  agile  man.     They  then  tranl- 
iix  him  with  their  tufks,  or,  laying  hold  of  him 
with  their  trunk,  throw  him  againlt  a  ftone,  and 
put  an   end  to  his   exiftence  by  trampling  him 
under  their  feet.      But  it  is  when  provoked  only 
that  they  kill    men  in   this  manner,  and    never 
injure  thofe  who  do   not    diflurb  them.     But, 
as  they  are  extremely  fufpicious   and  fenfible  of 
injuries,  it  is   proper  to  avoid    them  ;   and   the 
travellers  who  frequent  the  countries   inhabited 
by  elephants,  kindle  fires  during  the  night,  and 
beat  drums  to  prevent  their   approach.     When 
they  have  been  once  attacked  by  men,  or  have 
fallen  into  a  Inare,  they  are  faid  never  to  forget 
it,  but   take  every  opportunity  of  revenge.     As 
their  fenfe  of  fmelling  is,  perhaps,  more  perfect 
than  that  of  any  other   animal,  the  fmell  of  a 
man  ftrikes  them  at  a  great  diftance,  and  they 
can  eafily  follow  him  by  the  fcent.  The  ancients 
relate,  that  the    elephants    tear  the    grafs    off 
the  ground   upon  which  the    hunters  had   paf- 
fed,  and  that  they  hand  it  about  to  each  other 
for    the  purpofe  of  receiving  information  con- 
cerning the  paffage  and  march  of  the  enemy. 

Thefe 

or  infuk  an  elephant,  fliould  be  much  on  their  guard  ;  for 
thefe  animals  do  not  eafily  forget  injuries,  until  they  accom- 
plifh  their  revenge  ;  Rccueil  des  voyages  de  la  Cavipagme  del  Indet 
de  Hollande,  torn.  i. p.  4 1 3. 


THE    ELEPHANT.         13 

Thefe  animals  love  the  banks  of  rivers  *,  deep 
valleys,  and  fhady    moift  places.     They  cannot 
difpenfe  with  water,   which  they  trouble  before 
they  drink.     They  often   fill   their  trunk  with 
water,  either  to  carry  it  to  their  mouth,  or  folely 
for  refreshing  their  nofe,  and  amufing  themfelves 
by  throwing  it  back  into  the  river,    or  befprink- 
ling  it  around.     They  cannot  fnpport  cold,  and 
likewife   fuller  by  extreme  heat.     To  avoid  the 
ardour  of  the  fun's  rays,  they  retire  into  the  mod 
fhady  recedes   of  the  forefts.     They  frequently 
take  to  the  water  :  The  enormous  lize   of  their 
bodies  rather  aids  than  retards  their  fwimming  ; 
for  they  fink  not  proportionably  fo  deep  as  o- 
ther  animals  ;  and   the   length   of  their   trunk, 
which   they   hold    up   in   the   air,  and  through 
which  they  refpire,    removes  from  them  all  ap- 
prehenfions  of  being  drowned. 

Roots,  herbs,  leaves,  and  tender  wood,  are 
their  common  food.  They  likewife  eat  grains 
and  fruits.  But  they  difdain  fleiTi  and  iiih  '(*. 
When  one  of  them  difcovers  a  plentiful  pafture, 
he  calls  to  the  others,  and  invites  them  to  eat 
with  him  J.     As  they   require   a  vaft  quantity 

of 

*  Elephant!  naturae  proprium  eft  rofcida  loca  et  mcllia 
&mare  et  aquam  defiderare,  ubi  verfari  maxime  (ludet  ;  ita 
tit  animal  paluftre  nominari  poffit ;   Milan,  lib.  4.  cap.  24. 

f  The  moft  favage  of  thefe  animals  eat  no  fieih,  but  live 
folely  upon  leaves,  branches,  and  twigs  of  trees,  which  they 
break  off  with  their  trunk,  and  even  browfe  pretty  ftrong  wood  ; 
Voyage  de  Fr.  Pyrard.  torn.  2.  p.  367. 

J   Cum  eis  caetera  pabula  defecerint,    radices  cffodiunt, 

quibus 


H         THE     ELEPHANT. 

of  forage,  they  often  change  their  place  of  pa- 
sturing; and,  when  they  come  upon  cultivated 
fields,  they  do  incredible  damage.  Their  bodies 
bcino;  of  an  enormous  weight,  thev  deftroy  ten 
times  more  with  their  feet  than  they  ufe  for 
food,  which  generally  amounts  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds  of  grafs  a  day  ;  and,  as  they 
always  go  in  troops,  they  lay  a  whole  country 
wafic  in  a  fmgle  hour.  For  this  reafon,  the  In- 
dians and  Negroes  ufe  every  artifice  to  prevent 
the  approach  of  thefe  animals,  or  to  fright 
them  away.  They  make  great  noifes,  and 
kindle  large  fires  round  their  cultivated  fields. 
But,  notwithftanding  thefe  precautions,  the  ele- 
phants fometimes  pay  them  a  vifit,  drive  oft  the 
domeftic  cattle,  put  the  men  to  flight,  and,  not 
unfrequently,  overturn  their  limber  habitations. 
It  is  difficult  to  fcare  them  ;  and  they  are  not 
fnfceptible  of  fear.  Nothing  can  furprife  them, 
or  flop  their  progrefs,  but  artificial  fires  *,  or 
crackers,  which  the  natives  throw  at  them,  and 

the 

quibus  pafcuntur  ;  e  quibus  primus  qui  aliquam  praedam  re- 
pererit,  regreditur  ut  et  fuos  gregales  advocet,  et  in  praedae 
cemmunicnem  deducat  ;  Milan,  lib.  9.  cap.  56. 

*  When  the  elephant  is  enraged,  nothing  flops  his  career 
but  artificial  fires.  When  fighting,  the  fame  means  are  em- 
ployed  to  difengage  them  from  the  combat ;  Relat.  par   'The-* 

t,    lorn.  3.    p.   133. The   Portuguefe   know    no   other 

mode  of  defending  themfelves  againfl  the  elephant,  but  by 
throwing  fquibs  or  torches  in  his  eyes;  Voyage de  F.yr.es,  p.  89. 
. — In  the  Mogul  empire,  elephants  are  made  to  combat  with 
each  other.  They  fight  fo  obftinately,  that  they  can  only  be 
feparated  by  throwing  artificial  fires  between  them  ;  Voyage  de 
Bert;hr}   torn.   2.  p.  64. 


THE     ELEPHANT.  js 

the  fudden  and  repeated  noife  fometimes  induces 
them  to  turn  back.  It  is  not  eafy  to  make  them 
feparate  from  each  other  ;  for  they  generally  act 
in  concert,  whether  they  attack,  march,  or  fly. 

When  the  females  come  in  feafon,  this  attach- 
ment to  fociety  yields  to  a  ftronger  paffion.  The 
troop  feparates  into  pairs,  which  love  had  pre- 
vioufly  formed.  They  unite  from  choice,  fteal 
off  in  queft  of  retirement,  and  their  march  feems 
to  be  preceded  by  love,  and  followed  by  mo- 
dclty  ;  for  all  their  pleafures  are  accompanied 
with  the  profoundeft  myftery.  They  have  never 
been  detected  in  their  amours.  They  anxioufly 
avoid  the  prefence  or  infpeclion  of  their  neigh- 
bours ;  and  know,  perhaps,  better  than  the  hu- 
man race,  how  to  enjoy  pleafure  in  fecreta  and  to 
be  entirely  occupied  with  a  fmgle  object.  They 
fearch  for  the  deeper!  folitudes  of  the  woods 
that  they  may  give  full  vent,  without  distur- 
bance or  referve,  to  all  the  impulfes  of  Nature  *, 
which  are  lively  and  durable,  in  proportion  to 
the  long  interval  of  abftinence.  The  female  goes 
with  young  two  years  "J*  :  When  impregnated, 
the  male  abfiains  j  and  his  feafon  of  love  returns 

but 

*   Elephanti   folitudines   petunt  colturi,   et  praecipue  fecus 

Bumina  ;  Arijl.  Rift.  Anim.  lib.  5.  cap.  1. Pudore  nunquam 

nifi  in  abdito  coeunt  ;   Pli'n.  lib.  8.  cap.  5. 

7  Mas  coitum  triennio  interpofitb  repetlt.  Quam  gravi- 
dam  reddidit,  eandem  praeterea  tangere  nunquam  patitur. 
Uterum  biennio  gerit ;  Arljl.  H:f.  Anhn.  lib.  5.  cap.  14. — Lle- 
phantus  biennio  gellatur,  propter  exuperantiam  magnitudinis  ; 
I  Jem,  dc  Generat.  Ar.ivu  lib.  4.  cap,  10. 


16        THE     ELEPHANT. 

but  once  in  three  years.  The  females  produce 
only  one  young  *,  which,  at  the  moment  of 
birth,  has  teeth  "f,  and  is  as  large  as  a  wild  boar. 
There  is  no  appearance,  however,  of  the  horns 
or  tufks.  Soon  after,  they  begin  to  moot ;  and, 
at  the  age  of  fix  months,  they  are  feveral  inches 
long  X-  The  animal  is  then  larger  than  an  ox, 
and  the  tufks  continue  to  grow  and  enlarge  till 
the  moll  advanced  age,  provided  the  creature  en- 
joys health  and  liberty ;  for  it  is  not  to  be  ima- 
gined what  changes  may  be  introduced  into  the 
temperament  and  habits  of  the  elephant  by  ila- 
very  and  unnatural  food.  They  are  eafily  tamed, 
inftrucled,  and  rendered  fubmiffive  ;  and,  as  they 
are  ftronger  and  more  intelligent  than  any  other 
animal,  their  fervice  is  more  ready,  more  exten- 
five,  and  more  ufeful.  But  the  difguft  arifmg 
from  their  fituation  is  probably  never  eradicated  : 
For,  though  they  feel,  from  time  to  time,  the 
moft  lively  impreffions  of  love,  they  neither  in- 
termix nor  produce  in  a  domeftic  flate.  Their 
conftrained  paffion  degenerates  into  fury.  Beino- 
unable  to  gratify  themfelves  without  witnefles, 
they  fret,  lofe  patience,  and,  at  laft,  their  indig- 
nation becomes  fo  violent,    that  the   ftrongeft 

chains, 

*  Quae  maxima  inter  animalia  funt,  ea  fingulos  pariunt, 
ut  elephas,  camelus,  equus  ;  Arijl.  de  General.  Anim.  lib.  4. 
cap.  4. 

f  Statim  cum  natus  eft  elephantus  dentes  habet,  quanquam 
grandes  illos  (dentes)  non  illico  confpicuos  obtinet ;  Arijl. 
JHiJi.  Anim.  lib.  2.  cap.  5. 

X  Thomas  Lopes,  apud  Gefaerum,  cap.  de  Elephanto. 


THE    ELEPHANT.  17 

chains,  and  fetters  of  every  kind,  are  neceffary 
to  reprefs  their  movements,  and  to  allay  their 
rage.  Hence  they  differ  from  all  other  domeftic 
animals,  who  are  managed  by  men  as  if  they 
had  no  will  of  their  own.  They  are  not  of  the 
number  of  thofe  born  flaves,  which  we  propa- 
gate, mutilate,  or  multiply,  purely  toanfwerour 
own  purpofes.  Here  the  individual  alone  is  a 
Have.  The  fpecies  remain  independent,  and  u- 
niformly  refufe  to  augment  the  flores  of  their 
tyrants.  This  circumftance  mows  the  elephant 
to  be  endowed  with  fentiments  fuperior  to  the 
nature  of  common  brutes.  To  feel  the  moll 
ardent  paffion,  and,  at  the  fame  time,  to  deny 
the  gratification  of  it,  to  experience  all  the  fury 
of  love,  and  not  to  tranfgrefs  the  laws  of  mode- 
fty,  are,  perhaps,  the  higheft  efforts  of  human 
virtue  ;  and  yet,  in  thefe  majeftic  animals,  th< 
are  only  common  and  uniform  exertions.  The 
indignation  they  feel,  becaufe  they  cannot  I 
gratified  in  fecret,  becomes  ftronger  than  the 
paffion  of  love,  fufpends  and  deftroys  the  effects 
of  it,  and,  at  the  fame  time,  excites  that  fury, 
which,  during  thefe  paroxyfms,  renders  them 
more  dangerous  than  any  wild  animal. 

We  are  inclined,  were  it  pofiible,  to  doubt  of 
this  fact  ;   but  all  naturalilts,  hiftorians,  and  tra- 
vellers, concur  in  affuring  us,  that  the  elephants 
never  produce  in  a  domeftic  Mate  *.     The  Prin- 
Vol.  VI.  B  ccs 

*   It  is  remarkable,  that  'A\c  male  never  covers  the  female, 
though  fiie  indicates  the  ftrongef]  -e,  to  fituations 

■:  re 


IS         THE     ELEPHANT. 

ces  of  India  keep  great  numbers  of  elephants  ; 
and,  after  many  fruitlefs  attempts  to  multiply 
them  like  other  domeftic  animals,  they  found  it 
neceflary  to  feparate  the  males  from  the  females, 
in  order  to  diminifh  the  frequency  of  thofe  in- 
effectual ardours,  which  are  always  accompanied 
with  fury.  Hence  there  arc  no  domeftic  ele- 
phants which  have  not  formerly  been  wild  ; 
and  the  manner  of  taking,  taming,  and  render- 
ing them  fubmiffive  j*,  merits  particular  atten- 
tion. 

where  they  may  be  expofed  to  the  pbfervation  of  men  ;  Voyage 

de Fr.  Peyrard,  p.  357. The  elephants  never  couple  but  in 

fecret,.  and  produce  only  one  at  a  birth  ;   Cofmographle  du  Le- 
vant, par  Thevot,  p.  70. 

f  I  went  to  fee  the  grand  hunting  of  the  elephants,  which 
was  performed  in  the  following  manner  :  The  King  fent  a 
great  number  of  women  into  the  woods  ;  and,  when  the  re- 
port was  brought  that  they  had  difcovered  a  troop  of  ele- 
phants, he  despatched  thirty  or  forty  thoufand  men,  who 
made  a  large  circle  round  the  place.  They  polled  themfelves 
in  fours,  at  the  diftar.ee  of  twenty  or  twenty- five  feet  from 
each  other,  and  at  every  ftation  they  kindled  a  lire,  which 
was  raifed  about  three  feet  above  the  furface  of  the  earth. 
There  was  another  circle  compofed  of  elephants  trained  to 
war,  diftant  from  one  another  about  a  hundred  or  a  hundred 
and  fifty  paces  ;  and,  in  fuch  places  as  the  wild  elephants 
might  molt  eafily  efcape,  the  war  elephants  were  polled 
cloier.  There  were  cannons  in  feveral  places,  which  are  dis- 
charged when  the  wild  elephants  attempt  to  force  a  paiTage  j 
for  they  are  terrified  at  fire.  This  circle  is  daily  diminiihed, 
and  at  laft  becomes  fo  fmail,  that  the  fires  are  not  above  five 
or  fix  paces  diftant.  As  the  elephants  hear  a  great  noife  all 
round  them,  they  dare  not  fly,  though  it  is  not  uncommon 
for  fome  of  them  to  make  their  efcape  ;  for  I  was  told  that 
ten  of  them  got  eff  in  one  day.  When  the  hunters  want  to 
feize  them3  they  are   made  to   enter  a  place  (unrounded  with 

ftakes, 


THE    ELEPHANT.         19 

tion.  In  the  midfr,  of  the  foreft,  and  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  places  frequented  by  the  ele- 
phants, a  fpot  is  chofen,  and  furroundcd  wich 
ftrong  pallifades.  The  largeO:  trees  of  the  wood 
ferve  as  the  principal  flakes,  to  which  are  fixed 
crofs  bars  that  fupport  the  other  flakes.  A  large 
opening  is  left,  through  which  the  elephant  may 
enter ;  and  over  this  door  there  is  a  trap,  or  ra- 
ther it  receives  a  ftrong  bar,  which  is  fhut  after 
the  animal  paffes.  To  draw  him  into  this  en- 
clofure,  the  hunters  go  in  queft  of  him:  They 
carry  along  with  them  into  the  foreil  a  tamed 
female  in  feafon;  and,  when  they  imagine  them- 
felves  to  be  near  enough  to  be  heard,  her  gover- 
nour  makes  her  utter  the  cry  of  love.  The  wild 
male  inftantly  replies,  and  haftens  to  join  her. 
She  is  then  made  to  march  towards  the  enclofure, 
repeating  the  cry  from  time  to  time.  She  ar- 
rives frrft;  and  the  male,  following  her  by  the 
fcent,  enters  by  the  fame  port.  As  foon  as  he 
perceives  the  hunters,  and  fees  himfelf  furround- 

B  z  ed, 

(lakes,  where  there  are  alfo  fome  frees,  between  which  a  man 
can  eafily  pafs.  There  is  another  circle  of  war  elephants 
and  foldiers,  into  which  fome  men  enter  mounted  on  ele- 
phants, who  are  extremely  dexterous  in  throwing  ropes  round 
the  hind  legs  of  thefe  animals.  When  fixed  in  this  manner, 
the  wild  elephant  is  put  between  two  tame  elephants,  and  a 
third  one  is  appointed  to  pufli  him  behind  in  fuch  a  manner, 
as  obliges  him  to  go  forward  ;  and,  when  he  grows  mifchie- 
vous,  the  others  give  him  blows  with  their  trunks.  He  is 
then  led  off  into  captivity  ;  and  the  others  are  feized  in  the 
fame  manner.  I  faw  ten  of  them  taken.  The  King  was  pre- 
fent,  and  gave  every  neceffary  order;  Relation  de  la  FJmbaJfade 
&  M.  Chevalier  de  Ckaumont  a  la  coi^r  du  Rci  de  Sir.?::,  J>.  91, 


20        THE     ELEPHANT. 

ed,  his  ardour  vanifhes,  and  is  changed  into 
fury.  Ropes  and  fetters  are  thrown  round 
his  legs  and  trunk.  Two  or  three  tamed  ele- 
phants, conducted  by  men  expert  in  that  buu- 
nefs,  are  brought  to  him,  and  they  endeavour  to 
fix  him  to  one  of  thefe  animals.  In  fine,  by  ad- 
dreis,  by  force,  by  torture,  and  by  careifes,  he  is 
tamed  in  a  few  days.  I  will  not  enter  into  a 
more  particular  detail,  but  content  myfelf  with 
quoting  from  thofe  travellers  who  have  been 
eye-witnefles   of  the    hunting   of  elephants  *, 

which 

*  At  a  quarter  of  a  league  from  Luovo,  there  is  a  kind 
of  large  amphitheatre,  of  a  rectangular  figure,  furrounded 
with  high  terrafs  walls,  upon  which  the  fpectators  are  placed. 
Within  thefe  walls,  there  is  a  pallifade  of  ftrong  pofts  fixed 
in  the  ground,  behind  which  the  hunters  retire  when  pur- 
fued  by  the  enraged  elephants.  A  large  opening  is  left  on 
the  fide  next  the  fields,  and,  oppofite  to  it,  next  the  city,  there 
is  a  fmaller  one,  which  leads  to  a  narrow  alley,  through  which 
an  elephant  can  pafs  with  difficulty,  and  this  alley  terminates  in 
a  large  (hade  where  the  operation  of  taming  is  finiihed. 

When  the  day  deftined  for  the  chafe  arrives,  the  hunters 
•  iter  the  woods,  mounted  on  female  elephants  trained  to  this 
exercife.  The  men  cover  themfelves  with  leaves  of  trees,  to 
prevent  their  being  obierved  by  the  wild  elephants.  When 
they  have  advanced  into  the  forefts,  and  think  that  fome  ele- 

mts  may  be  in  the  neighbourhood,  they  make  the  females 
utter  certain  cries,  fitted  to  allure  the  males,  who  inftantly 
reply  by  frightful  roarings.  Then  the  hunters,  when  they 
perceive  the  elephants  at  a  proper  diftance,  return,  and  lead 
the  females  gently  back  toward  the  amphitheatre  above  de- 
fcribed.  The  wild  elephants  nt  vet  fail  to  follow.  The  male, 
which  we  faw  tamed,  entered   the  inclofure   fpontaneoufly  a- 

g  with  the  females,  and  the  ;  -   was  immediately  fhut. 

:        '  :::aies  continued  their  march  acrofs  the   amphitheatre, 


ana 


THE    ELEPHANT.        11 

which  differs  in  different  countries,  and  accor- 
ding to  the  (hength  and  dexterity  of  the  people 

B  3  who 

and  filed  off  one  by  one  into  the  narrow  alley   at  the  other 
end.     The  wild  elephant,  who  had  followed  them  all   along, 
ftopt  at  the  entrance  of  this  defile.     Every  method   was  tried 
to  make  him  enter.     The  females,  who  were  now  beyond  thi 
alley,  were  made   to  cry.     Some   Siamefe   irritated   him,  by 
clapping  their  hands,  and  crying  f?at,  pat.     Others  teaze  him 
with  long  poles  armed  with  fharp  points  ;  and,  when  purfued* 
they  flip  through  between  the  pofts,  and   conceal  thenrfelv.eS 
behind  the    pallifade,  which   the   elephant  cannot  furmount. 
Lailly,  after  having  purfued  feveral  hunters  in  vain,  he  Tingles 
otit  one,  whom  he  fets  upon  with  extreme  fury.     This   n 
runs  into  the   narrow  alky,  and  the  elephant  follows  him, 
But,  he  no  fooner  enters  than  he  perceives  himfelf  to  be  in  a 
fnare ;  for  the  man  efcapes,  and  two  portcullifes,  one  before 
and  another  behind,  are  inftantly  let  fall  ;  fo  that,  being 
able  either  to  advance  or  retreat,  the  animal  makes  the  moffe 
aftonilhing  efforts,  and  raifes  the  moll  hideous  cries.    The  ban  - 
ters  endeavour  to  footh  him  by  throwing  pails  of  water  on  his 
body,  by  rubbing  Kim  with  leaves,  by   pouring  oil   upon   his 
ears,  and  by  bringing  to  him  tamed  elephants,  both  n 
female,  who  carefs  him  with   their  trunks.     The] 
however,  round   his   body  and    hind  legs,  to  enable  them  to 
drag  him  out,  and  they  continue  to  throw  water  en  his  trunk 
and  body,  in  order  to  refrefh  him.     In  fine,  a  tamed  elephant, 
accuitomed  to  inftruct  noviciates,  is  made   to   approach   him. 
The  former  is  mounted  by  a  fervant,  who  mal  .         .  animal 
advance  and  retire,  to  fhow  the  wild  elephant  that  he  has  no- 
thing to  fear,  and  that  he  may  go  out.     The  port  is  then   e- 
pened,  and  he  follows  his  neighbour  to  the  end  of  the   alley. 
"When  there,  two  elephants  are  tied,  one  to  each  fide  of  him 
another  marches  before,  leads  him  in  the  way  they  want  him 
to  go,  while  a  third  pufhes  him  behind  with  its  head,  till  they 
arrive  at  a  kind  of  fhade,  where  he  is  tied  to  a  large  poll,  which 
turns  round  like  the  capftan  of  a  (hip.    There  he  is  left  till  next 
day,  to  allow  his  rage  to  fubfide.     But,  while  he  frets  around 
this  poll,  a  Bramin,  one  of  thofe  Indian  prlefts  who  are  ex- 
tremely 


22        THE    ELEPHANT. 

who   make    war   againft   them  ;   for,  inflead  of 
making,  like  the  king  of  Siam,  walls,  tcrrafles, 

pallifades, 

tremely  numerous  in  Siam,  dreffed  in  white,  approaches  the  a- 
nimal,  mounted  on  an  elephant,  turns  gently  round  him,  and 
bedews  him  with  a  confecrated  water,  which  the  prieft  carries 
in  a  golden  vtflcl.  They  believe  that,  by  this  ceremony,  the 
elephant  lofes  his  natural  ferocity,  and  is  rendered  fit  for  the 
King's  {ervice.  Next  day,  he  walks  along  with  his  enflaved 
neighbours ;  and,  at  the  end  of  fifteen  days,  he  is  complete- 
ly tamed  ;   Premier  voyage  du  P.  Tachard,  />.  298. 

They  had  no  fooner  alighted  from  their  horfes,  and  mounted 
the  elephants  which  were  prepared  for  them,  than  the  King  ap- 
peared, accompanied  with  a  great  number  of  mandarins,  riding 
on  elephants  of  war.  They  all  proceeded  about  a  league  into 
the  wood,  when  they  arrived  at  the  place  where  the  wild  ele- 
phants were  enclofed.  This  was  a  fquare  park,  of  three  or  four 
hundred  geometrical  paces,  the  fides  of  which  were  fenced  with 
large  flakes;  in  which,  however,  considerable  openings  were  left 
atcertain  diftances.  It  contained  fourteen  large  elephants.  As 
foon  as  the  royal  train  arrived,  a  circle  was  formed,  confiding 
of  a  hundred  war  elephants,  which  were  placed  round  the  park 
to  prevent  the  wild  ones  from  forcing  through  the  pallifades. 
V.Tc  were  ftationed  behind  this  fence,  near  the  King.  A  dozen 
of  the  (Ircngcft  tame  elephants  were  puihed  into  the  park,  each 
of  them  being  mounted  by  two  men,  furnifhed  with  large  ropes 
and  noofes,  the  ends  of  which  were  fixed  to  the  elephants  they 
rode.  They  firit  ran  againft  the  elephant  they  wifhed  tofeize, 
who,  feeing  himfelf  purfued,  endeavoured  to  force  the  barrier 
and  make  his  efcape.  But  the  whole  was  blockaded  by  the 
war-elephants,  who  pufhed  him  back;  and,  in  his  courfe,  the 
hunters,  mounted  on  the  tame  elephants,  threw  their  noofes 
fo  dexteroully  upon  the  fpots  where  it  behoved  the  animal  to 
•place  his  feet,  that  the  whole  were  feized  in  the  fpace  of  an  hour. 
Each  elephant  was  then  bound  with  ropes,  and  two  tame  ones 
placed  on  each  fide  of  him,  by  means  of  which,  he  is  tamed  in 
fifteen  days  ;  Idem,  p.  340. 

A  few  days  after,  we  had  the  pleafure  of  being  prefent  at  the 
hunting  of  elephants.    The  Siamefe  are  very  dexterous  at  this 

fpecies 


THE     ELEPHANT.        23 

pallifades,  parks,  and  vaft  enclofure?,  the  poor 
Negroes  content  themfelves  with  the  moft  fimple 

artifices. 

fpecies  of  hunting,  which  they  have  feveral  modes  of  perform- 
ing. The  eafieft,  and  not  the  lead  entertaining,  is  executed  by- 
means  of  female  elephants.  When  a  female  is  in  feafon,  fhe  is 
conduced  to  the  foreft  of  Luovo.  Fer  guide  rides  on  her  back, 
and  covers  himfelf  with  leaves,  to  prevent  his  being  perceived 
by  the  wild  elephants.  The  cries  of  the  tame  female,  which  fhe 
never  fails  to  fet  up  upon  a  certain  fignal  given  by  the  guide, 
collect  all  the  elephants  within  the  reach  of  hearing,  who  foon 
follow  her.  The  guide,  taking  advantage  of  their  mutual  cries, 
returns  flowly  towards  Luovo  with  all  his  train,  and  enters  an 
enclofure  made  of  large  flakes,  about  a  quarter  of  a  league  from 
the  city,  and  pretty  near  the  foretl.  A  great  troop  of  elephants 
were,  in  this  manner,  brought  together;  but  one  of  them  only 
was  large,  and  it  was  very  difficult  to  feize  and  to  tame  him. — 
The  guide  who  conducted  the  female  went  out  of  the  enclofure 
by  a  narrow  paffage,  in  the  form  of  an  alley,  and  about  the 
length  of  an  elephant.  Each  end  of  this  alley  was  provided 
with  a  portcullis,  which  was  eafily  raifeu  or  let  down.  All  the 
young  elephants  followed  the  female  at  different  times.  But  a 
paffage  fo  narrow  alarmed  the  large  one,  who  always  drew 
back.  The  female  was  made  to  return  feveral  times  j  he  uni- 
formly followed  her  to  the  port ;  but,  as  if  he  forefaw  his  lois 
of  liberty,  he  would  never  pafs.  Several  Siamefe,  who  were  in 
the  park,  then  advanced,  and  endeavoured  to  force  him,  by 
goading  him  with  fharp  pointed  poles.  The  elephant,  being  en- 
raged by  this  treatment,  purfuedthem  with  fuch  fury  and  quick- 
nefs,  that  not  one  of  them  would  have  efcaped,  had  they  not 
nimbly  retired  behind  the  flakes  of  the  puiiiiade,  againft  which 
the  ferocious  creature  broke  its  large  tufks  three  or  four  times. 
In  the  heat  of  the  purfuit,  one  of  thofe  who  attacked  him  moil 
brilkly,  and  who  was  moft  keenly  purfued,  run  into  the  alley, 
which  the  elephant  entered,  in  order  to  kill  him.  But  the  ani- 
mal no  fooner  fell  into  the  fnare,  than  the  Siamefe  efcaped  by 
afmail  paffage,  and  the  two  portcullifes  were  inftantly  let  down. 
The  elephant  ftruggled  much;  but  he  found  himfelf  obliged  to 

remain 


-'4        THE     ELEPHANT. 

artifices.  They  dig  *,  in  the  places  where  the  e- 
lephants  are  fuppofed  to  pafs,  ditches  fo  deep* 
that,  after  falling  into  them,  there  is  no  poffibi- 
lity  of  getting  out. 

The 

remain  in  his  prifon.  To  appeafe  him,  they  threw  pailfulls  of 
water  on  his  body.  Ropes,  however,  were  put  round  his  legs 
and  neck.  After  being  fatigued  for  fome  time,  he  was  brought 
out  by  means  of  two  tame  elephants  who  drew  him  forward 
with  ropes,  while  other  two  pufhed  him  behind,  till  he  was 
fixed  to  a  large  poft,  round  which  he  could  only  turn,  m  an 
hour  after,  he  became  fo  tractable,  that  a  Siamefe  mounted  on 
his  back ;  and  next  day  he  was  let  loofe,  and  conducted  to  the 
ftables  alongwith  the  others;  Secord  voyage  du  P.  Tachard, p.  352. 
*  Though  thefe  animals  be  large  and  favage,  great  numbers 
of  them  are  taken  in  ./Ethiopia  by  the  following  ftratagem  :  In 
the  thickeft  parts  of  the  foreft,  where  the  elephants  retire  du- 
ring the  night,  an  enclofure  is  made  of  flakes,  interlaced  with 
large  branches,  in  which  a  fmall  opening  is  left,  which  has  a 
door  lying  fiat  on  the  ground.  When  the  elephant  enters,  the 
hunters,  from  the  top  of  a  tree,  draw  up  the  door,  by  means  of 
a  rope.  They  then  defcend  and  flay  the  animal  with  arrows. 
But  if,  by  accident,  they  mifs  their  aim,  and  the  creature  efcapes 
from  the  enclofure,  he  kills  every  man  he  meets  ;  L' ' Afrique  de 
Marmol,  torn.  1.  />.  58. — There  are  different  modes  of  hunting 
elephants.  In  fome  places,  caltrops  are  fpread  on  the  ground, 
by  means  of  which  the  animals  fail  into  ditches,  from  whence, 
after  being  properly  entangled,  they  are  eafily  drawn  out.  In 
others,  a  tame  female  is  led  into  a  narrow  defile,  and  allures 
the  male  to  approach  by  her  cries.  When  he  arrives,  the  hunt- 
ers fhut  him  up  by  barriers,  which  they  have  in  readinefs  for 
the  purpofe ;  and,  though  he  rinds  the  female  on  her  back,  he 
copulates  with  her,  contrary  to  the  practice  of  other  quadru- 
peds. After  this,  he  endeavours^  to  retire.  But,  while  he  goes 
about  in  queft  of  an  outlet,  the  hunters,  Who  are  upon  a  wall, 
or  fome  elevated  fituation,  throw  ropes  and  chains  of  different 
dimensions,  by  which  they  fo  entangle  his  trunk  and  the  reft  of 
his  body,  that  they  can  approach  him  without  danger]  and,  af- 
ter 


THE    ELEPHANT.  25 

The  elephant,  when  tamed,  becomes  the  mod 
gentle  and  moft  obedient  of  all  domeftic  animals. 
He  isfo  fond  of  his  keeper,  that  he  carefles  him, 
and  anticipates  his  commands,  by  forefeeing   e- 

very 

ter  taking  fome  necefTary  precautions,  they  carry  him  off,  ac- 
companied with  two  tame  elephants,  to  mow  him  a  proper  ex- 
ample, or  to  chaftife  him,  if  he  rebels. There  are  many  o- 

ther  methods  of  hunting  elephants  ;  for  every  country  has  its 
own  mode;  Relation  d' tin  voyage  par  Thevenot,  torn.  3.  />.  1 3 1- — ■ 
The  inhabitants  of  Ceylon  dig  pretty  deep  ditches,  which  they 
cover  with  thin  planks  and  draw.  During  the  night,  the  ele- 
phants, having  nofufpicion  of  the  deceit,  come  upon  the  planks, 
and  fall  into  the  ditch,  from  which  they  are  unable  to  efcape, 
but  would  infallibly  perifh  by  hunger,  if  visuals  were  not 
brought  to  him  by  Haves,  to  whom  they  gradually  become  ac- 
cuftomed,  and  at  laft  are  rendered  fo  tame,  that  they  are 
brought  to  Goa,  and  other  adjacent  countries,  to  gain  theirown 
livelihood  and  that  of  their  mailers  ;  Divers  memoires  touchant 
les  Indes  Orientates,  premier  difcoursy  torn.  2.  p.  257.  Recueil  des 
voyages  de  la  Co?npagnie  des  Indes,  A?vft.  r  7 1 1 . As  the  Euro- 
peans give  a  high  price  for  elephants  teeth,  the  love  of  gain 
arms  the  Negroes  perpetually  againil  thefe  animals.  For  this 
fpecies  of  hunting  they  fometimes  £  (Tenable  in  great  bodies, 
with  their  arrows  and  darts.  But  the  moit  common  and  molt 
fuccefsful  method  is  that  of  digging  ditches  in  the  woods,  be- 
caufe  they  are  never  deceived  in  diltinguiihing  the  track  of  the 

elephants. There  are  two  methods  of  taking  thefe  animals, 

either  by  digging  ditches  and  covering  them  with  the  branches 
of  trees,  into  whichthe  creatures  inadvertently  fall,  or  by  hunt- 
ing them,  which  is  performed  in  the  following  manner.  In  the 
idand  of  Ceylon,  where  the  elephants  are  very  numerous,  the 
hunters  keep  female  elephants,  which  they  call  alias.  As  foon 
as  they  learn  that  there  are  wild  elephants  in  any  place,  they 
repair  thither,  accompanied  with  two  of  thefe  alias,  which, 
whenever  a  male  is  difcovered,  they  let  loofe.  The  females 
come  up  on  each  fide  of  him,  and,  keeping  him  in  the  middle, 
fqueeze  him  fo  hard  that  he  cannot  efcape  ;  Voyage  cPOritnt,  dig. 
P.- Philippe  de  la  tres-fainte  Trixite,  p.  361. 


z6        THE     ELEPHANT. 

very  thing  that  will  pleafe  him.  He  foon  learns 
to  comprehend  figns,  and  even  to  underftand  the 
expreflion  of  founds.  He  diftinguifhesthe  tones 
of  command,  of  anger,  or  of  approbation,  and 
regulates  his  actions  accordingly.  He  never 
miftakes  the  voice  of  his  mailer.  He  receives 
his  orders  with  attention,  executes  them  with 
prudence  and  eagernefs,  but  without  any  degree 
of  precipitation  ;  for  his  movements  are  always 
meafured,  and  his  character  feems  to  partake  of 
the  gravity  of  his  mafs.  He  eafily  learns  to 
bend  his  knees  for  the  accommodation  of  thofe 
who  mount  him.  His  friends  he  careffes  with 
his  trunk,  falutes  with  it  fuch  people  as  are 
pointed  out  to  him,  ufes  it  for  raifing  burdens, 
and  affifts  in  loading  himfelf.  He  allows  him- 
felf  to  be  clothed,  and  feems  to  have  apleafurein 
being  covered  with  gilded  harneis  and  brilliant 
houfings;  He  is  employed  in  drawing  chariots*, 

ploughs, 

*  I  was  aa  eye-witnefs  to  the  following  fads.  At  Goa, 
there  are  always  fome  elephants  employed  in  the  building  of 
fhips.  I  one  day  went  to  the  fide  of  the  river,  near  which  a 
large  (hip  was  building  in  the  city  of  Goa,  where  there  is  a  large 
area  filled  with  beams  for  that  purpofc  Some  men  tie  the  ends 
of  the  heavieft  beams  with  a  rope,  which  is  handed  to  an  ele- 
phant, who  carries  it  to  his  mouth,  and  after  twilling  it  round 
his  trunk,  draws  it,  without  any  condu&or,  to  the  place  where 
the  fhip  is  building,  though  it  had  only  once  been  pointed  out 
to  him.  He  fometimes  drew  beams  fo  large,  that  more  than 
twenty  men  would  have  been  unable  to  move.  But  what  fur- 
prifed  me  ftill  more,  when  other  beams  obftructed  the  road,  he 
elevated  the  ends  of  his  own  beams,  that  they  mightrun  eafily  o- 
ver  thofe  which  lay  in  his  way.  Could  the  molt  enlightened  man 

do 


THE    ELEPHANT.         27 

ploughs,  waggons,  &c.  He  draws  equally,  and 
never  turns  reftive,  provided  he  is  not  infulted 
with  improper  chaftifement,  and  the  people  who 
labour  with  him  have  the  air  of  being  pleafed 
with  the  manner  in  which  he  employs  his 
ftfeno-th.  The  man  who  conducts  the  animal 
generally  rides  on  his  neck,  and  ufes  an  iron 
rod  *,  hooked  at  the  end,  or  a  bodkin,  with  which 
he  pricks  the  head  or  fides  of  the  ears,  in  order 
to  pulh  the  creature  forward,  or  to  make  him 
turn.  But  words  are  generally  fufficient  t»  efpe- 
cially  if  the  animal  has  had  time  to  acquire  a 
complete  acquaintance  with  his  conductor,  and 
to  put  entire  confidence  in  him.  The  attach- 
ment of  the  elephant  becomes  fometimes  fo 
ftrong,  and  his  affection  fo  warm  and  durable, 
that  he  has  been  known  to  die  of  forrow,  when, 

in 

do  more  ?    Voyaged' Orient,  du  P.  Philippe  de  latres-fainie  Trini- 

ti,  p.  367. 

*  The  conductor  rides  on  the  elephant's  neck,  and  ufes  no 
bridle,  reins,  or  any  kind  of  famulus,  but  only  a  large  iron  rod, 
fharp  and  hooked  at  the  end,  with  which  he  fpurs  on  the  ani- 
mal, and  likewife  directs  the  way,  by  pricking  his  ears,  muzzle, 
and  other  places  that  have  mod  fenfibility.  This  rod,  which 
would  kill  any  other  animal,  is  hardly  fufficient  to  make  an  im- 
preffion  on  the  {kin  of  the  elephant,  or  to  keep  him  in  fubjeclion 
when  irritated  j  Voyage  de  Pietro  della  Valle,  torn.  4.  /.  247.-— 
Two  fervants,  the  one  mounted  on  the  neck,  and  the  other  on 
the  crupper,  manage  the  elephant,  by  means  of  a  large  iron 
hook;    Premier  ■voyage  du  P.  Tackard,  p.   273. 

f  Non  fraeno  aut  habenis  aut  aliis  vinculis  regitur  bellua,  fed 
infidentis  voci  obfequitur  ;  Vartoman.  apud  Gefner,  cap.  ds  Els* 
fhanto. 


28        THE    ELEPHANT. 

in  a  paroxyfm    of  rage,   he   had    killed    his 
guide  *. 

Though  the  elephant  produces  but  a  Tingle 
young  one  in  two  or  three  years,  the  fpecies  is 
very  numerous.  The  prolific  powers  of  animals 
are  proportioned  to  the  fhortnefs  of  their  lives. 
In  elephants  the  duration  of  life  corhpenfates 
their  fterility ;  and,  if  it  be  true  that  they  live 
two  centuries,  and  can  propagate  till  they  are  one 
hundred  and  twenty  years  old,  each  couple  may 
produce  forty  in  this  period.  Befides,  as  they 
have  nothing  to  fear  from  other  animals,  and 
are  taken  with  much  difficulty  and  hazard  by 
men,  the  fpecies  is  eafily  fupported,  and  is  ge- 
nerally diffufed  over  all  the  fouthern  regions  of 
Africa  and  Afia.  Elephants  abound  in  Ceylon  f, 

in 

*  Quidam  iracundia  permotus  cum  cefforem  fuum  occidif- 
fet,  tarn  valde  defideravit,  ut,  pocnitudine  et  moerore  confec- 
tus,  obierit ;  Arrianus  in  Indicts. 

f  In  Ceylon  there  are  many  elephants,  whofe  teeth  brine 
much  riches  to  the  inhabitants  ;    Voyage  de  Fr.  Pyrard,  torn.   2. 

p.   151. There    are  vafh  numbers   of  elephants  in   India 

moil  of  which  are  brought  from  the  ifland  of  Ceylon  ;    Voyage 

de  la  Boullaye-le-Gouz,  p.  250. At  Deli,  as  well  as  other 

parts  of  India,  there  are  different  kinds  of  elephants ;  but 
thofe   brought  from  Ceylon    are   preferred  to    all  the    reft  j 

Relation  d'un  voyage,  par  Thevenot,   torn.   3.  p.  131 In  the 

ifland  of  Ceylon  there  are  many  elephants,  and  they  are  more 
generous  and  noble  than  thofe  of  other  countries ;  Voyage 
a" Orient,  du  P.  Philippe,  p.  361.  Recueildes  voyages  qui  ont  fer- 
vi  a  I'etablifement  de  la  Coinpagnie  des  bides  de  Holland.  Les  viy 
ages  de  Tavernler^tom.  3. p.  237. 


THE    ELEPHANT.         29 

in  the  Mogul  empire  *,  in  Bengal  f,  in  Siam  J, 
in  Pegu  ||,  and  in  all  the  other  territories  of  In- 
dia. They  are,  perhaps,  flill  more  numerous 
in  all  the  fouthern  regions  of  Africa,  except  cer- 
tain cantons  which  they  have  abandoned,  be- 
caufe  they  are  totally  occupied  by  men.  Ele- 
phants are  faithful  to  their  country,  and  never 
change  their  climate  ;  for,  though  they  can  live 
in  temperate  regions,  yet  they  appear  not  to 
have  ever  attempted  to  eftablifh  themfeives,  or 
even  to  travel  into  thefe  climates.  They  were 
formerly  unknown  in  Europe.  Homer,  though 
he  mentions  ivory  §,  feems  not  to  have  been 
acquainted  with  the  animal  by  which  that  fub- 
fiance  is  produced.  Alexander  the  Great  was 
the  firfl:  European  who  ever  mounted  an  ele- 
phant. 

*  Voyage  de  Fr.  Bernter  au  Mogul,  torn.  2.  p.  64. 

Voyage  de  de  Feynes  a  la  Chine,  p.  88 Relation  d'un  voy- 
age, par  Thevenot,  torn.    3.    p.   131. Voyage  d'Edward 

Terei,  aux  Indes  Orientales,  p.  15. 

f  The  country  of  Bengal  abounds  in  elephants ;  and  it  is 
from  thence  they  are  conveyed  to  the  other  parts  of  India ; 
Voyage  de  Fr.  Peyrard,  torn.  I.  p.  353. 

X  M.  de  Conftance  informed  me,  that  the  King  of  Siam 
had  twenty  thoufmd  elephants  in  his  dominions,  without 
reckoning  thofe  that  are  wild,  and  live  in  the  woods  and 
mountains,  of  which  fifty,  fixty,  and  even  eighty,  are  fome- 
times  taken  at  a  fmgle  hunting  match  ;  Premier  voyage  du  P. 
Tachard,  p.  288. 

|]  Recueil  des  voyages  de  la  Compagnie  des  Indes. — Voy- 
age de  Vander  Hagen,  torn.  3.  p.  40.  &c. 

§  Herodotus  is  the  mofl  ancient  author  who  mentions  ivory 
to  have  been  a  matter  derived  from  elephants  teeth;  Vid. 
PH11.  Hi/?.  Nat,  lib.  8.  cap.  3. 


^o        THE    ELEPHANT. 

phant  *.  Thofe  which  he  took  from  Porus,  he 
caufed  to  be  brought  to  Greece  ;  and  they  were, 
perhaps,  the  fame  which  Pyrrhus  f»  feveral  years 
after,  employed  againft  the  Romans  in  the  Ta- 
rentine  war,  and  with  which  Curius  came  tri- 
umphant into  Rome.  Annibal  afterwards  tranf- 
ported  elephants  from  Africa,  made  them  pafs 
the  Alps,  and  conducted  them  almoft  to  the 
gates  of  Rome. 

The  Indians,  from  a  period  beyond  the  re- 
cords of  hiftory,  have  employed  elephants  in 
war  J.  Among  thefe  undifciplined  nations,  the 
elephants  formed  their  beft  troop  ;  and,  as  long 
as  fteel  weapons  alone  were  employed,  they  ge- 
nerally decided  the  fate  of  battles.  We  learn 
from  hiftory,  however,  that  the  Greeks  and 
Romans  were  foon  accuftomed  to  thefe  monfters 
of  war.  They  opened  their  ranks  to  let  them 
pafs,  and  directed  all  their  weapons,  not  againft 
the  animals,  but  their  conductors,  who  ufed  all 
their  efforts  to  turn  and  appeafe  thofe  which  had 

feparated 

*  Elephantes  ex  Europaeis  primus  Alexander  habuit,  cum 
fubegiiffct  Porum  ;   Paufanias,  in  Attich. 

f  Manius  Curius  Dentatus,  viclo  Pyrrho,  primum  in  tri- 
umpho  elephantum  duxit  ;  Seneca  de  brevitate  vitae,  cap.  13. 

X  From  time  immemorial,  the  Kings  of  Ceylon,  of  Pegu, 
and  of  Aracan,  have  ufed  elephants  in  wars.  Naked  fabres 
were  tied  to  their  trunks,  and  on  their  backs  were  fixed  fmall 
wooden  caftles,  which  contained  five  or  fix  men  armed  with 
javelins,  and  other  weapons.  They  contribute  greatly  to 
diforder  the  enemy  ;  but  they  are  eafily  terrified  by  the  fight 
of  fire  ;  Recueil  des  voyages  de  la  Compagnh  des  bides,  torn.  7.—!- 
'oyage  de  Scbonten,  p.  32. 


THE    ELEPHANT.         3i 

feparated  from  the  reft  of  the  troop.  Now  that 
fire  has  become  the  element  of  war,  and  the 
chief  inftrument  of  death,  elephants,  which  are 
terrified  both  at  the  noife  and  flame  *,  would  be 
more  dangerous  than  ufeful  in  our  combats. 
The  Indian  Kings  (till  arm  elephants  in  their 
wars  ;  but  this  practice  is  defigned  more  for 
mow  than  utility.  One  advantage,  however,  is 
derived  from  them.  Like  every  other  military 
order,  they  ferve  the  purpofe  of  enflaving  their 
equals,  and  are,  accordingly,  ufed  in  taming  the 
wild  elephants.  The  mod  powerful  monarchs 
of  India  have  not  now  above  two  hundred  war 
elephants  f.  They  keep  many  others  for  the 
purpofes  of  labour,  and  for  tranfporting  their 
women  in  large  cages  covered  with  foliage.  It 
is  a  very  fafe  mode  of  riding  ;  for  the  elephant 
never  Humbles  :  But,  to  be  accuftomed  to  his 
brifk  and  Twinging  movements,  requires  time  and 
practice.     The  neck  is  the  belt   feat ;   for  there 

the 

*  The  elephants  are  afraid  of  fire  ;  and,  therefore,  fince 
the  ufe  of  fire-arms,  thefe  animals  are  of  no  value  in  war. 
Some  of  thofe  brought  from  Ceylon  are  not  fo  daftardly ; 
but  it  is  only  after  being  daily  accuftomed  to  the  firing  of 
guns,  and  to  having  crackers  thrown  among  their  feet  ; 
Voyage  de  Fr.  Bernier,  torn.  2.  p.  65. 

•f  Few  people  in  India  have  elephants.  Even  their  nobles 
have  not  many  ;  and  the  Great  Mogul  keeps  not  above  five 
hundred  for  his  houfehold,  and  for  tranfporting  his  baggage 
and  women,  in  wattled  cages  or  bafkets.  I  have  been  affured, 
that  he  has  not  above  two  hundred  war  elephants,  part  of 
which  are  employed  in  carrying  fmall  pieces  of  artillery  ,* 
Relation  dyun  voyage,  par  Thevsnot,  torn.  $.  $.  132. 


32        T  ITE    ELEPHANT. 

the  fuccuffions  are  not  fo  hard  as  on  the  flioul- 
dcrs,  back,  or  crupper.  But,  for  the  purpofes  of 
war,  or  of  hunting,  each  elephant  is  always 
mounted  by  feveral  men  *.  The  conductor 
rides  aftraddle  on  their  neck,  and  the  hunters  or 
combatants  fit  on  the  other  parts  of  the  body. 

In  thofe  happy  regions  where  cannon,  and 
other  murdering  engines,  are  imperfectly  known, 
they  ftill  fight  with  elephants  f.  At  Co- 
chin, and  other  parts  of  Malabar  J,  horfes  are 
not  ufed,  and  all  the  warriors  who  fight  not  on 
foot,  are  mounted  on  elephants.  The  practice 
is  nearly  the  fame  in  Tonquin  §,  Siam  ||,  and 

Pegu, 

*  Of  ail  animals,  the  elephant  is  the  mofl  ferviceable  in 
war  ;  for  he  can  eafily  carry  four  men  armed  with  mufkets, 
bows,  or  fpears  ;  Recueil  des  voyages  de  la  Compagnie  des  hides  de 
Hollande  ;  fecond  voyage  de  Vander  Hagen,  torn.  2.  p.  53. 

f  When  the  elephants  are  led  to  war,  they  ferve  two  pur- 
pofes ;  for  they  either  carry  fmall  wooden  towers,  from  the 
top  of  which  forne  foldiers  fight,  or  they  have  fwords  fixed  to 
their  trunks  with  iron  chains,  and  in  this  manner  they  are  let 
loofe  againfl  the  enemy,  whom  they  aflat  1  with  courage,  and 
would  unqueftionably  cut  to  pieces,  if  they  were  not  re- 
pelled by  fpears,  which  throw  out  fire ;  for,  as  elephants  are 
terrified  at  fire,  this  artifice  is  employed  to  put  them  to  flight ; 
Voyage  d' Orient,  par  le  P.  Philippe,  p.  367. 

±  In  Cochin,  as  well  as  in  other  pares  of  Malabar,  no  hor- 
fes are  ufed  in  war.  Thofe  who  fight  not  on  foot,  are  mount- 
ed on  elephants,  of  which  there  are  great  numbers  in  the 
mountains  ;  and  thefe  mountain  elephants  are  the  hrgeft  in 
India;   Relation  d'un  voyage,  par  Tkevenot,  torn.  3./.  261. 

§  In  the  kingdom  of  Tonquin,  the  women  of  rank  general- 
ly ride  upon  elephants,  fo  very  tall  and  mafly,  that  they  can 
carry,  without  any  danger,  a  tower  with  fix  men  in  it,  befide 
the  conductor  on  their  neck  ;  //  Genio  vagante  del  conte  Awelh 
degli  anzi,  torn.  X.  p.  282. 

||   See  Le  Journal  du  voyage  de  PAbbe  de  Choify,  p.  242, 


THE    ELEPHANT.         33 

Pegu,  where  the  King  and  great  Lords  always 
ride  upon  elephants.  At  feftivals,  they  are  pre- 
ceded and  followed  by  a  numerous  train  of  thefe 
animals,  pompoufly  adorned  with  pieces  of  fhi- 
ning  metal,  and  covered  with  rich  Huffs.  Their 
tufks  are  ornamented  with  rings  of  gold  and 
lilver  *  ;  their  ears  and  cheeks  are  painted; 
they  are  crowned  with  garlands  ;  and  a  num- 
ber of  little  bells  are  fixed  to  ditferent  parts  of 
their  body.  They  feem  to  delight  in  rich  at- 
tire ;  for  they  are  chearful  and  careffing  in  pro- 
portion to  the  number  of  their  ornaments.  But 
it  is  only  in  the  fouthern  parts  of  India  where 
the  elephants  have  acquired  this  degree  of  po- 
lim.  In  Africa,  it  is  with  difficulty  that  they 
can  be  tamed  f.  The  Afiatics,  who  have  been 
Vol.  VI.  C  very 

*  We  have  feen  elephants  whofe  teeth  were  extremely  large 
and  beautiful.  In  fome,  they  are  more  than  four  feet  long, 
and  garniihed  with  rings  of  gold,  filver,  and  copper  ;  Premier 
voyage  du  P.  Tachard,  p.  273. — The  grandeur  of  the  princes 
conlifts  in  the  number  of  elephants  they  are  able  to  keep, 
Which  is  the  chief  fource  of  their  expence.  The  Great  Mogul 
has  feveial  thoufands  of  them.  The  King  of  Madura,  the 
Lords  of  Narzinga  and  of  Bifnagar,  and  the  Kings  of  Naires 
and  of  Manful-,  have  feveral  hundreds,  which  they  diftinguifh 
into  three  clafTes.  The  largeft  are  deitined  for  the  fervice  of 
the  Prince.  Their  harnefs  is  extremely  rich.  They  are  co- 
vered with  cloth  embroidered  with  gold,  and  iludded  with 
pearls.  Their  teeth  are  adorned  with  fine  gold  and  filver, 
and  fometimes  with  diamonds.  Thofe  of  a  middle  fize  are 
employed  in  war  ;  and  the  leaf!  ?re  ufed  for  common  la- 
bour ;  Voyage  du  P-  Vincent  Marie  de  Ste  Catherine  de  Sienne, 
chap.  1 1. 

f  The  inhabitants  of  Congo  have  not  the  art  of  taming 
elephants,  which  are  very,  mifchievous,  take  crocodiles  with 
their  trunks,  and  throw  them  to  a  great  diftance  ;  //  Genii 
vag.  dd  Cpnte  Aurelio,  torn.  2.  p.  473. 


54        THE     ELEPHANT. 

very  anciently  civilized,  made  the  education  of 
the  elephant  a  kind  of  art,  and  have  inftructed 
and  modified  him  according  to  their  own  man- 
ners. But,  of  all  the  African  nations,  the  Car- 
thaginians alone  formerly  trained  the  elephants 
to  war  ;  becaufc,  at  the  fplendid  period  of  their 
republic,  they  were  perhaps  the  mod  civilized 
people  of  the  Eall.  There  are  now  no  wild  ele- 
phants in  all  that  part  of  Africa  on  this  fide  of 
Mount  Atlas.  There  are  even  few  beyond  thefe 
mountains,  till  we  arrive  at  the  river  Senegal. 
But  they  are  numerous  in  Senegal  *,  in  Gui- 
ney  f ,  in  Congo  J,  on  the  T^eth  coaft  §,  in  the 

countries 

*  The  elephants,  of  which  I  daily  faw  great  numbers  along 
the  banks  of  the  river  Senegal,  no  longer  allonifhed  me.  On 
the  fifth  day  of  November,  I  walked  into  the  woods  oppofite  to 
the  village  of  Dagana,  where  I  found  a  number  of  their  frefh 
tracks,  which  I  followed  near  two  leagues,  and  at  laft  difco- 
vered  five  of  thefe  animals  ;  three  of  them  lay  wallowing,  like 
hogs,  in  their  own  foil,  and  the  fourth  was  {landing  with  its  cub, 
eating  the  branches  of  an  acacia  tree,  which  they  had  broken 
off.  By  comparing  the  animal  with  the  height  of  the  tree,  I 
perceived  that  its  crupper  was  at  leaft  eleven  or  twelve  feet  high, 
and  its  tufks  near  three  feet  long.  Though  my  prefence  did 
not  difiurb  them,  I  thought  it  proper  to  retire.  Jn  purfuing 
my  route,  I  met  with  the  impreffions  of  their  feet,  which  mea- 
fured  near  a  foot  and  a  half  in  diameter.  Their  dung,  which 
refembled  that  of  a  horfe,  formed  balls  {cxen  or  eight  inches  in 
diameter  ;  Voyage  an  Senegal,  par  M.  Adavfon,  /.  75.  See  alfo 
„      Voyage  de  la  Mair,  p.  97. 

+  Voyage  de  Guinee,  par  Bofman,  p.  243. 

%  In  the  province  of  Pamba,  which  belongs  to  the  kingdom 
of  Congo,  there  are  many  elephants,  on  account  of  the  num- 
ber of  rivers  and  forefls  with  which  that  country  abounds  ; 
Drake' 1  Voyages.  See  likewife,  in  the  Dutch  colledion  of  Eafi 
India  Voyages,  Le  voyage  de  Vander  Broeck,  torn.  2.  />.  319.  and 
//  Genio  vagante  del  Conte  Aurelio,  torn.  2.  p.  473. 

§  The  firft  country  where  elephants  are  frequent  is  that  part 

of 


THE     ELEPHANT.  35 

countries  of  Anta  *,  Acra,  Benin,  and  all  the 
other  fouthern  territories  of  Africa  f»  as  ^ar  a3 
thofe  which  are  terminated  by  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  ;  except  fome  well  inhabited  provin- 
ces, filch  as  Fida  £,  Ardra,  &c.    We  even  find 

C  2  them 

of  the  coaft  called  by  the  Flemilh  Tandkuft,  or  Tecth-ccaft,  on 
account  of  the  number  of  elephants  teeth,  of  which  the  natives 
make  a  lucrative  traffic.  Towards  the  gold  coaft,  and  in  the 
countries  of  Awinc,  Jaumore,  Eguira,  Abocroe,  Ancober,  and 
Axim,  many  elephants  are  daily  (lain  ;  and,  the  more  any 
country  is  defert  and  uninhabited,  it  is  proportionally  more 
frequented  by  elephants  and  other  lavage  animals  ;  Voyage  de 
Guinee,  par  Guii.  Bofmdnt  p.  244. 

*  The  country  of  Anta  likevvife  abounds  in  elephants  ;  for 
many  of  them  are  not  only  killed  on  the  main  land,  but  they 
daily  come  down  to  the  fea-coaft,  and  under  our  forts,  from 
which  our  people  defcry  them,  and  make  great  ravages  upon 
them.  From  Anta  to  Acra,  very  few  are  found,  but  in  the 
places  mentioned  above,  becaufe  the  countries  between  Anta 
and  Acra  have  been  a  long  time  tolerably  peopled,  except  that 
of  Fetu,  which,  for  five  or  fix  years,  has  been  almoft  deferted, 
and  the  elephants,  for  that  reafon,  have  taken  it  into  their  pof- 
feffion.  On  the  coaft  of  Acra,  vaft  numbers  are  annually 
llain ;  becaufe  in  thefe  diftricls  there  is  much  defert  and. 
uninhabited  land.  ...  In  the  country  of  Benin,  as  well  as 
on  the  Rio  de  Calbari,  Camcrones,  and  other  adjacent  ri- 
vers and  countries,  thefe  animals  are  fo  numerous,  that  it  is 
difficult  to  conceive  how  the  natives  can  or  dare  live  in  them  ; 
Idem,  p.  246. 

f  Below  the  Bay  of  St  Helen's,  the  country  is  divided  into 
two  portions  by  the  Elephant  river,  which  has  received  its 
name  from  the  elephants,  who  love  running  waters,  and  are 
found  in  great  numbers  upon  their  banks ;  Defer iption  du  Cap 
d.  Bonne  Efperance,  par  Kolhe,  torn.  1.  p.  114.  et  torn.  3.  p.  12. 

\  There  are  no  elephants  in  Ardra,  nor  in  Fida,  though,  in 
my  time,  one  was  killed  there.  But  the  Negroes  affirm,  that 
fuch  an  event  had  not  happened  for  fixty  years  before.  I, 
therefore,  imagine  that  this  animal  had  wandered  thither  from 
feme  other  country  ;  Voyage  ds  Guinee,  par  Bo/man,  p.  245. 


$6        THE     EL'EPHA  N  T. 

them  in  Abyflinia  *,  in  Ethiopia  f,  in  Nigri- 
tia  £,  upon  the  eaftern  coafts,  and  in  all  the  in- 
terior parts  of  Africa.  They  likewife  exift  in  the 
large  iflands  of  India  and  Africa,  as  Madagas- 
car §,  Java  ||,  and  as  far  as  the  Philippine  i- 
flands  **. 

After  comparing  the  tcftimonies  of  travellers 
and  hiftorians,  it  appears  that  elephants  are  more 

nume- 

*  Sea  voyage  hiflorique  d'Abyflinie  du  P.  Lobo,  torn.  i.p. 
57-  whoi-e  troops  of  elephants  arc  faid  to  Ije  found  in  Abyflinia. 

f  The  ^Ethiopians  have  elephants  in  their  country  ;  but  they 
are  fmalier  than  thofe  of  India  ;  and,  though  their  teeth  are 
hollow,  and  of  lefs  value,  they  conflitute  a  confiderable  article 
ii  trade;  Voyage  de  Paul  Lucas,  torn.  3.  p.  186. — There  are 
many  elephants  in  ./Ethiopia,  and  in  the  country  of  PreAer 
John,  beyond  the  ifland  of  Mofambique,  where  the  Caffres  or 
Negroes  kill  a  great  number  for  the  fake  of  their  teeth  ;  Recueil 
des  vovages  de  la  Compagnie  des  Indes  de  Hollande,  torn.  I.  p.  413- 
See  alfo  V 'A/rioue  de  Marmot,  torn.  I.  p.  58. 

%  Elephas  magna  copia  in  filvis  Nigritarum  regionis  inve- 
nitur.  Solent  magno  numero  confertim  incedere,  &c.  ;  Leonis 
A/ric.  "Defcript.  Africae,   torn.  2.  p.  744.  et  745. 

§  In  the  ifland  of  Madagafcar,  elephants  are  fuppofed  to  be 
more  numerous  than  in  any  other  country.  Madagafcar,  and 
an  adjacent  ifland,  called  Cuzibet,  furniih  fuch  vaft  quantities 
of  Ivory,  that,  in  the  opinion  of  merchants,  the  reft  of  the 
world  does  not  produce  an  equal  number  of  elephants  teeth  ; 
Defctipt.  de  PInde  Orient,  par  Marc  Paul,  p.  114. 

|l  The  animals  found  in  the  ifland  of  Java,  are,  1.  elephants, 
which  are  tamed  and  hired  out  for  labour  ;  Recueil  des  voyages 
de  la  Cot  pagnie  des  hides  de  Hollande,  torn.  1.  p.  41 1. — At  Tu- 
ban  the  King's  elephants  are  each  placed  under  a  particular 
lhade  fupported  by  four  pillars  ;  and,  in  the  middle  of  the 
area,  which  is  likewife  covered,  there  is  a  large  flake,  to  which 
the  elephant  is  fixed  by  a  chain ;  Idem,  torn.  1.  p.  526. 

**  Mandanar  is  the  only  Philippine  ifland  which  produces 
elephants  ;  and,  as  the  natives  do  not  tame  thefe  animals,  as 
in  Siam  and  Cambaya,  they  are  prodigioufly  numerous  ;  I  ~oy- 
age  <iutour  du  Monde,  par  Gemelli  Careri,  torn.  5.  />.  209. 


THE     ELEPHANT.  37 

numerous   and  common  in  Africa  than  in   Afia. 
They  are    alfo  lefs  fufpicious,  and   retire  not  to 
fuch  diftant  folitudes.     They  feem  to  know  the 
unfkilfuinefs  and  debility  of  the  men  who  inha- 
bit this  part  of  the  world  ;  for   they  daily  ap- 
proach the  villages,  without  difcovering  any  ap- 
prehenfions  *.     They  treat   the   Negroes   with 
that  natural  and  fupercilious  indifference  which 
they  entertain  for  all  animals.     They  regard  not 
man    as  a  powerful  or    formidable   being,   but 
as  a  craftv   creature,  who    knows   only  how  to 
lay  fnares  in  their  way,  but  who  dares  not  attack 
them  face  to  face,  and  is  ignorant   of  the  art  of 
reducing  them  to  flavery.  It  is  by  this  art  alone, 
which  has  been  Ions:  known  in  the  Eaftern  na- 
tions,  that  the  number  of  thefe  animals  has  been 
diminiihed.     The  wild  elephants,   which  thefe 
people  render  domeftic,   become  by  captivity   fo 
many  voluntary  eunuchs,  in  whom  the  fources 
of  generation    are     daily    dried    up.      But,    in 
Africa,   where    the   elephants    are   all  free,    the 
fpecies   is  fupported,  and    might  even   increafe, 
though  more  of  them  were  deftroyed  ;    becaufe 
every  individual  is    conftantly  labouring  to    re- 
pair  the  wafte.     I    perceive  no   other  caufe   to 
which  this  difference  of  number  can  be  afcribed  ; 
for  it  appears,  from  every  confideration,  that  the 

G  3  fouth 

*  The  elephants  often  pafs  the  night  in  the  villages,  and  .ue 
fo  little  afraid  o£  frequented  places,  that,  inftead  of  turning 
when  they  perceive  the  houfes  of  the  Negroes,  they  march 
ftraight  forward,  and  overturn  them  like  nut  ihells  j  Voya 
de  la  Matte,  />.  98. 


•i* 


3$         THE    ELEPHANT. 

fouth  of  India  and  the  Eaft  of  Africa,  are  the 
countries  moft  congenial  to  the  nature  of  the 
elephant.  He  is  there  much  larger  and  ftror.g- 
er  than  in  Guiney,  or  any  other  weftern  region 
of  Africa.  He  dreads  excefTive  heat,  and  never 
inhabits  the  burning  fands  of  the  defert.  Nei- 
ther is  the  fpecies  fo  numerous  in  the  country  of 
the  Negroes,  as  along  the  rivers ;  and  they  are 
never  found  in  the  mountainous  parts  of  Afri- 
ca. But,  in  India,  the  ftrongeft  and  moft  coura- 
geous of  the  fpecies,  and  which  have  the  largeft 
tufks,  are  called  Mountain  Elephants  :  They  in- 
habit the  elevated  parts  of  the  country,  where, 
the  air  being  more  temperate,  the  waters  lefs 
impure,  and  the  food  more  wholefome,  thev  ac- 
quire  all  the  perfections  of  which  their  nature 
is  capable. 

In  general,  the  elephants  of  Afia  exceed,  in 
fize,  ftrength,  &c.  thole  of  Africa  ;  and  thofe 
of  Ceylon,  in  particular,  arefuperior  to  all  thofe 
of  Alia,  not  only  in  magnitude,  hut  in  courage 
and  intelligence.  Thefe  qualities  they  perhaps 
derive  from  a  more  perfett  education.  Howe- 
ver this  may  be,  all  travellers  have  celebrated 
the  elephants  of  this  iiland  *,  where  the  furface 

of 

*  The  elephants  of  Ceylon  arc  preferred  to  all  others,  be- 
caufethey  have  moft  courage.  .  .  .  The  Indiansfay,  that  all 
the  other  elephants  refpecT:  thofe  of  Ceylon  ;  Relation  d'un  voyage 
par  Thevenot,  p.  261. — The  elephants  of  Ceylon  are  the  boldefl 

of  the  fpecies  ;   Voyage  de  Beniier,  torn,  2.  p.  6$ The  beft  and 

moft  intelligent  elephants  come  from  the  ifland  of  Ceylon  ;  Re- 

cueii 


THE     ELEPHANT.        39 

of  the  earth  is  variegated  with  mountains,  which 
are  more  elevated  in  proportion  as  they  advance 
toward  the  centre  of  the  ifland,  and  where  the 
heat,  though  great,  is  not  fo  exceffive  as  in  Se- 
negal, Guiney,  and  the  other  weftern  parts  of 
Africa.  The  ancients,  who  knew  nothing  of 
this  quarter  of  the  world,  except  the  territo- 
ries fituated  between  Mount  Atlas  and  the  Me- 
diterranean, had  remarked,  that  the  Lybian  ele- 
phants were  much  fmaller  than  thofe  of  India  *. 
There  are  now  no  elephants  in  that  part  of  Afri- 
ca ;  which  proves  what  was  alledged  under  the 
article  Lion  f,  that  men  are  at  prefent  more  nu- 
merous there  than  they  were  in  the  days  of  the 
Carthaginians.  The  elephants  have  retired  in 
proportion  to  the  disturbance  they  have  met  with 
from  the  human  fpecies.  But,  in  travelling 
through  the  climates  of  Africa,  they  have  not 
changed  their  nature;  for  the  elephants  of  Se- 
negal, Guiney,  &c.  are  dill  much  fmaller  than 
thofe  of  India. 

The  Strength  of  thefe  animals  is  proportioned 
to  their  magnitude.     The  Indian  elephants  carry 

with 

cue'il  des  voyages,  torn.  i.  p.  413. ;  torn.  2.  p.  256. ;  to??;.  4.  p.  363. 
— In  Ceylon  the  elephants  are  numerous,  and  more  generous 
and  noble  than  any  others.  .  .  .  All  other  elephants  revere 
thofe  of  Ceylon,  &c. ;  Voyage  d 'Orient  du  P.  Philippe,  p.  130.  et 

367- 

*  Indicum  (elephantum)  Afri  pavent,  nee  contueri  audent; 

nam  et  major  Indicis   magnitudo  eft ;  Plin.  hifl.  nat.  lib*  %. 

cap.  9. 

f  See  ahove,  vol.  5.  p.  66. 


40        THE    ELEPHANT. 

with  cafe  three  or  four  thoufand  weight*;  The 
fmaller,  or  thofe  of  Africa,  can  eafily  raife  with 
their  trunk  a  weight  of  two  hundred  pounds,  and 
place  it  on  their  own  fhoulders  f.  They  draw- 
up  into  their  trunks  large  quantities  of  water, 
which  they  fquirt  into  the  air,  or  all  around,  to 
the  diftance  of  feveral  fathoms.  They  can  carry 
a  weight  of  above  a  thoufand  pounds  on  their 
tufks.  They  ufe  their  trunk  for  breaking  bran- 
ches, and  their  tufks  for  tearing  up  trees.  The 
greatnefs  of  their  ftrength  may  be  ftill  farther 
conceived  from  the  quicknefs  of  their  move- 
ments, compared  with  the  magnitude  of  their 
bodies.  At  their  ordinary  ftep,  they  cut  as 
much, ground  as  a  horfe  at  a  gentle  trot;  and 
they  run  as  fa  ft  as  a  horfe  can  gallop  :  But,  in 
a  fiate  of  liberty,  they  never  run,  unlefs  when 
enraged  or  terrified.  Domeftic  elephants  are 
generally  walked,  and  they  perform  eafily,  and 
without  fatigue,  a  journey  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
leagues  in  a  day ;  and,  when  pufhed,  they  can 
travel  thirty.  01  forty  leagues  a-day  $.  Their 
tread  is  heard  at  a  great  diitance,  and  they  may 
be  eafily  followed  by  the   tracks   of  their  feet, 

which, 

*  Relation  d'un  voyage,  per  Thevenot,  p.  261. 

f  The  elephant  raifes  with  his  trunk  a  weight  of  two  hun- 
dred pounds,  and  places  it  on  his  own  fhoulders He 

draws  up  into  his  trunk  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  water, 
which  he  fquirts  to  a  confiderable  height  in  the  air ;  UAfriqu: 
de  Marmol,  torn.  1.  p.  58. 

X  When  an  elephant  is  pufhed,  he  can  perform,  in  one  clay, 
as  much  as  a  man  generally  does  in  fix ;  Ujifrique  de  Mar. 
torn.  1.  p.  58. 


THE     ELEPHANT.         41 

which,  in  foft  ground,  meafure  fifteen  or  eighteen 
inches  in  diameter.  • 

A  domeftic  elephant  performs  more  work  than 
perhaps  fix  horfes  *  ;  but  he  requires  from  his 
mailer  much  care,  and  a  great  deal  of  good  vic- 
tuals, which  coil  about  four  francs,  or  a  hundred 
pence  a-day  "f.  He  is  generally  fed  with  rice, 
raw  or  boiled,  and  mixed  with  water.  To  keep 
him  in  full  vigour,  he  is  faid  to  require  daily  a 
hundred  pounds  of  rice,  befides  frefh  herbage  to 
cool  him  ;  for  he  is  fubject  to  be  over-heated, 
and  mull  be  led  to  the  water  twice  or  thrice  a- 
day  for  the  benefit  of  bathing.  He  eafily  learns 
to  bathe  himfelf.  Ke  takes  the  water  up  in  his 
trunk,  carries  it  to  his  mouth,  drinks  part  of  it, 
and,  by  elevating  his  trunk,  allows  the  remain- 
der to  run  over   every  part   of  his   body.     To 

give 

*  The  price  of  elephants  is  very  high.  They  are  fome- 
times  fold  from  a  thoufand  pagodas  of  gold  to  fifteen  thou- 
fand  roupees,  that  is,  from  nine  or  ten  thoufand  livres  to 
thirty  thoufand;  Notes  de  M.  de  Bujjy. — At  Ceylon,  an  elephant 
is  worth,  at  lead,'  eight  thoufand  pardaons ;  and,  when  very 
large,  he  brings  twelve,  and  even  fifteen  thoufand  pardaons  ; 
Iliji.  de  rifle  de  Ceylon,  par  Ribeyro,  p.  144. 

\  The  food  of  an  elephant  cofis  about  half  a  piflole  each 
day  ;  Relation  a"-un  voyage  par  Thevenot,  p.  261. Tamed  ele- 
phants are  very  delicate  in  their  feeding.  They  require  rice 
well  boiled,  and  feafoned  with  butter  and  fugar,  which  is 
given  to  them  in  large  balls.  They  devour  daily  a  hundred 
pounds  of  rice,  befides  leaves  of  trees,  particularly  thofe  of  the 
Indian  fig,  called  bananas  or  plantane,  which  are  given  them 
by  way  of  refrefhment ;  Voyage  de  Pyrard,  torn.  2.  p.  367. — See 
alfo,  Voyages  de  la  Boullaye-le-Goicz,  p.  250.; — and  Recueil  des 
voyages  de  la  Compagnie  des  Indes  de  Hollande,  torn.  1.  p.  473. 


42        THE     ELEPHANT. 

give  an  idea  of  the  labour  he  performs,  it  is  fuf- 
iicient  to  remark,  that  all  the  tuns,  facks,  and 
bales,  tranfported  from  one  place  to  another  in 
India,  are  carried  by  elephants;  that  they  carry 
burdens  on  their  bodies,  their  necks,  their  tufks, 
and  even  in  their  mouths,  by  giving  them  the 
end  of  a  rope,  which  they  hold  faft  with  their 
teeth;  that,  uniting  fagacity  to  ftrength,  they 
never  break  or  injure  any  thing  committed  to 
their  charge;  that,  from  the  margins  of  the  wa- 
ters, they  put  thefe  bundles  into  boats  without 
wetting  them,  laying  them  down  gently,  and  ar- 
ranging them  where  they  ought  to  be  placed ; 
that,  when  difpofed  in  the  places  where  their 
matters  direct,  they  try  with  their  trunk  whether 
the  goods  are  properly  flowed  ;  and,  if  a  tun  or 
cafk  rolls,  they  go,  of  their  own  accord,  in  queft 
of  (tones  to  prop  and  render  it  firm. 

When  the  elephant  is  properly  managed, 
though  in  captivity,  he  lives  a  long  time  ;  and, 
it  is  probable,  that,  in  a  ftate  of  liberty,  his  life 
is  (till  longer.  Some  authors  affirm,  that  he 
lives  four  or  five  hundred  years  ^,  others  two 
or  three  hundred  f ,  and  others  a  hundred   and 

twenty, 

*  Onefimus,  according  to  Strabo,  lib.  15.  fays,  that  ele- 
phants live  five  hundred  years. — Philoflratus,  Vit.  Apoll.  lib.  16. 
relates,  that  the  elephant  Ajax,  which  fought  for  Porus  a- 
gainft  Alexander  the  Great,  lived  four  hundred   years  after 

that  battle. Juba,  King  of  Mauritania,  afferts,  that  an  e- 

lephant  was  taken  in  Mount  Atlas,  which  was  known  to  have 
been  in  a  battle  four  hundred  years  before. 

f  Elephantum  alii  annos  ducentos  vivere  aiunt,  alii  tre- 

-ceatcs  ;> 


THE    ELEPHANT.        43 

twenty,  a  hundred  and  thirty,  and  a  hundred 
and  forty  *.  I  believe,  that  a  medium  between 
the  two  extremes  is  the  truth ;  and  that,  if  cap- 
tive elephants  live  a  hundred  and  twenty,  or  a 
hundred  and  thirty  years,  thofe  which  are  free, 
and  enjoy  all  the  conveniencies  and  rights  of 
Nature,  ought  to  exift  at  leaft  two  hundred. 
Beiides,  if  they  go  two  years  with  young, 
and  require  thirty  before  they  obtain  their  full 
growth,  we  may,  with  flill  more  certainty,  con- 
clude, that  their  life  extends  beyond  the  period 
we  have  affixed.  But  captivity  abridges  their 
exiftence  lefs  than  the  injuries  arifing  from 
change  of  climate.  Whatever  care  is  beftowed 
on  him,  the  elephant  lives  not  long  in  tempe- 
rate, and  ftill  morter  in  cold  countries.  That 
which  the  King  of  Portugal  fent  to  Louis  XIV. 

in 

centos  ;  Arijl.  Hi/},  anim.  lib.  8.  cap.  9- — Elephas  ut  longiffi- 
mum  annos  circiter  ducentos  vivit ;  Arrian.  in  Indicts. — I  faw 
a  white  elephant,  which  was  deftined  to  be  the  fucce/Tor  of 
that  in  the  palace,  and  was  faid  to  be  near  three  hundred 
years  old  ;  Premier  -voyage  de  Slain  du  p.  Tachard,  p.  273 

*  The  elephants  grow  during  one  half  of  their  exigence, 
and  generally  live  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  ;  Drake's  voyage, 
p.  104. — The  female  elephants  go  two  years  with  young,  and 
live  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  ;  Recueil  des  voyages  de  la  Compasr- 

nle  des  Indes  de  Hollande,  torn.  7.  p.  31. Notwithstanding  all 

the  inquiries  I  have  made,  I  could  never  learn  exafliy  how 
long  the  elephant  lives.  The  keepers  of  thefe  animals  can 
give  no  other  information,  than  that  fuch  an  elephant  was  in 
the  poffeffion  of  their  father,  grandfather,  and  great-grand- 
father ;  and,  by  computing  the  length  of  time  which  thefe 
people  lived,  it  is  fometimes  found  to  amount  to  a  hundred 
and  twenty,  or  a  hundred  and  thirty  years  ;  Voyage  ds  Tavr- 
«iert  torn.  3.  p.  z^t. 


44        THE     ELEPHANT. 

in  1 66S  *,  and  which  was  then  only  four  years 
old,  died  in  the  month  of  January  1681,  at  the 
age  of  feventeen,  and  lived  at  Verfailles  only 
thirteen  years,  though  he  was  fed  plentifully,  and 
managed  with  the  greateft  attention.  He  had 
daily  eighty  pounds  of  bread,  twelve  pints  of 
wine,  and  two  pails  of  pottage,  mixed  with  four 
or  five  pounds  of  bread ;  and,  every  fecond  day, 
in  place  of  pottage,  he  had  two  pails  of  boiled 
rice,  without  reckoning  what  was  given  him  by 
vifitors.  He  had,  befides,  a  fheaf  of  corn  every 
day  for  his  amtifement  ;  for,  after  eating  the 
ears,  he  made  a  kind  of  whip  of  the  draw,  with 
which  he  drove  awray  the  flies.  He  delighted  in 
breaking  the  ft  raw  into  fmall  morfels,  which  he 
did  very  dexteroufly  with  his  trunk  ;  and,  as  he 
•was  daily  led  out  to  walk,  he  pulled  and  eat  the 
grafs.  The  elephant  which  was  lately  at  Naples, 
though  the  heat  is  greater  there  than  in  France, 
lived  but  a  few  years.  Thofe  which  were  fent  to 
Peterfburg,  though  well  fheltered,  clothed,  and 
warmed  with  ftoves,  all  died  fucceffively.  Hence 
we  may  conclude,  that  this  animal  is  incapable 
of  fubfi fting,  and  far  lefs  can  he  multiply,  in 
any  part  of  Europe.  But  I  am  aftonifhed  that 
the  Portuguefe,  who  firft  knew  the  value  and 
utility  of  elephants  in  the  Eaft  Indies,  did  not 
tranfport  them  to  the  warm  climate  of  Brafit, 
where,  by  leaving  them  at  liberty,  they  would 

probably 

*  Mem.  pour  fervir  a  Phi-ftoire  des  animaux,  part.  3.  p.  ici. 
et  127. 


THE     ELEPHANT.         45 

probably  have  multiplied.  The  elephants  are 
generally  aih-coloured,  or  blackifh.  White  ele- 
phants, as  formerly  remarked,  are  extremely 
rare  * ;  and  authors  are  quoted  who  have  feen 
white  and  red  elephants  in  different  parts  of  In- 
dia, where  they  are  highly  valued  f .  Befides, 
/  thefe 

*  Some  perfons  who  lived  long  in  Pondicherry,  feem  to 
doubt  the  exiftence  of  white  and  red  elephants  ;  for  they  af- 
firm, that,  in  this  part  of  India,  at  leall,  the  elephants  are  ail 
black.  It  is  true,  they  remark,  that,  when  thefe  animals  are 
long  neglected  to  be  warned,  the  duft  which  adheres  to  their 
oily  and  naked  fkin  gives  them  the  appearance  of  a  dirty 
gray  colour  ;  but,  when  walked  with  water,  they  become  as 
black  as  formerly.  I  believe  that  black  is  the  natural  colour 
of  elephants,  and  none  of  any  other  colour  are  to  be  found  in 
thofe  parts  of  India  which  thefe  people  have  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  feeing.  But,  at  the  fame  time,  it  feems  not  to  admit 
of  a  doubt,  that,  in  Ceylon,  Siam,  Pegu,  Cambaya,  &c.  fome 
white  and  red  elephants  are  accidentally  to  be  met  with. 
For  ocular  witneffes  of  this  fact,  we  might  quote  le  Chevalier 
Chaumont,  l'Abbe  de  Choify,  le  P.  Tachard,  Vander  Hagen, 
Jooit  Schuten,  Thevenot,  Ogilvy,  and  other  travellers  of  lefs 
note.  Hortenfels,  who  has  collected,  in  his  Elephaniographia,  a 
great  number  of  facts  from  different  voyages,  allures  us,  that 
the  white  elephant  has  not  only  a  white  fkin,  but  that  the 
hair  of  its  tail  is  alfo  white.  To  thefe  teftimonies,  we  might 
add  the  authority  of  the  ancients.  iElian,  lib.  3.  cap.  46. 
mentions  a  fmall  white  elephant  in  India,  and  feems  to  infi- 
nuate  that  the  mother  was  black.  This  variety  in  the  colour 
of  elephants,  though  rare,  is  certain,  and  very  ancient.  It  has, 
perhaps,  proceeded  from  their  domeftic  condition,  to  which  - 
the  Indians  have  been  long  accuftomed  to  reduce  thefe  ani- 
mals. 

f   In  the  proceffion  of  the  King  of  Pegu,  two  red  elephants 
are  led  before,  harnafTed  with  filk  and  gold  fluffs,    which  arc 
followed  by  four  white  elephants,  harnafTed  in  a  fimilar  man- 
ner, with  the  addition  of  precious  (tones,  and  the  tufks  cover- 
ed 


46        THE    ELEPHANT. 

thcfe  varieties  are  fo  uncommon,  that,  inftead  of 
confidering  them  as  diftindt  races,  they  ought  to 
be  regarded  as  qualities  purely  individual  and 
accidental  j  for,  if  it  were  otherwife,  we  mould 
know  the  countries  of  white,  red,  and  black  ele- 
phants, in  the  fame  manner  as  we  know  the 
climates  of  white,  red,  and  black  men.    '  In  In- 

*  dia,'  fays  P.  Vincent   Marie,   *  there  are  three 

*  kinds  of  elephants,  the  white,  which  are  the 
'  largeft,  the  moft  gentle,  and  peaceable,  are 
'  adored  as  gods  by  feveral  nations  :  The  red, 
4  iuch  as  thofe  of  Ceylon,  though  the  fmalleft  in 

*  fize,  are  the  moft  valorous,  the  ftrongeft,  and 
1  the  beft  for  the  purpofes  of  war  ;  the  other  e- 
c  lephants,  whether  from  natural  inclination,  or 
'  from  recognifing  fomething  fuperior,  pay  great 
'  refpect  to  thofe  of  Ceylon  :  The  black  is  the 
6  third  kind,  and  they  are  the  moft  common,  and 
'  in  moil:  eftimation  *.'  This  is  the  only  author 
who  feems  to  hint,  that  Ceylon  is  the  peculiar 
climate  of  red  elephants  ;  for  other  travellers 
make  no  mention  of  fuch  a  fact.  He  likewife 
aiferts,  that  the  Ceylon  elephants  are  the  fmalleft. 
Thevenot  fays  the  fame  thing  in  his  voyage, 
p.  260.  But  other  writers  relate  the  reverie. 
In  fine,  P.  Vincent  is  the  only  author  who  fays, 

that 

ed  with  rubies  ;    Voyage  de  la  Compagnie  des   Indss  de  Hollands} 
torn.  3.  p.  60. 

Voyage  du  P.  Fr.  Vincent  Marie  de  St  Catherine  de  Sienne, 
chap.  9.  tranflated  from  the  Italian  by  M.  le  Marquis  de 
Mcntm.irail. 


THE     ELEPHANT.        47 

that   the    white  elephants  are  the   largeft.     P. 
Tachard,  on   the  contrary,   allures    us,  that  the 
King  of  Siam's  white  elephant  was    diminutive, 
though  very  old.     After  comparing  the  teilimo- 
nies  of  travellers  with  regard   to  the  magnitude 
of  elephants  in   different    climates,   it   appears, 
that  the  fmalleft  are  thole  of  the  weft  and  north 
of  Africa,  and  that  the  ancients,  who  knew  on- 
ly the  northern  part  of  Africa,   were    right  in 
their  general  arTertion,  that  the  Indian  elephants 
were  much  larger  than  thofe  of  Africa.     But,  in 
the  eaftern  regions  of  this  quarter  of  the  world, 
of  which  the  ancients  were  ignorant,    the  ele- 
phants   are    as   large,  and   perhaps   larger  than 
thofe  of  India.     In   this  laft   region,  it  appears, 
that  the  elephants  of  Siam,  Pegu,  &c.  are  larger 
than  thofe  of  Ceylon  ;  which,   however,  from 
the    unanimous   teftimony    of    travellers,    have 
more  courage  and  intelligence. 

Having  thus  marked  the  principal  fads  with 
regard  to  the  fpecies,  let  us  next  examine,  in 
detail,  the  properties  of  the  individual,  his  fenfes, 
movements,  fize,  ftrength,  addrefs,  fagacity,  &c. 
In  proportion  to  the  magnitude  of  his  body, 
the  eyes  of  the  elephant  are  very  fmall  ;  but 
they  are  lively  and  brilliant  :  What  diftin- 
guimes  them  from  the  eyes  of  all  other  animals, 
is  a  pathetic  expreffion  of  fentiment,  and  an 
a  imoft  rational  management  of  all  their  actions  *. 
He  turns  them  (lowly  and  with  mildnefs  towards 

his 

*  .  Elephantographia  Chriftophori  Petri  ab  Hartenfels. 


43        THE     ELEPHANT. 

his  mafter.  When  he  fpeaks,  the  animal  re- 
gards him  with  an  eye  of  friendftup  and  atten- 
tion, and  his  penetrating  afpect  is  confpicuous 
when  he  wants  to  anticipate  the  inclination  of 
his  governour.  He  feeins  to  reflect,  to  deli- 
berate, to  think,  and  never  determines  till  he 
lias  fevcral  times  examined,  without  paffion  or 
precipitation,  the  figns  which  he  ought  to  obey. 
The  dog,  whofe  eyes  are  very  expreflive,  is  too 
prompt  and  vivacious  to  allow  us  to  diftinguiiri 
with  eafe  the  fucceffive  {hades  of  his  fenfations. 
But,  as  the  elephant  is  naturally  grave  and  mo- 
derate, we  read  in  his  eyes,  whofe  movements 
are  flow,  the  order  and  fucceffion  of  his  inter-' 
nal  affections  *. 

His  ear  is  very  good;  and  the  external  organ 
of  hearing,  like  that  of  fmelling,  is  more  re- 
markable in  the  elephant  than  in  any  other  ani- 
mal. His  ears  are  very  large,  and  much  longer, 
even  in  proportion  to  his  body,  than  thofe  of 
the  afs.  They  lie  flat  on  the  head,  like  the  hu- 
man ears.  They  are  commonly  pendulous ; 
but  he  can  raife  and  move  them  with  fuch  fa- 
cility, that  he  ufes  them  to  defend  his  eyes  from 
dull:  and   flies  f".     He   delights  in  the  found  of 

mu  heal 

*  The  eyes  of  the  elephant  are,  proportionally,  exceed- 
ingly fmall  ;  but  they  are  very  active  and  lively,  and  they 
uniformly  move  in  fuch  a  manner,  as  gives  him  the  air  of 
thought  and  reflection  ;  Voyage  au  hides  Orientales  du  P.  Fr. 
Vincent  Marie  de  St  Catherine  de  Sienr.e,  p.  376. 

f  The  elephant  has  very  large  ears.  .  .  He  perpetually 
moves  them  with  much  gravity,  and  they  defend  his  eyes  from 

all  kinds  of  infects  ;  Id.  Ibid. See  alfo   Let  Memoires 

pourjervir  al'kifloirc  des  Animaux,  part  3./.  107. 


THE     ELEPHANT.         49 

mufical  inftruments,  and  moves  in  cadence  to 
the  trumpet  and  tabour.  His  fcnk  of  imelling 
is  exquifite,  and  he  is  paflionately  fond  of  per- 
fumes of  every  kind,  and  efpecially  of  odorife- 
rous flowers,  which  he  gathers  one  by  one, 
makes  nofegays  of  them,  and,  after  gratifying 
his  nofe,  conveys  them  to  his  mouth.  The 
flowers  of  the  orange  conftitute  one  of  his  mod 
delicious  models;  With  his  trunk  he  robs  an 
orange  tree  of  all  its  verdure,  eating  the  fruit, 
the  flowers,  the  leaves,  and  even  the  imall 
branches  *.  In  the  meadows,  he  {'elects  the 
moll  odoriferous  plants  ;  and,  in  the  woods,  he 
prefers  the  cocoa,  the  banana,  the  paim,  and  the 
fago  trees  j  and,  as  thefe  trees  are  foft  and  ten- 
der, he  eats  not  only  the  leaves  and  fruit,  but 
even  the  branches,^  the  trunk,  and  the  roots  ; 
for,  when  they  are  unable  to  pull  up  the  trees 
with  their  trunk,  they  always  fucceed  by  uling 
their  tufks. 

With  regard  to  the  fenfe  of  touching,  it  is 
chiefly  confined  to  the  trunk  ;  but,  in  this  mem- 
ber, it  is  as  delicate  and  diftincl:  as  in  the  hu- 
man hand.  The  trunk  is  compofed  of  mem- 
branes, nerves,  and  mufcles  ;  it  is  both  an  or- 
gan of  feeling  and  of  motion.  The  animal  can 
not  only  move  and  bend  it,  but  he  can  contract, 
lengthen,  and  turn  it  on  all  fides.  The  ex- 
tremity of  the  trunk  terminates  in  a  protube- 
Vol.  VI.  D  ranee 

*  Voyage  de  Guinee,  par  Bofman,  p.  243. 


50         THE    ELEPHANT. 

ranee  *  which  ftretches  out  on  the  upper  fide  in 
the  form  of  a  finger,  by  means  of  which  the 
elephant  performs  all  that  we  do  with  our  fin- 
gers. He  lifts  from  the  ground  the  fmalleft 
piece  of  money  ;  he  lelects  the  herbs  and  flowers, 
and  picks  them  up  one  by  one  ;  he  unties  the 
knots  of  ropes,  opens  and  fhuts  gates,  by  turn- 
ing the  keys,  or  pufliing  back  the  bolts.  He  learns 
to  trace  regular  characters  with  an  inftrument 
as  fmall  as  a  quill  "|\  It  cannot  be  denied  that 
the  elephant's  hand  has  feveral  advantages  over 
ours.  It  is  equally  flexible,  and  as  dexterous 
in  touching  or  laying  hold  of  objects.  Thefe 
operations  are  performed  by  means  of  the  ap- 
pendix or  finger,  fituated  on  the  fuperior  part 
of  the  border,  that  furrounds  the  extremity  of 
the  trunk,  in  the  middle  of  which  there  is  a 
concavity  in  the  form  of  a  cup,  and  in  the  bottom 
of  the  cup  are  the  apertures  of  the  two  common 
canals  of  fmelling  and  of  refpiration.  The  ele- 
phant, therefore,  has  his  nofe  in  his  hand,  and 
is  enabled  to  combine  the  power  of  his  lungs 
wTith  the  action   of  his  fingers,  and   to   attract 

fluids 

*  Mem.  pour  fervir  a  I'liiftoire  ties  animaux,  part.  3.  p. 
108.  &  140.' 

f  Mutianus  ter  Conful  auclor  eft,  aliquem  ex  his  et  litte- 
rarum duclus  Graecarum  didicifle,  folitumque  praefcribere 
ejus   linguae  verbis  :    Ipfe  ego  haec  fcripfi,  Sec.  ;   Plin.  Hijl. 

nat.  lib.  8.  cap.  3. Ego  vero  ipfe  elephantum  in  tabula  Iit- 

teras'Latinas  promufcide  atque  ordine  fcribentem  vidi  :  Ve- 
rumtamen  docentis  manus  fubjiciebatur  ad  litterarum  duel  11  m 
et  figuram  eum  inftituens  ;  dejectis  autem  et  intentis  oculis 
erat  cum  fcriberet  ;  doclos  et  litterarum  gnaros  animantium 
oculos  efle  dixifles  j  Mlian.  de  nat.  Aninu  lib.  2.  cap.  II. 


THE    ELEPHANT.  51 

fluids  by  a  ftrong  faction,  or  to  raife  heavy  bo- 
dies by  applying  to  them  the  edge  of  his  trunk, 
and  making  a  vacuum  within  by  a  vigorous  in- 
fpiration. 

Hence  delicacy  of  feeling,  acutenefs  of  fmell- 
ing,  facility  of  movement,  and  the  power  of  fuc- 
tion,  are  united  at  the  extremity  of  the  elephant's 
nofe.  Of  all  the  inftruments  which  Nature  has  fo 
liberally  bellowed  on  her  mod  favourite  produc- 
tions, the  trunk  of  the  elephant  is  perhaps  the 
mod  complete  and  the  mod  admirable.  It  is  not 
only  an  organic  inftrument,  but  a  triple  fenfe, 
whofe  united  functions  are  at  once  the  caufe,  and 
produce  the  effects  of  that  fagacity  and  thofe  re- 
markable talents  which  diftinguifh  the  elephant, 
and  exalt  him  above  all  other  quadrupeds.  He 
is  not  fo  fubject,  as  other  animals,  to  errors  of 
vifion  ;  becaufe  he  quickly  rectifies  them  by  the 
fenfe  of  touching  ;  and,  by  ufing  his  trunk,  as 
a  long  arm,  for  the  purpofe  of  touching  remote 
objects,  he  acquires,  like  man,  clear  ideas  of 
diftances.  But  the  other  animals,  except  the 
monkeys  and  fome  others  who  have  a  kind  of 
arms  and  hands,  cannot  acquire  ideas  of  diftance 
but  by  traverfing  fpace  with  their  bodies.  Of 
all  the  fenfes,  that  of  touching  has  the  greater!: 
relation  to  intelligence.  The  delicacy  of  touch- 
ing, the  flexibility  of  the  trunk,  the  power  of 
fuction,  the  fenfe  of  fmelling,  and  the  length 
of  the  arm,  give  the  ideas  of  the  fubftance  of 
bodies,  of  their  external  form,  of  their  weight, 

£>2  Of 


$t         THE    ELEPHANT. 

of  their  falutary  or  noxious  qualities,  and  of 
their  diftahce.  Thus,  by  the  fame  members,  and 
by  one  fimultaneous  act,  the  elephant  feels, 
perceives,  and  judges  of  feveral  things  at  one 
time.  Now  a  multiplied  fenfation  is  equivalent, 
in  fome  meafure,  to  reflection  :  Though  this  a- 
himal,  therefore,  is,  like  all  others,  deprived  of 
the  faculty  of  reflecting,  as  his  fenfations  are* 
combined  in  the  fame  organ,  contemporary,  and 
not  feparated  from  each  other,  it  is  not  furpri- 
fma:  that  he  mould  have  ideas  of  his  own,  and 
readily  acquire  thofe  we  wifh  to  communicate  to 
him.  The  memory  of  the  elephant  mould  be 
more  perfect  than  that  of  any  other  animal ;  for 
memory  depends  greatly  on  the  circumftances  of 
actions.  No  folitary  fenfation,  however  lively, 
can  leave  any  diftinct  or  durable  impreffion  ;  but 
feveral  combined  and  contemporary  fenfations 
make  deep  and  lading  impreffions ;  fo  that,  if 
the  elephant  cannot  recollect:  an  idea  by  touch 
alone,  the  adjacent  and  acceiTory  fenfations  of 
fmelling,  and  the  power  of  faction,  which  have 
acted  at  the  fame  time,  aid  him  in  recalling 
the  remembrance  of  it.  In  man,  the  belt  mode 
of  rendering  the  memory  faithful,  is  to  employ 
fuccefiively  all  our  fenfes  in  examining;  an  ob- 
ject ;  and  it  is  owing  to  the  neglect  of  habitua- 
ting ourfelves  to  the  combined  ufe  of  our  fen- 
fes, that  we  forget  molt  thiegs  we  ought  to  re- 
member. 

But, 


THE     ELEPHANT.        53 

Bur,   though  the  elephant  has   more  memo- 
ry and  intelligence  than  any   other  animal,    his 
brain  is  proportionally  fmaller  than  that  of  moil 
quadrupeds  *.  I    mention  this  fact  as    a  proof 
that  the  brain   is  not  the   feat  of  fenfation,  the 
fenforium  commune %  which,    on  the  contrary,  re- 
fides  in  the  nerves  of  the  fenfes,  and  in  the  mem- 
branes  of  the  head.     Thus    the    nerves  distri- 
buted upon    the  trunk  of  the  elephant,  are  fo 
numerous    as  to    be  equivalent   to  all   thole  be- 
llowed   on  the  reft   of  the  body.     It  is,  there- 
fore, by  virtue   of  this  lingular  combination  of 
fenfes  and   faculties  in  the   trunk,    that  the  ele- 
phant cxcells  all  ether  animals  in   fagacity,   not- 
witfiftanding  the  enormity  of  his  mafs,  and   the 
difproportion  of  his   form  ;   for  the  elephant  is, 
at  the  fame  time,  a  miracle  of  intelligence   and 
a  rnonfter  of  matter.    The  thickriefs  and  inflexi- 
bility of  his.body;  the  (hortnefs  and  ftiffnefs  of 
his   neck  j    the    fmallnefs  and   deformity    of  his 
head ;   the    excellive   largenefs  of   his  ears   and 
nofe  ;  theminutenefsof  his  eyes,  mouth,  genitals, 
and  tail  ;    his  ftraight,   clumfy,   and  almoft  in- 
flexible  limbs  ;  the  ihortnefs    and  fmallnefs   of 
his  feet  "j\  which  are  hardly  apparent ;  .the  thick- 

D  3  nefs 

*  Mem.  pour  fervir  a  l'hift.  des  animaux,  part.   3.    p.  13-. 

\  The  feet  of  every  animal  except  the  elephant  are  pro- 
portionally larger  than  thofe   of  man. The    feet   were  fo 

imall  as  to  be  hardly  perceptible  ;  becaufe  the  toes  are  cover- 
ed with  the  (kin  of  the  legs,  which  hangs  down  on  all  fides  as 
far  as  the  ground,  and  appears  like  the  trunk  of  a  tree  cut  a- 
erefsj  Mem.. bout 'fervir  al'hiji.  des  animaux, p.  102. 


34         THE     ELEPHANT. 

nefs  and  callofity  of  his  (kin  :  All  thefe  de- 
formities are  the  more  confpicuous  and  difagrec- 
able  to  the  eye,  becaufe  they  are  modelled 
.  on  a  large  fcale,  and  mod  of  them  peculiar 
to  the  elephant  alone;  for  in  no  animal  are 
the  head,  the  feet,  the  nofe,  the  ears,  and  the 
tufks,  fituated  like  thofe  of  the  elephant. 

From  this  ftrange  conformation,  the  animal  is 
fubjecled  to  feveral  inconveniencies.  He  moves 
his  head  with  difficulty,  and  cannot  turn  him- 
felf,  in  order  to  go  back,  without  making  a  cir- 
cuit. The  hunters  who  attack  him  behind,  or 
on  the  flanks,  avoid  the  effects  of  his  vengeance 
by  circular  movements  ;  and  they  have  time  to 
renew  their  blows  while  he  is  turning  himfelf 
againft  them.  His  legs,  the  rigidity  of  which  is 
not  fo  great  as  that  of  his  neck  and  body,  bend 
but  flowly,  and  with  difficulty.  They  are  ftrong- 
ly  articulated  to  the  thighs.  His  knee  is  like 
that  of  man*,  and  his  foot  is  equally  low;  but 
the  latter  has  no  extent,  fpring,  or  force,  and  the 
former  is  hard  and  rigid.  As  long,  however,  as 
the  elephant  is  young  and  in  health,  he  bends 
his  knees  to  lie  down,  and  allows  himfelf  to  be 
mounted,  or  charged  with  a  load.  But,  when 
old  or  fick,  this  movement  becomes  (o  laborious, 

that 

*  His  knee  is  fituated,  like  that  of  man,  in  the  middle  be- 
tween the  belly  and  the  foot ;  fo  that  the  elephant's  leg  is  ft- 
jnilar  to  a  man's,  both  with  regard  to  the  pofition  of  the  knee 
and  the  fmallnefs  of  the  foot,  the  extent  of  which,  from  the 

heel  to  the  toes,  is  very  fmall  ;  Mini,  pour  Jervir  d  Pbifl.  da  a- 
vimaux,  part.  3.  p.    1 02. 


THE     ELEPHANT.  $$ 

that  he  choofes  rather  to  Deep  on  his  feet  ;  and, 
if  forced  to  lie  down  *,  machines  are  neceffary 
to  raife  him.  His  tufks,  which,  with  age,  be- 
come enormoufly  heavy,  and  not  being  placed, 
like  the  horns  of  other  animals,  in  a  vertical  po- 
rtion, form  two  long  levers,  which,  by  their  al- 
mod  horizontal  direction,  fatigue  the  head  pro- 
digioufly,  and  make  it  hang  down ;  fo  that  the 
animal  is  fometimes  obliged  to  make  holes  in  the 
wall  of  his  lodge  to  fupport  them,  and  relieve 
him  of  their  weight  ~|\  He  has  the  difad vantage 
of  having  the  organ  of  fmelling  very  diftant  from 
that  of  tafting,  and  the  inconvenience  of  not  be- 
ing able  to  ieize  any  thing  on  the  ground  with 
his  mouth,  becaufe  his  neck  is  too  ftiff  and  too 
(hort  to  allow  his  head  to  reach  the  earth.  He 
is,  therefore,  obliged  to  lay  hold  of  his  food, 
and  even  of  his  drink,  with  his  nofe,  and  then 
to  convey  it,  not  only  to  the  entrance  of  his 
mouth,  but  as  far  as  the  throat ;  and,  when  the 
trunk  is  filled  with  water,  he  thrufts  the  end  of 

it 

*  We  learned  from  the  people  who  had  the  charge  of  the 
elephant  at  Verfiilles,  formerly  mentioned,  that,  the  firft  eight 
years  he  lived,  he  lay  down  and  rofe  with  great  facility  ;  and. 
that,  during  the  laft  five  years,  he  did  not  lie  down  tofleep,but 
-  leaned  againft  the  wall  of  his  apartment ;  fo  that,  if  he  had 
happened  to  lie  down  when  lick,  it  would  have  been  neceffary 
to  pierce  the  floor  above,  in  order  to  raife  him  with  engines  ; 
Mem. pour  fervir  ofhiji.  des  anhnauxy  p.  104. 

f  We  faw  where  the  elephant  had  employed  his  tufks  in 
making  holes  in  a  Hone-pillar,  which  projected  from  the  wall 
of  his  lodge,  and  thefe  holes  fupported  him  when  ileeping,  his 
tufks  being  put  into  them  }  Id.  p.  102. 


$6         THE     ELEPHANT. 

it  to  the  very  root  of  the  tongue*,  feemingly 
with  the  intention  of  puihing  back  the  epiglottis 
to  prevent  the  water,  which  nifties  out  with  im- 
petuofiry,  from  entering  into  the  larynx  ;  for  he 
forces  out  the  water  by  the  fame  air  which  he 
employed  to  fuck  it  up,  and  it  rufhes  out  of  the 
trunk  with  ndile,  and  precipitantly  enters  the 
gullet.  The  tongue,  the  mouth,  and  the  lips, 
are  of  no  ufe  to  him,  as  in  other  animals,  to 
fuck  or  lap  his  drink. 

from  this  defcriptiori,  the  fingular  confequence 
remits,  that  the  young  elephant  muft  fuck  with 
its  nofe,  and  afterwards  convey  the  milk  to  its 
gullet.  We  are  told,  however,  by  the  ancients, 
that  he  fucks  with  his  mouth,  and  not  wTith  his 
trunk  f.  But  there  is  reafon  to  believe  that  they 
never  were  wifcnefTes.  of  the  fa£t,  and  that  they 
reafoned  folely  from  the  analogy  of  other  animals. 
If  the  young  elephant  ever  acquired  the  habit  of 
fucking  with  his  mout'i,  why  mould  he  lofe  it 
during  the  reft  of  his  life  ?  Why  does  he  never 
employ  the  mouth  to  fuck  in  water  ?  Why  does 
he  uniformly  employ  a  double  action,  when  a 
fingle  one  would  anfwer  the  purpofe  ?  Why  does 
he  never  feize  any  object  with  his  mouth,  ex- 
cept 

*  Mem.  pour  fervir  a  l'hift.  des  animaux,  part.  3.  p.  109. 

f  Pullus  editus  ore  fugit,  non  promufcide,  et  ftatim  cum  na- 
tus  eft  cernicet  ambu'at  ;  Arift.  hiji.  anitn.tib.  C.  cap.  27. — An- 
niculo  quidem  vituloaequalem  pullum  edit  elephantus,  qui  fta- 
tim, ut  natuseft,  ore  fugit;  Mllar..  de  nai.  anirt.  lib.  6.  cap.  3. 


THE    ELEPHANT.  57 

cept  what  is  thrown  into  it  when  open  *  ?  it  is, 
therefore,  extremely  probable,  that  the  young  e- 
lephant  fucks  with  his  trunk  only.  This  pre- 
emption is  not  only  proved  by  the  following 
facts,  but  is  founded  on  a  flronger  analogy  than 
that  which  gave  rife  to  the  opinion  of  the  an- 
cients. We  formerly  remarked,  that,  in  general, 
animals,  at  the  moment  of  birth,  can  perceive 
the  prefence  of  the  aliment  they  want  by  no  o- 
ther  fenfe  but  that  of  fmelling.  The  ear  can 
have  no  effect ;  neither  can  the  eye  ;  for  mod 
animals  are  blind  when  they  begin  to  fuck.  The 
fenfe  of  touching  can  only  convey  a  vague  and 
indifcriminate  notion  of  all  the  parts  of  the  mo- 
ther's body,  or,  rather,  it  can  indicate  nothing 
relative  to  appetite.  But  the  fenfe  of  fmelling 
is  alone  fufficient  for  this  purpofe:  It  is  not  on- 
ly a  fpecies  of  tafte,  but  a  fore-tafle,  which  pre- 
cedes, accompanies,  and  determines  the  other  kind. 
The  elephant,  therefore,  like  all  other  animals, 
perceives,  by  this  fore-tafte,  the  prefence  of  his  ali- 
ment ;  and,  as  the  feat  of  fmelling  is  united  with 
the  power  of  faction  at  the  extremity  of  the  trunk, 
he  applies  it  to  the  teat,  fucks  the  milk,  and  con- 
veys it  to  the  mouth  to  fatisfy  his  appetite.  Be- 
fides,  the  two  paps,  as  in  woman,  are  fituated  on 
the  breaft,  and,  the  teats  being  very  fmall  in  pro- 
portion to  the  frze  of  the  young   one's  mouth, 

whofe 

*  Voyez  les  Memoires  pour  fervir  a  l'hift.  des  Animaux,  part, 
3.  p.  IC9.  et  110. 


$8         THE     ELEPHANT. 

whofe  neck  alio  has  little  flexibility,,  the  mother 
rauft  have  lain  on  her  back  or  fide  to  enable  her 
young  to  lay  hold  of  the  teat  with  its  mouth  ; 
and,  even  in  this  fituation,  it  would  have  been 
difficult  to  extract  the  milk,  on  account  of  the 
enormous  difproportion  between  the  largenefs  of 
the  mouth  and  the  fmallnefs  of  the  teat.  Buc 
the  margin  of  the  trunk,  which  the  animal  con- 
tracts at  pleafure,  is  eafily  accommodated  to  the 
teat,  and  enables  the  young  elephant  to  fuck  the 
mother  either  when  fhe  ftands  or  lies  on  her  fide. 
Thus  every  circumftance  concurs  in  invalidating 
the  notion  of  the  ancients  on  this  fubjecl ;  for 
none  of  them,  nor  even  any  of  the  moderns,  al- 
ledge  that  they  ever  faw  the  elephant  fucking; 
and  I  have  no  hefitation  in  predicting,  that, 
whenever  fuch  an  obfervatipn  is  made,  it  will 
appear,  that  he  fucks  not  with  his  mouth,  but 
with  his  nofe.  I  likewife  imagine  that  the  an- 
cients are  deceived,  when  they  tell  us,  that  the 
elephants  copulate  like  other  quadrupeds,  the 
lemale  only  lowering  her  crupper*,  for  the  more 
cafy  reception  of  the  male.  The  fituation  of  the 
parts  feems  to  render  this  mode  of  junction  im- 
poflible.  The  female  elephant  has  not,  like  ci- 
ther quadrupeds,  the  orifice  of  the  vagina  adja- 
cent to  the  anus;  for  it  is  fituated  nearly  in  the 
middle  of  the  belly,  about  two  and  a  half,  or 

three 

*  Subfidit  foemina,  clunibufque  fubmifiis,  et  infiftit  pedibus  ac 
innititur;  mas  fuperveniens  comprimit,  atque  ita  munere  vene- 
reo  fyngitur;  Arifl.  hift.  anim.  lib.  5.  cap.  2. 


THE    ELEPHANT.         59 

three  feet  diftant  from  the  anus*.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  male  organ  is  by  no  means  propor- 
tioned to  the  magnitude  of  his  body,  nor  to  fo 
long  an  interval,  which,  in  the  fituation  fuppo- 
fed,  would  preclude  the  practicability  of  his  ap- 
proach. Naturalifts  as  well  as  travellers  agree 
in  affirming,  that  the  male  organ  of  the  elephant 
exceeds  not,  either  in  length  or  diameter  f,  that 
of  a  horfe.  It  is,  therefore,  impoffible  that  he 
fhould  attain  his  end  in  the  ordinary  pofition  of 
quadrupeds.  The  female  mult  neceflarily  lie  on 
her  back.  De  Feynes  %  and  Travernier  ||  pofi- 
tively  allert,  and  the  fituation  of  the  parts  con- 
firms their  evidence,  that  thefe  animals  cannot 
intermix  in  any  other  manner  §.    They  require, 

therefore, 

*  Mem.  pour  fervir  a  l'hift.  des  animaux,  part.  3.  p.  132. 

f  Elephantus  genitale  equo  fimile  habet,  fed  parvum  nee  pro 
corporis  magnitudine.  Teft.es  idem  non  foris  confpicuos  kd 
intus  circa  renes  conditos  habet ;  Arift-  hijh  anim.  lib.  2.  cap.  1. 
. — UAfrique  cT  Ogilby,  p.  13.  ct  14. 

\  When  thefe  animals  couple,  the  female  lies  on  her  back ; 
and,  after  the  operation,  the  male  raifes  the  female  with  lii- 
trunk ;    Voyage  par  terre  a  la  Chine  du  S.  de  Feynes,  p.  90. 

||  Though  the  elephants  have  no  intercourfe  in  a  domeftic 
ftate  ;  yet  they  frequently  come  in  feafon.  It  is  remarkable 
that  the  female,  on  thefe  occafions,  collects  all  kinds  of  herbs 
and  leaves,  of  which  lhe  makes  a  bed  elevated  fcur  or  five  feet 
above  the  ground,  and,  contrary  to  the  nature  of  all  other 
quadrupeds,  lies  down  on  her  back,  and  folicits  the  male  by 
her  cries;    Voyage  de  Tavernier,  torn.  3.  p.  240. 

§  This  article  was  written  before  I  faw  M.  de  Bu fly's  Notes 
concerning  the  elephant;  and  his  evidence  fully  confirms  the 
fact,  which  the  fituation  of  the  parts  had  fuggefted.  «  The  ele- 
«  phant,'  fays  M.  de  Bufly,  *  copulate  in  a  Angular  manner. 

*  The 


6o        THE     ELEPHANT. 

therefore,  more  time  and  conveniency  for  this 
operation  than  other  quadrupeds;  and  it  is,  per- 
haps, for  this  reafon,  that  they  never  eopulate 
but  when  they  enjoy  full  liberty,  and  have  every 
neceiTary  article  at  their  command.  The  female 
mult  not  only  confent,  but  folicit  the  male  by  a 
pofition  which  me  never  alTumes,  unlefs  when 
fhe  thinks  herfelf  in  perfect  retirement*.  May 
we  not,  therefore,  conclude,  that  modefty  is  a 
phyfrcal  virtue  which  exifts  in  the  brute  creation? 
It  is,  at  leaf!:,  like  foftnefs,  moderation,  and  tem- 
perance, a  general  and  beautiful  attribute  of  the 
female  fex. 

Thus  the  elephant  neither  fucks,  generates, 
eats,  nor  drinks  like  other  animals.  The  found 
of  his  voice  is  likewife  extremely  lingular.  If 
we  believe  the  ancients,  the  elephant  utters  two 
kinds  of  cries,  one  by  the  trunk,  which,  from  its 
finuofities  and  inflexions,  is  rough  and  long,  like 
the  found  of  a  trumpet ;  and  another  by  the 
mouth,  which  is  interrupted  by  fhort  paufes  and 
harm  fighs  "['•     This  fact,  which  was  advanced 

.         .  bY 

*  The  female  lies  down  on  her  back.    The  male  reds  on  his  fore 

*  legs,  bends  down  thofe  behind,  and  touches  not  the  female 

*  any  farther  than  is  necdlary  to  effeft  his  purpofe.' 

*  Pudore  nunquam  nil!  inabdito  coeunt ;  Pirn.  biji.  nat.  lib. 
8.  cap.  5. — The  elephants  couple  very  rarely;  and,  when  they 
do,  it  is  with  fuch  fecrecy,  and  in  places  fa  folitary,  that  they 
have  never  been  obferved  by  any  perfon.  When  in  a  domeftic 
itate,  they  never  produce ;  Voyage  am  hides  Orientates  du  P. 
Vincent  Mark  de  Saintc  Catherine  de  Sienne,  chap.  \\.  p.  396. 

f  Elephantus  citra  nares  ore  ipfo  vocem  edit  fpirabundam, 

quera- 


THE    ELEPHANT.         61 

by  Ariftotle,  and  afterwards  repeated  by  natu- 
ral ifts  and  travellers,  is  probably  falfe,  or,  at  leaft, 
not  exactly  related.  M.  de  Buffy  denies  that  the 
elephant  utters  any  cry  through  the  trunk.  How- 
ever, as  a  man,  by  (hutting  his  mouth  clofe,  can 
make  a  found  through  his  nofe,  the  elephant, 
whofe  nofe  is  fo  large,  may  produce  founds  in 
the  fame  manner.  But,  however  this  may  be, 
the  cry  of  the  elephant  is  heard  at  the  diftance 
of  more  than  a  league,  and  yet  it  excites  not 
terror,  like  the  roaring  of  the  lion  or  tiger. 

The  elephant  is  ftill  more  lingular  in  the 
ftructure  of  his  feet,  and  the  texture  of  his  fkin, 
which  iaft  is  not,  like  other  quadrupeds,  covered 
with  hair,  but  totally  bare,  as  if  it  were  fhaven. 
There  are  only  a  few  brinies  In  the  fiiTures  of 
the  fkin,  and  thefe  brinies  are  thinly  fcattered 
over  the  body,  but  very  numerous  on  the  cilia 
and  back  of  the  head  *  in  the  auditory  paiTages, 
and  the  infides  of  the  thighs  and  legs.  In  the 
epidermis,  or  fcarf  (kin,  there  are  two  kinds  of 
wrinkles,  the  one  raifed,  and  the  other  depreiTed, 
which  give,  it  the  appearance  of  being  cut  into 
fiiTures,  refembling  pretty  nearly  the  bark  of  an 
old   oak   tree.     In  man,  and  the  other  animals, 

the 

qucmadxnodum  cum  homo  fimul  et  fpirltum  reddit  et  loquitur, 
at  per  uares  iimile  tubarum  raucitati  fonat  ;  /irijl.  hiji.  anim. 
lib.  4.  cap.  9— Citra  nares  ore  ipfo  fternutamento  fimilem  edit 
fonum  ;  per  narcs  autem  tubarum  raucitati  ;  Plln.  kift.  nat. 
lib.  8. 

*  Memoires  pour  fervir  a  l'Hilloire  des  animaux,  part.  3. 

p.  113. 


62         THE    ELEPHANT. 

the  epidermis  adheres  throughout  to  the  fkin  ; 
but,  in  the  elephant,  it  is  only  attached  by  fome 
points  of  iniertion,  like  two  pieces  of  cloth 
ftitched  together.  This  epidermis  is  naturally 
dry,  and  very  iubjec~t  to  grow  thick.  It  often 
acquires  the  thicknefs  of  three  or  four  lines,  by 
the  fucceffive  drying  of  different  layers  which  are 
produced  one  above  another.  It  is  this  thicken- 
ing of  the  fcarf  fkin  which  gives  rife  to  the  elc- 
pbantiqfis  or  dry  leprofy,  to  which  man,  whofe 
fkin  is  naked  like  that  of  the  elephant,  is  fome- 
times  fubjeel:.  This  difeafe  is  very  common  to 
the  elephant  ;  and  the  Indians,  to  prevent  it, 
rub  him  frequently  with  oil,  and  bathe  him  with 
water,  with  a  view  to  preferve  the  fkin  clean  and 
flexible.  The  fkin,  where  it  is  not  callous,  is 
extremely  fenfible.  In  the  fiffures,  and  other 
places  where  it  is  neither  dry  nor  hardened,  the 
elephant  feels  the  flinging  of  flies  in  fuch  a  live- 
ly manner,  that  he  not  only  employs  his  natu- 
ral movements,  but  even  the  refources  of  his  in- 
telligence, to  get  rid  of  them.  He  ftrikes  them 
with  his  tail,  his  ears,  and  his  trunk.  He  con- 
tracts his  fkin,  and  crufhes  them  between  its 
wrinkles.  He  drives  them  off  with  branches  of 
trees,  or  handfuls  of  long  ftraw.  When  ail  thefe 
artifices  are  unfuccefsful,  he  collects  duft  with 
his  trunk,  and  covers  all  the  fenfible  parts  of  his 
fkin  with  it.  He  has  been  obferved  pulverifing 
himfelf  in  this  manner  feveral  times  in  a  day  ; 
and  always  at  the  raoft  proper  feafon,    namely, 

after 


THE    ELEPHANT.  63 

after  bathing  *.  The  ufe  of  water  is  as  necef- 
iary  to  thefe  animals  as  air.  When  free,  they 
never  quit  the  banks  of  rivers,  and  often  go  into 
the  water  till  it  reaches  their  belly,  and  in  this 
fituation  they  daily  fpend  feveral  hours.  In  In- 
dia, where  the  elephants  are  treated  in  the  man- 
ner that  beft  correfponds  with  their  nature  and 
temperament,  they  are  carefully  bathed,  and  al- 
lowed time  and  every  poffible  conveniency  for 
bathing  themfelves  f.     Their  ikin  is  cleaned  by 

rubbing 

*  I  was  informed  that  the  elephant  at  Verfailies  always 
rolled  in  the  duft  after  bathing,  which  he  did  as  often  as  he 
was  allowed  ;  and  it  was  obferved  that  he  threw  dull  upon  all 
the  places  which  had  been  miffed  when  he  rolled  himfelf,  and 
that  he  drove  off"  the  flies  with  handfuls  of  ftraw,  or  by  throw- 
ing duft  with  his  trunk  on  the  places  where  he  felt  himfelf 
(lung,  there  being  nothing  which  the  flies  avoid  fo  much  as 
falling  duft  ;  Mem.  pour  fervir  a  lyKJh  des  animaux,  part.   3./-. 

117, 

f  About  eight"  or  nine  o'clock  before  noon,  we  went  to  the 
river  to  fee  the  elephants  belonging  to  the  King  and  the 
nobles  bathed.  The  animal  goes  into  the  water  till  it  reaches 
his  belly,  and,  lying  down  on  one  fide,  fills  his  trunk  feveral 
times,  and  throws  the  water  upon  the  parts  which  are  unco- 
vered. The  mailer  then  rubs  off,  with  a  kind  of  pumice 
ftone,  all  the  dirt  that  bus  been  cclle&ed  on  the  creature's  ikin. 
Some  authors  tell  us,  that,  when  the  elephant  lies  down,  he 
is  unable  to  raiie  himfelf.  But  this  affertion  is  not  founded 
in  truth  ;  for  the  matter,  after  rubbing  on  one  fide,  defires  the 
animal  to  turn  to  the  other,  which  he  does  very  quickly  ;  and, 
after  both  fides  are  well  curried,  he  comes  out  of  the  river, 
and  ftands  fome  time  on  the  bank  tiil  he  dries.  The  mailer 
then  brings  a  pot  of  red  or  yellow  paint,  and  draws  lines  on 
the  elephant's  face,  round  the  eyes,  and  upon  the  breaft  and 
•  rump.  He  is  next  rubbed  over  with  oil  to  ftrengthen  his 
nerves  ;    Voyage  de  Tavernier,  torn.  3.  /.  264. 


64         THE    ELEPHANT. 

rubbing  it  with  a  pumice  (tone  ;  and  then  they 
arc  anointed  with  perfumed  oils,  and  painted 
with  various  colours. 

The  ftrudture  of  the  elephant's  feet  and  legs 
frill  differs  from  that  of  mod  other  animals.  The 
fore  legs  appear  to  be  longer  than  the  hind  legs, 
and  yet  the  former  are  fomewhat  fhorter  *  The 
hind  legs  are  not  bended  in  two  places  like  thofe 
of  the  horfe  and  ox,  in  whom  the  thigh-bone  is 
almoft  totally  concealed  in  the  buttock,  the  knee 
is  fituated  near  the  belly.,  and  the  bones  of  the 
foot  are  fo  high  and  fo  long,  that  they  appear  to 
conftitute  a  great  part  of  the  leg.  But  the  foot 
of  the  elephant  is  very  fhort,  and  refts  on  the 
ground.  His  knee,  like  that  of  man,  is  placed 
near  the  middle  of  the  leg.  The  fhort  foot  of 
the  elephant  is  divided  into  five  toes,  which  are 
fo  covered  with  the  fkin  as  not  to  be  vifible. 
We  only  fee  a  kind  of  nails,  the  number  of  which 
varies,  though  that  of  the  toes  remains  always 
the  fame.  There  are  uniformly  five  toes  on 
each  foot,  and  commonly  five  nails']";  but  fome- 
times  there  are  only  four  J,  or  even  three  nails; 

andj 

*  Mem.  pourfervlr  a  l'hift.  des  anim.  part.  3.  p.  102. 

+  The  royal  academy  of  fciences  recommended  to  me  to 
examine  whether  all  the  elephants  had  nails  on  their  feet.  I 
never  faw  a  Tingle  elephant  which  had  not  five  on  each  foot  at 
the  extremities  of  the  five  large  toes.  But  the  toes  are  fo 
ihort,  that  they  hardly  project  from  the  foot  ;  Premier  voyage 
du  P.  Tachard,  p.  273. 

\  All  thofe  who  have  written  concerning  the  elephant, 
aflign  five  nails  to  each  foot  :  but,  in  our  fubjeft,  there  were 

only 


THE     ELEPHANT,         65 

and,  in  this  cafe,  they  correfpond  not  exaclly 
with  the  extremities  of  the  toes.  Befides,  this 
variety,  which  has  only  been  remarked  in  young 
elephants  brought  to  Europe,  ieerns  to  be  pure- 
ly accidental,  and  probably  depends  on  the  man- 
ner the  animal  has  been  treated  during  the  fir  ft 
years  of  its  growth.  The  fole  of  the  foot  is  co- 
vered with  a  kind  of  leather  as  hard  as  horn,  and 
proje&s  outward  all  around.  The  nails  confift 
of  the  fame  fubftance.     . 

The  ears  of  the  elephant  are  very  Jong,  move- 
able  at  pleafure?  and  ierve  the  animal  as  a  fan. 
The  tail  is  not  longer  than  the  ears,  being  gene- 
rally  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  feet  in  length, 
It  is  thin,  pointed,  and  garnilhed  at  the  extremi- 
ty with  a  tuft  of  thick  hairs,  or  rather  threads 
of  a  black,  gloiTy,folid,  horny  fubftance.  This  hair 
or  horn  is  as  thick  and  ftrong  as  iron- wire,  and  1 
roan  cannot  break  it  by  pulling  with  his  hands* 
though  it  be  flexible  and  elailic.  In  fine,  this 
tuft  of  hair  is  greatly  efteemed  as  an  ornament 
by  the  Negro  women,  who  arc  probably  attach- 
ed to  it  by  fome  fuperftition  *.  An  elephant's 
Vol.  VI.  E  tail 

only  three.  The  fmall  Indian  elephant  Formerly  mentioned 
had  lour  nails  both  on  che  fore  and  hind  feet.  But  there  are 
uniformly  rive  toes  on  each  foot ;  Mem.  pour  Jsrvir  a  I'hijl:  dei 
unimaupti  part.  3. />.  103. 

*  Merolla  remarks,    that  many   of    the    Pagans   in   d 
countries,  and  particularly  the  Saggas,  have  a  devout  regard 
for   the   elephant's   tail.     When  any  of   their  chiefs  the,   they 
preferve,  in  honour  of  him,  one  of  thefe  tails,  to  which  they 
pay  a  kind  of  religious  worlhip,  founded  on  the  notion  ot   i 

po" 


66        T  H  K     E  L  E  P  H  A  N  T. 

tail  is  fometimes  fold  for  two  or  three  flaves  ; 
and  the  Negroes  often  hazard  their  lives  in  en- 
deavouring to  cut  it  off  from  the  live  animal. 
Befidc  this  tuft,  the  tail  is  covered,  or  rather 
ftrewed,  through  its  whole  extent,  with  briftles 
as  large  and  as  hard  a:;  thofe  of  the  wild  boar. 
Thefe  bridles  are  alio  found  on  the  convex  part 
of  the  trunk  and  the  eye-brows,  where  they 
fometimes  exceed  a  foot  in  length.  Briltles  or 
hairs  on  the  eye-lids  are  peculiar  to  man,  the 
monkey,  and  the  elephant. 

Climate,  food,  and  fituation,  have  a  great  in- 
fluence on  the  growth  and  fize  of  the  elephant. 
In  general,  thofe  that  are  taken  young,  and  re- 
duced to  captivity,  never  acquire  their  natural  di- 
menfions.  Thelargeft  elephants  of  India  and  the 
eaftern  parts  of  Africa  are  fourteen  feet  high  ; 
the  fmalleft,  which  are  found  in  Senegal,  and  o- 
ther  weftern  regions  of  Africa,  exceed  not  ten  or 
eleven  feet ;  and  thofe  which  are  brought  to  Europe 
when  young,  never  arrive  at  this  height.  The 
Verfailles  elephant,  which  came  from  Congo  *.,  at 
the  age  of  feven  years,  was  not  above  feven  and 
a  half  feet  high.  During  the  thirteen  years  that 
he  lived,  he  acquired  only  one  foot  ;  fo  that,  at 
the  age  of  four,  when  he  was  tranfported,  he  was 

only 

power.  They  often  go  a  hunting  folely  with  a  view  to  ob- 
tain a  tail  of  this  kind.  •  But  it  muft  be  cut  off  with  a  ilngle 
blow  from  the  live  animal,  without  which,  fuperltition  allows 
it  no  virtue  ;  Hijh  gen.  cles  Voyages,  par  l*  Abbe  Prevyi,  torn.  5. 
p.  79. 

Tern. 'pour  fcrvir  a  rhift.  des  animaux,  part.  3.  p.  iox. 


THE    ELEPHANT.        6y 

only  (is.  and  a  half  feet  in  height  ;  and,  as  the 
rate  of  growth  always  diminishes  as  animals  ad- 
vance in  years,  it  cannot  be  fuppoied,  that,  if  he 
had  lived  thirty  years,  the  common  period  when, 
the  growth  of  elephants  is  completed,  he  would 
have  acquired  more  than  eight  feet  in  height. 
Hence  the  domeftic  flate  reduces  the  growth  of 
the  elephant  one  third,  not  only  in  height,  but 
in  all  other  dimenfions.  The  length  of  his  body, 
from  the  eye  to  the  origin  of  the  tail,  is  nearly 
equal  to  his  height  at  the  withers.  An  Indian 
elephant,  therefore,  of  fourteen  feet  high,  is  more 
than  feven  times  larger  and  heavier  than  the 
Verfailles  elephant.  By  comparing  the  growth 
of  this  animal  to  that  of  man,  we  fhall  find,  that 
an  infant,  being  commonly  thirty-one  inches 
high,  that  is,  one  half  of  its  height,  at  the  age  of 
two  years,  and  taking  its  full  growth  at  twenty 
years,  the  elephant,  which  grows  till  thirty,  cugh: 
to  acquire  the  half  of  his  height  in  three  years,, 
In  the  fame  manner,  if  we  would  form  a  judg- 
ment of  the  enormous  rnais  of  the  elephant,  we 
fhall  find,  that,  the  volume  of  a  man's  body  being 
fuppofed  to  be  two  cubic  feet  and  a  half,  the 
body  of  an  elephant  of  fourteen  feet  long,  three 
feet  thick,  and  a  proportional  breadth,  would  be 
fifty  times  as  large  ;  and,  confequently,  that  an 
eleohant  ought  to  weigh  as  much  as  fiity  men  *\ 

E  2  «I 

*  Peirere,  in  his  life  of  GaiTendi,  fays,  that  an  elephant, 
which  he  caufed  to  be  weighed,  was  three  thoufand  five  hun- 
dred pounds.    This  elephant  {ecms  to  have  been  very  fmali  i 


63         THE    ELEPHANT. 

I  faw,'  fays  le  P.  Vincent  Marie,  *  fome  ele- 
phants which  were  fourteen  and  fifteen  *  feet 
high,  with  a  proportional  length  and  thicknefs. 
The  male  is  always  larger  than  the  female. 
The  price  of  theie  animals  augments  in  propor- 
tion to  their  irze,  which  is  meafured  from  the 
eye  to  the  extremity  of  the  back,  and,  after  ex- 
ceeding certain  dimenfions,  the  price  rifes  like 
that  of  precious  itones  f .'  '  The  Guiney  ele- 
phants,' Bofman  remarks,  '  are  ten,  twelve,  or 
thirteen  feet  high  J  ;  and  yet  they  are  incom- 
parably fmaller  than  thole  of  the  Eaft  Indies ; 
for  the  hiflorians  of  that  country  give  more 
cubits  to  the  height  of  the  latter  than  the  for- 
mer has  feet  §.'  '  I  faw,'  faid  Edward  Terry, 
elephants  of  thirteen  feet  in  height,  and  many 
people  affirmed,  that  they  had  leen  elephants 
fifteen  feet  high  (].' 
From  theie,"  and  many  other  authorities  which 
might  be  enumerated,  we  may  conclude,  that  the 
ordinary  flature  of  the  elephant  is  from  ten  to 
eleven  feet  ;  that  thofe  of  thirteen  and  fourteen 
are  very  rare  j  and  that  the  fmalleft,  when  they 

acquire 

for,  according  to  the  calculation  I  have  made  in  the  text,  the 
dimenfions  of  which  I  rather  under-rated,  he  would  have  weigh- 
ed at  lead  eight  thoufand  pounds. 

*  Thefe  are  probably  Roman  feet. 

f  Voyage  aux  hides  Orientales  du  P.  Vincent  Marie,  chap. 
ii.  p.  396. 

J  Thefe  are  probably  Rhenifh  feet. 

§  Voyage  en  Guiue'e  de  Guillaume  Bofman,  p.  244. 

||  Voyage  to  the  Eaft  Indies  by  Edward  Terry.  Note.  Thefe 
are  perhaps  Englifh  feet. 


THE     ELEPHANT.         69 

acquire  their  full  growth  in  a  fiate  of  liberty,  are 
at  leaft  nine   feet.     Thefe   enormous  malTes  of 
matter  fail  not,  however,  as  formerly  remarked, 
to  move  with  great   quicknefs.     They  are  fup- 
ported    by   four    members,    which,    initead    of 
legs,  refemble  maffy  columns  of  fifteen  or  eight- 
teen  inches   diameter,  and  from  five  to  fix  feet 
high.     Thefe  legs,   therefore,   are  twice  as  long 
as  thofe  of  a  man.     Hence,  though  the  elephant 
fhould  make  but   one  ltep,  while  a  man  makes 
two,  it  would  outftrip   him   in  the  chafe.     The 
ordinary  walk  of  the   elephant   is   not   quicker 
than  that  of  a  horfe  *;  but,  when  pufhed,  he  af- 
fumes  a  kind  of  amble,  which,  in  ileetnefs,  is  e- 
quivalent  to  a  gallop.  He  performs  with  prompt- 
nefs,  and  even  with  freedom,   all   direct  move- 
ments;    but  he  wants  facility  in  oblique   or   re- 
trograde motions.    It  is  generally  in  narrow  and 
hollow   places,  where  the  elephant   can   hardly 
turn,  that  the  Negroes   attack   him,   and  cut  off 
his  tail,  which  they  value  above   all    the  reft  of 
the  body.     He  has  great  difficulty  in  defcending 
fteep  declivities,  and  is  obliged  to  fold   his  hind 
legs  f ,  that,  in  going  down,  the  anterior  part  of 
his  body  may  be  on   a  level  with  the   pofterior, 
and    to   prevent    being   precipitated  by  his  own 
weight.     He  fwims  well,  though  the  form  of  his 
lees  and  feet  feem  to  indicate  the  contrarv.    But, 

E  3  as 

*  Notes  of  M.   de  Bufly,  communicated  by   the  Marqui 
&.    Montmirail. 

Motes  of  M.  de  Bufl)\ 


yo         THE     ELEPHANT. 

as  the  capacity  of  his  breaft  and  belly  is  large,  as 
the  fize  of  his  lungs  and  inteftines  is  enormous, 
and  as  all  the  great  parts  of  his  body  are  filled 
with  air,  or  matters  lighter  than  water,  he  links 
not  fo  deep  as  other  animals.  He  has,  therefore, 
lefs  refiftence  to  overcome,  and,  confequently,  is 
enabled  to  fvvim  more  quickly  with  imaller  ef- 
forts of  his  limbs.  Of  courfe,  he  is  of  great  uie 
in  the  paiTage  of  1  ivers.  When  employed  on  thefe 
occafions  *,  befide  two  pieces  of  cannon  which' 
admit  three  or  four  pound  balls,  he  is  loaded 
with  great  quantities  of  baggage,  independent 
of  a  number  of  men  fixed  to  his  ears  and  his 
tail.  When  thus  loaded,  he  enters  the  river,  and 
fwims  fo  much  below  the  water  that  no  part  of 
his  body  is  feen  except  his  trunk,  which  he 
raifes  in  the  air  for  the  benefit  of  refpiration. 

Though  the  elephant  generally  feeds  on  herbs 
and  tender  wood,  and  though  prodigious  quan- 
tities of  this  aliment  are  necelTary  to  afford  a 
fufficient  number  of  organic  particles  to  nourifli 
fo  vaft  a  body,  he  has  not  feveral  flomachs,  like 
moft  animals  who  live  on  the  fame  fubftances, 
He  has  but  one  iiomach,  does  not  ruminate,' 
is  formed  rather  like  the  horfe,  than  the  ox 
and  other  ruminating  animals.  The  want  of  a 
paunch  is  fupplied  by  the  largenefs  and  length 
of  his  inteftines,  and  particularly  of  the  colon, 
which  is  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter,  by  fifteen 

■    twenty  in   length.     The   ftomach  is   much 

fmall 

*  Notes  of  M.  de  Buff 


THEE  L  E  P  HA  N  T.         71 

fm-aller  than  the  colon,  being  only  three  and  a 
half  or  four  feet  long,  and  only  one,  or  one  and 
a  half  in  its  largeft  diameter.  To  fill  fuch  ca- 
pacious vends,  it  is  neceiTary  that  the  animal, 
when  not  fnrnifhed  with  nourishment  more  fub- 
ftantial  than  herbage,  mould  eat  almoft  perpe- 
tually. Wild  elephants,  accordingly,  are  almoft 
continually  employed  tearing  up  trees,  gather- 
ing leaves,  and  breaking  young  wood;  and  the 
domeftic  elephants,  though  fupplied  with  great 
quantities  of  rice,  fail  not  to  collect  herbs  when- 
ever they  have  an  opportunity.  However  great 
the  appetite  of  the  elephant,  he  eats  with  mode- 
ration, and  his  talle  for  cleanlinefs  is  fuperior  to 
the  calls  of  hunger.  His  addrefs  in  feparating 
writh  his  trunk  the  good  leaves  from  the  bad, 
and  the  care  which  he  takes  in  making  them  till 
they  are  perfectly  clear  of  infecls  and  land,  af- 
ford great  pleafure  to  the  fpeSator  *.  He  is 
fond  of  wine,  aquavitae,  arrack,  &c.  By  {bow- 
ing him  a  vcfTel  filled  with  any  of  thefe  liquors, 
and  promiling  him  it  as  the  reward  of  his  la- 
bours, he  is  induced  to  exert  the  greater!:  efforts, 
and  to  perform  the  mod  painful  talks.  He 
feems  to  love  the  fmoke  of  tobacco  ;  but  it  ftu- 
pifies  and  intoxicates  him.  He  abhors  all  bad 
imells ;  and  has  fuch  a  terror  at  the  hog,  that 
the  cry  of  that  animal  makes  him  flv  *j\ 

To 

*  Notes  of  M.  de  Bufljr. 

f  The  Verfailles  elephant  had  fach  a  terror  and  aver/Ion 
at  fwine,  that  the  cry  of  a  yo'ing  hog  made  him  fly  to  a  great 
idiftaHce.     This  antipathj 


n        THE     ELEPHANT. 

To  complete  the  idea  of  the  nature  and  in- 
telligence of  this  fingular  animal,  1  mail  here 
add  fome  notes  communicated  to  me  by  the 
Marquis  de  Montmirail,  prefident  of  the  royal 
academy  of  fciences,  who  has  been  fo  obliging 
as  not  only  to  collect,  but  to  tranilate  every- 
thing regarding  quadrupeds  from  fome  Italian 
and  German  books  with  which  I  am  unac- 
quainted. His  zeal  for  the  advancement  of 
knowledge,  his  exquifite  difcernment,  and  his 
extenfive  knowledge  in  natural  hiftory,  entitle 
him  to  the  highefl  marks  of  diftinction  •,  and 
the  reader  will  find  how  often  I  mail  have  oc- 
cafion  to  quote  him  in  the  fubfequent  parts  of 
this  work.  *  The  elephant  is  uied  in  dragging 
:  artillery  over  mountains  ;  and  it  is  on  fuch 
'  occafions  that  his  fagacity  is  moil  confpicuous. 
'  When  the  oxen,  yoked  to  a  cannon,  make  an 
1  effort  to  pull  it  up  a  declivity,  the  elephant 
'  pumes  the  breach  with  his  front,  and,  at  each 
>  effort,  he  mpports  the  carriage  with  his  knee, 
•  which  he  places  againft  the  wheel.  He  feems 
'  to  understand  what  is  laid  to  him.  When  his 
1  conductor  wants  him  to  execute  any  painful 
labour,  lie  explains  the  nature  of  the  opera- 
tion, and  recites  the  reafons  which  ought  to. 
induce  him  to  obey.  If  the  elephant  mows  a 
:  repugnance  to  what  is  exacted  of  him,  the 
Gprnacki  which  is  the  name  of- the  conductor, 
v  promifes  to  give  him  arrack,  or  fome  other 
\  thing  that  he  likes.      But  it  is  extremely  dan- 


i 

-; 


6  gexous 


THE    ELEPHANT.  73 

K  gerous  to  break  any  promife  that  is  made  to 
'  him :  Many  cornacks  have  fallen  victims  to  in- 
c  difcretions  of  this  kind.  On  this  fubject,  a  fad, 
c  which  happened  at  Decan,  deferves  to  be  re- 
'  lated,  and,  though  it  has  the  appearance  of  in- 
(  credibility,  it  is,  notwithstanding,  perfectly  true. 

*  An  elephant  out  of  revenge  killed  his  cornack. 

*  The    man's    wife    who    beheld   the    dreadful 

*  fcene,  took  her  two  infants  and  threw  them  at 
'the  feet  of  the  enraged  animal,  faying,  Since 
(  you  have  /Iain  my  hu/band,  take  my  life  alfo,  as 
4  ivcll  as  that  of  my  children.    The  elephant  in- 

*  ftantly  flopped,  relented,  and,  as  if  thing  with 
'  remorfe,  took  the  deleft  boy  in  its  trunk, 
'  placed  him  on  its  neck,  adopted  him  for  its 
i  cornack,  and  would  never  allow  any  other 
'  perfon  to  mount  it. 

'  If  the  elephant  is  vindictive,  he   is  not  tin- 

*  grateful.  A  foldier  at  Pondicherry  was  accu- 
'  domed  to  give  a   certain  quantity  of  arrack  to 

*  one  of  thefe  animals  every  time  he  got  his  pay  ; 

*  and,  having  one  day  intoxicated  himfelf,  and, 

*  being  purfued  by  the  guard,  who  wanted  to 
4  put  him  in  prifon,  he  took  refuge  under  the 
'  elephant,  and  fell  faft  aileep.  The  guard  in 
'  vain  attempted  to  drag  him  from  this  afiylurn; 
'  for  the  elephant  defended  him  with  its  trunk. 
4  Next  day  the  foldier  having  recovered  from 
:  his  intoxication,  was  in  dreadful  apprehenfions 

when  he  found  himfelf  under  the  belly  of  an 
:  animal  fo    enormous.     The   elephant,    which 

1  unqueftion- 


7+ 


THE    ELEPHANT. 


1  unqueftionably  perceived   his  terror,  careffed 

*  him  with  its  trunk. 

*  The    elephant    is  fometimes    feized   with  a 
4  kind  of  madnefs,    which    deprives  him  of  all 
'  trattability,  and    renders   him   (o    formidable, 
1  that    it  is  often  necefiary   to   kill    him.     The 

*  people  try  to  bind  him  with  large  iron 
1  chains,  in  the  hope  of  reclaiming  him. 
c  But,  when    in  his   ordinary  ftate,  the  moft  a- 

*  cute  pains  will  not  provoke  him  to  hurt  thofe 
'  who    have  never  injured  him.     An  elephant, 

*  rendered  furious  by  the   wounds  it  had   recei- 

*  ved  at  the  battle  of  Hambour,  ran  about  the 
6  field  making  the  moft  hideous  cries.  A  foldier, 

*  notwithstanding  the  alarms  of  his  comrades, 
'  was  unable,  perhaps  on  account  of  his  wounds, 

*  to  fly.      The   elephant  approached,   feemed  a- 

*  fraid  of  trampling  him  under  his  feet,  took  him 

*  up  with  its  trunk,  placed  him  gently  on  his 
4  fide,  and  continued  its  route/ 

Thefe  notes  I  have  tranferibed  verbatim. 
They  were  communicated  to  th.- Marquis  de 
Montmirail  by  M.  de  BuiTy,  who  reiided  ten 
years  in  India,  and  performed  many  important 
iervices  to  the  ftate.  He  had  feveral  elephants 
under  his  own  charge,  often  rode  upon  them, 
and  had  daily  opportunities  of  obferving  many 
others,  which  belonged  to  his  neighbours.  Hence 
thefe  notes,  as  well  as  all  the  others  quoted  un- 
der the  name  of  M.  de  Bully,  merit  every  de- 
gree   of  credit.     The  members   of  the    Royal 

Academy 


THE    ELEPHANT.  7S 

Academy  of  Sciences  have  alfo  left  us  fome  fads 
which  they  learned  from  thofe  who  had  the 
management  of  the  elephant  at  Verfailles,  and 
which  deferve  a  place  in  this  work.     '  The  ele- 

*  phant  feemed  to  know  when  it  was  mocked 
1  by  any  perfon;  and  remembered  the  affront 
4  till  an  opportunity  of  revenge  occurred.  A 
4  man  deceived  it,  by  pretending  to  throw  fome- 
'  thing  into  his    mouth  :    The  animal  gave  him 

*  fuch    a  blow    with  its  trunk    as    knocked   him 

*  down,  and  broke  two  of  his  ribs.   After  which, 

*  it  trampled  on  him  with  its  feet,  broke  one  of 
'  his  legs,  and  bending  down  on  its  knees,  en- 
'  deavoured  to  pulh  its  tulks  into  his  belly  ;  but 
'  they  luckily  run  into  the  ground  on  each  fide 
'  of  his  thigh,  without  doing  him    any  injury. 

*  A  painter  wanted  to  draw  the  animal  in  an 
4  unufual  attitude,  with  its  trunk   elevated,  and 

*  its   mouth    open.     The    painter's    fervant,    to 

*  make  it  remain  in  this  pofition,  threw  fruits 
4  into  its    mouth,    but   generally    made  only    a 

*  faint  of  throwing  them.  The  elephant  was 
4  enraged,    and,  as   if  it  knew  that   the  painter 

*  was  the  caufe  of  this  tcazing  impertinence,  in- 
'  ftead  of  attacking  the.  fervant,  it  eyed  the 
1  mailer,  and  {quirted  at  him  fuch  a  quantity  of 
4  water  from  its  trunk  as  fpoiled  the  paper  on 
c  which  he  was  drawing. 

4  This  elephant  generally  made  lefs  ufe  of  its 
c  ftrength  than  its  addrels.  With  great  eafe 
■  and   coolnefs,  it  loofed  the  buckle  of  a   large 

4  double 


76        THE     ELEPHANT. 

double  leathern  {trap,  with  which  its  leg  was 
fixed  ;  and,  as  the  domeftics  had  wrapt  the 
buckle  round  with  a  imall  cord,  and  tied  many- 
knots  on  it,  the  creature  deliberately  loofed 
the  whole,  without  breaking  either  the  cord 
or  the  ftrap.  One  night,  after  difengaging  itfelf 
in  this  manner  from  its  ftrap,  it  broke  up  the 
door  of  its  lodge  with  fuch  dexterity  as  not  to 
waken  the  keeper.  From  thence  it  went  into 
feveral  courts  of  the  menagery,  forcing  open 
doors,  and  throwing  down  the  walls  when  the 
doors  were  too  narrow  to  let  it  pais.  In  this 
manner  it  got  accefs  to  the  apartments  of  o- 
ther  animals,  and  fo  terrified  them,  that  they 
fled  into  the  moit  retired  corners  of  the  inclo- 
fure.' 

In  fine,  that  nothing  may  be  omitted  which 
can  contribute  to  throw  light  upon  the  na- 
tural and  acquired  faculties  of  an  animal  fo 
fuperior  to  all  others,  we  ihall  add  fome  fads, 
extracted  from  the  moft  refpectable  and  unfu- 
ipicious  travellers. 

1  Even  the  wild  elephant,'  fays'le  P.  Vincent 
'Marie,  '  has  his  virtues.  He,  is  generous  and 
'  temperate  ;  and,  when  rendered  domeftic,  he 
€  is  efteemed  for  gentlenefs  and  fidelity  to  his 
'  matter,  friendship  to  his  governour,  &c.  If 
e  deftined  to  the  immediate  fervice  of  Princes, 
*  he  recognifes  his  good  fortune,  and  maintains 
;  a  gravity   of  demeanour  correfponding  to  the 

'  dignity 


THE    ELEPHANT.         77 

dignity  of  his  office.  If,  on  the  contrary,  lefs 
honourable  labours  are  affigned  ro  him,  he 
turns  melancholy,  frets,  and  evidently  difco- 
vers  that  he  is  humbled  and  depreffed.  In 
war,  during  the  firft  onfet,  he  is  fiery  and 
impetuous.  When  furrounded  with  hunters, 
he  is  equally  brave.  But,  after  being  van- 
quished, he  lofes  all  courage.  He  fights  with 
his  tufks,  and  dreads  nothing  fo  much  as  to 
lofe  his  trunk,  which,  from  its  confiftence,    is 

eafily  cut I  fhall  only  add,  that  the 

elephant  is  mild,  attacks  no  perfon  without 
being  injured,  feems  to  love  fociety,  is  parti- 
cularly fond  of  children,  whom  he  careflfes, 
and  appears  to  difcern  the  innocence   of  their 


manners.' 


'  The  elephant,'  fays  Pyrard  *,  '  is  an  animal 
of  fo  much  knowledge  and  judgment,  that, 
befide  his  infinite  utility  to  man,  he  may  be 
faid  to  enjoy  a  certain  portion  of  reafon.  When 
about  to  be  ridden,  he  is  fo  obedient  and  well 
trained,  that  he  accommodates  his  behaviour 
to  the  quality  of  the  perfon  he  ferves.  He 
bends  down,  and  affifts   his    matter   to  mount 

with  his  trunk He  is  fo  tradable,  that 

he  will  perforin  any  thing  that  is  required  of 
him,  provided  he  be  treated  with  gentlenefs. .  , 
He  does  every  thing  he  is  defired,  carefTes 
thofe  who  ride  on  him,'  <3cc, 

'By 

r  Voyage  de  Frar^ois  Pvrard,  torn.  2.  p-  366. 


jS         THE     ELEPHANT. 

'  By  giving  elephants,'  fay  the  Dutch  voya- 
gers *,   '  whatever  is  agreeable  to   them,  they 
are  loon  rendered  as   tame   and   fubmifliVe   as 
men.     They  may  be  faid  to  be  deprived  of  the 

ufe  of  language  only They  are  proud 

and  ambitious ;  but  they  are  fo  grateful  for  be- 
nefits received,  that,  as  a  mark  of  refpect,  they 
bow  their  heads  in   paffing  the   houfes   where 

they  have  been  hofpitably  received They 

allow  thernfelves  to  be  led  and  commanded  by 
a  child  t;  but  they  love  to  be  praifed  and  ca- 
refled.  They  quickly  feel  an  injury  or  an  af- 
front; and  the  guilty  perfon  fhould  be  on  his 
guard;  for  he  may  reckon  himfelf  happy  if 
they  content  thernfelves  with  fquirting  water 
upon  him  with  their  trunks,  or  limply  throw- 
ing him  into  a  mire.' 

*  The  elephant,'  P.Philippe  remarks  J, c  makes, 
a  near  approach  to  the  judgment  and  reaibning 
of  man.  When  compared  with  the  apes,  they 
appear  to  be  ftupid  and  brutal  animals.  The 
elephants  are  i'o  extremely  modeft ,  that  they 
will  not  copulate  in  the  prefence  of  any  per- 
fon; and  if,  by  accident,  any  man  perceives 
this  operation,  they  infallibly  relent  it,  &c.  .  . . 
Their  falute  is  performed  by  bending  the 
knees,  and  lowering  the  head;  and,  when  their 

1  mailer 

*  Voyage  de  la  Conipagine  des  Indesdc  Kollanda,  torn.  r. 

P-  4X3- 

•j-  Idem,  torn.  -j.  p.  31. 

%  Voyage  d'Oricnt  du  P.  Philippe  de  la  Tres-Sainte-Tri- 
nite,  p.  366. 


THE     ELEPHANT.         79 

€  matter  wants  to  mount  them,  they  am  ft  him 
with  great  dexterity.  When  a  wild  elephant 
is  taken,  the  hunters  tie  his  feet,  and  one  ac- 
cofts  and  falutes  him,  makes  apologies  for 
binding  him,  protefts  that  no  injury  is  meant, 
tells  him,  that,  in  his  former  condition,  he  of- 
ten wanted  food,  but  that,  henceforward,  he 
fhall  be  well  treated,  and  that  every  promife 
fhall  be  performed  to  him,  &c.  The  hunter 
no  fooner  finifhes  this  Toothing  harangue,  than 
the  elephant  follows  him  like  a  tamed  lamb. 
We  mufl  not,  however,  conclude  from  hence, 
that  the  elephant  underftands  language,  but 
only,  that,  having  a  very  ftrong  difcerning 
faculty,  he  dift inguifhes  efteem  from  contempt, 
friendfhip  from  hatred,  and  all  the  other  emo- 
tions which  men  exhibit  to  him  ;  and  for  this 
reafon  he  is  more   eafily  tamed   by  arguments 

than  by  blows With  his  trunk  he 

throws  ilones  very  far,  and  very  ftraight,  and 
alfo  ufes  it  for  pouring  water  on  his  body  when 
bathing.' 

4  Of  five  elephants/  Tavernier  remarks  f, 
which  the  hunters  had  taken,  three  efcaped, 
though  ropes  and  chains  were  thrown  round 
their  bodies  and  limbs.  The  natives  told  us 
the  following  moft  ailonifhing  ftoiy,  if  it  could 
be  credited.  When  an  elephant,  they  laid, 
has  once  been  caught  in  a  pitfall,  and  efcapes 
from  the  fnare,   he   becomes   extremely  diffi- 

*  dent, 

*  Voyage  de  Tavernier,  torn.  3.  p,  233. 


So        THE    ELEPHANT, 

tient,  breaks  off  a  large  brancli  with  his  trunk,' 
and  ftrikes  the  ground  every  where  before  he 
fets  down  his  feet,  in  order  to  difcover  by  the 
found  whether  there  are  any  concealed  holes 
by  which  he  may  be  entrapped  a  fecond  time. 
For  this  reafon,  the  hunters  who  related  this 
ftory  delpaired  of  being  able,  without  much 
difficulty,  to  retake  the  three  elephants   which 

had  made  their  efcape Each  of  the 

two   elephants   which   had   been    feized   were 
placed  between  two  tame  ones,  and  furround- 
ed   by  fix    men   with    burning    torches,  who 
fpoke  to  the  animals,  and,  prefenting  food  to 
them,  faid,  in  their  language,  take  this  and  cat 
it.     The  food  confided  of  fmall   bunches   of 
hay,    pieces   of  black   fugar,    and   boiled   rice 
mixed  with  pepper.     When  the  wild  elephant 
refilled  to  do  what  he  was   ordered,  the  men 
ordered  the  tame  elephants  to  beat  him,  which 
they  performed,  the  one  ftriking   him    on  the 
front  and  head,  and,  if  the  captive  animal  at- 
tempted to   defend    himfelf,  the    other    {truck 
him  on  the  fide ;  fo  that  the  poor  creature  knew 
not  where  he  was,  and  foon  found  himfelf  o- 
bliged  to  obey.' 
4  I   have  frequently  remarked,'  fays  Edward 
Terry  *,  '  that  the  elephant  performs  many  ac- 
4  tions  which  feem  to  proceed  more  from    rea- 

*  fon  than  from  inftinct.     He  does  every  thing 

*  that  his  mailer  commands  :  If  he  wants  to  ter-< 

1  rif> 

*  Voyage  to  the  Eaft  Indies,  by  Edward  Terry,  p.  15. 


'?  H  E     ELEPHANT.  St 

*  rify  any  perfon,  he  runs  upon  him  with  every 

*  appearance  of  fury,  and,  when  he  comes  near- 

*  (lops   ihort,   without  doing   him   the  fmalleft 

*  injury.     When   the   mailer  choofes  to  affront 

*  any  man,  he  tells  the  elephant,  who  collects 
s  water  and  mud  with  his  trunk,  and  fquirts  it 
1  upon  the  object  pointed  out  to  him.  The 
c  trunk  is  compofed  of  cartilage,  hangs  between 

*  the  tuiksi  and  is  by  fome  called  his  hand,  be- 

*  caufe,  on  many  occahons,  it  anfwers  the  fame 
'  purpofes  as  the  human  hand.  .  .  .  The  Mogul 

*  keeps  fome  elephants  who  (c:\c  as  execution- 

*  ers  to  criminals  condemned  to   death;     When 

*  the  conductor  orders  one  of  thele  animals  td 
4  defpatch  the  poor  criminals  quickly,  he  tears 

*  them  ro  pieces  in  a  moment  with  his  feet. 
4  But,   if  denied  to   torment  them    flowiy,  he 

*  breaks    their    bones     one    after    another,   and 

*  makes  them  fuller  a  pimifhment  as  cruel  as! 
4  that  of  the  wheel.' 

We  might  quote  many  other  facts  equally 
curious  and  interefting.  But  we  mould  loon 
exceed  the  limits  we  have  prefcrfbed  to  ouffelves! 
in  this  work.  We  fhould  not  even  have  giveri 
fo  long  a  detail,  if  the  elephant  had  not  been, 
in  many  refpects,  the  chief  animal  in  the  brute 
creation,  and  who,-  of  courfe,  merited  the  great- 
ell  attention. 

Mr  Daubentori    has   made   feveral  ufefiil  re- 
marks on  the  nature  and  qualities  of  ivory,  a 
has  reltored  to    the  elephant  -thole    prodigious 
\tql.  VI.  F  ii 


82         THE    ELEPHANT. 

tufks  and  bones  which  have  been  attributed  to 
the  mammouth.  1  acknowledge  that  I  was  long 
doubtful  with  regard  to  this  point.  1  had  often 
compared  thefe  enormous  bones  with  the  fkele- 
ton  of  nearly  a  full  grown  elephant  preferved  in 
the  Royal  Cabinet  :  And,  as  before  compofing 
their  hiflory,  I  could  not  perfuade  my  ("elf  that 
there  exifled  elephants  fix  or  feven  times  larger 
than  the  one  whole  fkelcton  I  had  fo  often  ex- 
amined, and,  as  the  large  bones  had  not  the 
fame  proportions  with  the  correfponding  bones 
cf  the  elephant,  I  believed,  with  the  generality 
of  naturalifts,  that  thefe  huge  bones  belonged  to 
a  much  larger  animal,  the  fpecies  of  which  had 
been  loft  or  annihilated.  But  it  is  certain,  from 
the  fads  formerly  mentioned,  that  there  are  ele- 
phants fourteen  feet  high,  and,  confequentiy, 
(as  the  mafles  are  as  the  cubes  of  the  height),  fix 
or  feven  times  larger  than  that  whole  fkeleton 
is  in  the  Royal  Cabinet,  and  which  was  not  a- 
bove  feven,  or  feven  and  a  half  feet  high.  It  is 
likewife  certain,  that  age  changes  the  propor- 
tions of  bones,  and  that  adult  animals  grow  con-, 
fiderably  thicker,  though  their  ftature  does  not 
increafe.  In  fine,  it  is  certain,  from  the  teftimo- 
nies  of  travellers,  that  there  are  elephants  tufks, 
each  of  which  weighs  more  than  a  hundred  and 
twenty  pounds  *.  From  all  thefe  fads,  it  is  ap- 
parent, 

*  Mr  Eden  informs  us,  that  he  meafured  feveral  elephants 
tufks,  which  he  found  to  be  nine  feet  long ;  that  others  were 

as 


THfe     ELEPHANT.  83 

1 

parent,  that  the  prodigious  bones  and  tufks  a- 
bove  taken  notice  of,  are  really  the  tufks  and 
bones  of  the  elephant.  Sir  Hans  Sloane  *  fays 
the  fame  thing  ;  but  brings  no  proof  of  the  fa£t. 
M.  Gmelin  affirms  it  ftill  more  pofitively  1\  anc* 

F  2  gives 

as  thick  as  a  man's  thigh  ;  and  that  force  of  them  weighed 
ninety  pounds.  It  is  laid,  that,  in  Africa,  fome  tufks  have 
been  found,  each  of  which  weighed  a  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  pounds The   Engliih  voyagers  brought  from 

Guiney  the  head  of  an  elephant,  which  Mr  Eden  faw  in  the 
polfeflion  of  Mr  Judde  :  It  was  fo  large,  that  the  bones  and 
cranium  alone,  without  including  the  tufks,  weighed  about 
two  hundred  pounds  ;  from  which  it  was  computed,  that  the 
whole  parts  of  the  head,  taken  in  their  entire  flate,  would  have 
weighed  five  hundred  pounds  ;  Htji.  gen,  dei  voyages,  ion/,  i. 
p.  223. — Lopes  amufed  himfelf  in  weighing  feveral  tufks  of 
the  elephant,  each  of  which  amounted  to  about  two  hundred 
pounds  ;  Idem,  /;;//.  5.  p.  79. — The  magnitude  of  elephants 
may  be  eftimated  by  their  tufks,  fome  of  which  have  been 
found  to  weigh  two  hundred  pounds  ;  Drake*  s  voyage,  p.  104. 

In   the   kingdom    of    Loango,    I  purchafed   two  tufks, 

which  belonged  to  the  fame  animal,  and  each  of  them  weighed 
a  hundred  and  twenty  fix  pounds  ;    Voyage  de  la  Govipagnie  des 

hides  de  Hollande,  torn.  4.  p.  319. At  the   Cape  of  Good 

Fope,  the  elephant's  teeth  are  very  large,  and  weigh  from 
fixty  to  a  hundred  pounds  ;  Defcript.  du  Cup.  de  Bonne-efperatice, 
par  Kobe,  torn.  3.  p.  12. 

*  Kilt  del' Acad,  des  Sciences,  annce  1727,  p.  1. 

j  In  Siberia,  there  are  prodigious  quantities  of  bones  found 
in  different  places  under  the  ground.  This  part  of  natural 
hiftory  is  both  curious  and  important  :  I  have  therefore  col* 
leered  ail  the  facls  I  could  learn  upon  this  fubjecl.  Peter  the 
Great,  who  was  a  patron  of  haturalifts,  gave  orders  to  his 
filbjeefs,  in  the  year  1722,  that,  wherever  any  bones  of  the 
mammoutk  were  difcovered,  the  other  bones  belonging  to  the 
animal  mould  be  diligently  follght  for,  and  the  whole  fent  to 
Pcterfburg.     Thefe  orders  were  publifhed  in  all  the  towns  of 

Siberia, 


$4        THE     ELEPHANT. 

gives  Tome  curious  facts  on   the  fubjecT:,    which 
ilelerve  to  he  here  related.     But  M.  Daubenton 

appears 

Siberia,  and,  among  others,  in  Jakut/.k,  where,  after  this  pu- 
tlicatibn,  a  Slufchewoi,  called  WaTilei  Oltafow,  entered  into  a 
written  obligation  before  Michaele  Petrowitfch  Ifmailow,  cap- 
tain-lieutenant of  the  guard,  and  Woywode  of  the  place,  to 
travel  into  the  interior  cantons  of  Lena,  in  order  to  fearch  for 
the  bones  of  the  mammouth  ;  and  he  was  defpatched  thither 
on  the  23d  of  April  the  fame  year.  The  following  year,  ano- 
ther addrefled  the  Chancery  of  jakutzk,  and  reprefented,  thai- 
he  had  travelled  along  with  his  ion  toward  the  fea,  in  quell  of 
the  bones  of  the  mammouth,  and  that,  oppolite  to  Surjatoi 
Nofs,  about  two  hundred  verfts  from  that  place  and  the  fea,  he 
found,  in  a  turfy  foil,  which  is  common  in  thefe  diftricts,  the 
head  of  a  mammouth,  with  one  of  the  horns  adhering  to  it  ; 
and  in  the  neighbourhood  there  was  another  hoin  of  the  lame 
animal,  which  had  probably  fallen  off  while  the  creature  was 
alive  ;  that,  at  a  little  diflance,  they  drew  out  of  the  earth  ano- 
ther head,  with  the  horns,  of  an  unknown  animal  ;  that  this. 
head  refembled  that  of  an  ox,  only  it  had  horns  above  its  nofe  ; 
that,  on  account  of  an  accident  which  befel  .his  eyes,  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  thefe  heads  where  they  were  ;  and  that,  ha- 
ving heard  of  his  Majeity's  orders,  h<-  now  begged  to  be  fent 
off  with  his  ion  toward  Vit-junfkoje,  Simowie,  and  the  fea.  His 
demani  I  was  complied  with,  and  they  were  inilantly  defpatched. 
A  third  Siufchewoi  of  Jakutzk  reprefented  to  the  chancery,  in 
1724,  that  he  made  a  voyage  on  the  river  Jeion  ;  that  he  was 
happy  enough  to  difcover,  in  a  fteep  bank  of  this  river,  a  freih 
head  of  the  mammouth,  with  the  horn  and  all  its  parts  ;  that 
he  drew  it  out  of  the  earth,  and  left  it  where  he  could  find  it 
again  ;  and  that  lie  begged  to  be  fent  off  with  two  men  accu- 
itcmed  to  filch  refearches.  The  woywode  accordingly  confent- 
ed.  The  Co'fTack  foon  after  fet  out  on  his  journey,  and  found 
the  head,  and  all  its  parts,  except  the  horns  ;  tor  there  re- 
mained only  the  half  of  one  horn,  which  he  brought,  along 
with  the  head,  to  the  chancery  of  Jakutzk.  Some  time  after, 
t  two  horns  of  the  mammouth,  which  he  aifo  found 
on  the  river  Tefon. 

The 


THE     ELEPHANT.  85 

appearsito  be  the  firft  who  has  put  the  matter 
beyond   all    doubt,    by    accurate    menfurations, 

F  3  exact 

The  Coffacks  of  Jakutzk  were  extremely  happy  to  find,  un- 
der the  pretext  of  going  in  quell:  of  the  bones  of  the  mammouth, 
an  opportunity  of  making  fuch  agreeable  voyages.  They  were 
furniihed  with  five  or  fix  poll  horfes,  when  one  would  have  been 
iufficient,  and  they  could  employ  the  reft  in  carrying  various 
articles  of  merchandize.  Such  an  advantage  was  a  great  en- 
couragement to  adventiner.5 A  Coifack  of  Jakutzk, 

called  jfivanfeljiuy  petitioned  the  Chancery  to  be  feat  to  the 
thmowies  of  Alafeifch  and  Kowymifch,  in  quell  of  thefe  kind 
of  bones,  and  of  true  cryftal.  He  had  already  lbjourned  in 
thefe  places,  had  collected  many  curious  objeds,  and  aclually 
fent  to  Jakutzk  fome  of  thefe  bones.  Nothing  feemed  more 
important  than  this  expedition  ;  and  the  Coffack  was  defpatch- 
ed  on  the  21ft  day  of  April  1725. 

Nafar-Kolefchow,  commiflary  of  Indigirfk,  in  the  year  172-,, 
fent  to  Jakutzk,  and  from  that  to  Irkutzk,  the  bones  of  a  fin- 
gular  head,  which,  according  to  my  information,  was  two 
arfchines,  bating  three  werfchok,  in  length,  one  arfchine  high, 
and  armed  with  two  horns  and  a  tufk  of  the  mammouth.  This 
head  arrived  at  Irkutzk  on  the  14th  day  of  Oclober  1723  • 
and  I  found  the  hiftory  of  it  in  the  chancery  of  that  town.  I 
was  alfo  allured,  that  the  fame  man  afterwards  fent  a  horn  of 
the  mammouth. 

Thefe  Facts,  collected  from  differeut  fburces,  regard,  in  ae~ 
neral,  the  fame  fpecies  of  bones,  namely,  1.  All  the  bones  in. 
the  Imperial  cabinet  of  Petersburg,  under  the  name  of  M 
mouth  bones^  will  he  found,  upon  examinatioTi,  to  have  a  perfett  rp- 
femhlance  to  ihofe  of  the  elefnwt.  2.  From  what  has  been  above 
related,  it  appears,  that  there  have  been  found  in  the  earth, 
heads  of  an  animal  totally  different  from  an  elephant,  and 
.which,  particularly  in  the  figure  of  the  horns,  refembled  the 
head  of  an  ox  more  than  that  of  an  elephant.  Belldes,  this 
animal  could  not  be  fo  large  as  an  elephant;  and  I  have  fcen 
a  head  of  it  at  Jakutzk,  which  had  been  fent  from  Anadir- 
fkoi-Oftrog,  and  was,  according  to  my  information,  perfectly 
fimilar  to  that  found  by  Po'ftn-iagin.      I  nn  T.if  had  one  frorh 

riafhiko?. 


86         THE    ELEPHANT. 

exaS:  comparifons,  and  reafonings  derived  from 

the 

Ilainfkoi-Oftrog,  which  I  fent  to  the  Imperial  cabinet  at  Pe- 
tcrfburgh.  In  tine,  I  learned,  that,  on  the  bunks  of  Nifchnaja- 
Tungiifka,  fimilar  heads  are  not  only  found  every  where  difper- 
fed,  butlikcwife  other  bones  which  unqueftionably  belong  not  to 
the  elephant,  fuch  as  moulder  bones,  o!fa  facra,  ofTa  innominata* 
hip-bones,  and  leg  bones,  which  probably  belonged  to  the  fame 
animal  to  which  the  above  head  ought  to  be  attributed,  and 
Which  ihould  by  no  means  be  excluded  from  the  ox  kind.  I 
have  feen  leg  and  hip-bones  of  this  fpecies,  concerning  which 
I  have  nothing  particular  to  remark,  except  that  they  ap- 
peared to  be  extremely  fhort  in  proportion  to  their  thicknefs. 
Tims  in  Siberia,  two  kinds  of  bones  are  found  in  the  earth, 
of  which  none  were  formerly  eftecmed,  but  thofe  which  per- 
fect:])- reiembled  the  tulles  cf  the  elephant.  But,  after  the  Im- 
perial order,  the  whole  began  to  be  examined  ;  and,  as  the 
fir  ft  gave  rife  to  the  fable  of  the  mammouth,  the  laft  have 
alfo  been  indifcriminately  ranked  under  the  fame  clafs.  Nei- 
ther muil  we  believe,  with  Ifbrand-Ides,  and  the  followers  of 
his  reveries,  that  it  is  only  in  the  mountains  which  extend  from 
the  river  Ivet  to  the  North-eaft,  and,  confequently,  likewife 
in  the  environs  ofMangafca  and  Jakut/.k,  where  the  elephants 
bones  are  to  be  found  :  For  they  appear  not  only  through  all 
Siberia,  not  excepting  its  moil  fouthern  diftricls,  as  in  the  fupe- 
rior  cantons  of  the  Irtifch,  Toms,  and  Lena,  but  are  difperfed 
in  different  parts  of  Ruffia,  and  even  in  many  places  of  Ger- 
many, where  they  are  called,  with  much  propriety,  by  the 
name  of  JoJJil  Ivory  ;  for  they  have  a  perfect  refemblance  to  e- 
lephants  teeth,  except  that  they  are  in  a  corrupted  ftate.  In 
temperate  climate?,  thefe  teeth  are  foftened  and  converted 
into  foflil  ivory  ;  but,  in  countries  frequently  frozen,  they  are 
generally  found  very  frefh.  From  this  circumftance,  the  fable, 
that  thefe  and  other  bones  are  often  found  befmeared  with 
blood,  might  eafily  arife.  This  fable  has  been  gravely  related 
by  Ifbrand-Ides,  and,  after  him, by  Muller,  (Moeurs  et  ufages 
des  Oftiaques,  dans le Recited  des  Voyages  au  Nord,  p.  382.)  who 
have  been  copied  by  others  with  equal  confidence  as  if  there 
had  been  no  room  for  doubt :  And  as  one  fiction  begets  an- 
other, the  blood  pretended  to  be  found   on  thefe  bones  has 

produced 


THE    ELEPHANT.        8? 

the  extenfive  knowledge  he  has  acquired  in  the 
fcience  of  comparative  anatomy. 

SUP- 

produced  the  notion,  that  the  mammouth  is  an  animal  which 
Jives  in  Siberia  below  the  ground,  where  it  fometimes  dies, 
and  is  buried  under  the  rubbifh.  Ail  this  has  been  in- 
vented with  the  view  to  account  for  the  blood  pretended  to  be 
found  on  thefe  bones.  Muller  gives  a  defcription  of  the  mam- 
mouth.  This  animal,  fays  he,  is  four  or  five  yards  high,  and 
about  thirty  feet  long.  His  colour  is  grayiih  ;  his  head  is  very- 
long,  and  his  front  very  broad.  On  each  fide,  precifely  under 
the  eyes,  there  are  two  horns,  which  he  can  move  and  crofs 
at  pleafure.  In  walking,  he  has  the  power  of  extending  and 
contracting  his  body  to  a  great  degree.  His  paws,  in  thick- 
nefs,  refemble  thofe  of  the  bear.  Iibrandes-Ides  is  candid 
enough  to  acknowledge,  that  he  never   knew  any  perfon  who 

had  feen   the  mammouth    alive The  heads  and 

other  bones,  which  correfpond  with  thofe  of  the  elephant,  un- 
queftionably  once  conftituted  real  parts  of  that  animal.  To 
this  abundance  of  elephants  bones  we  cannot  refufe  our  af- 
fent  ;  and  I  prefume,  that  the  elephants,  to  avoid  deilrucuon 
in  the  great  revolutions  which  have  happened  in  the  earth, 
have  been  driven  from  their  native  country,  and  difperfed 
themfelves  wherever  they  could  rind  lafety.  Their  lot  has 
been  different.  Some  longer,  and  others  lhorter  after  their 
death,  have  been  tranfported  to  great  diftances  by  fome  vaft  in- 
undation. Thofe,  on  the  contrary,  who  furvived,  and  wan- 
dered far  to  the  North,  muft  neceffarily  have  fallen  victims  to 
the  rigours  of  the  climate.  Others,  without  reaching  fo  great 
a  difiance,  might  be  drowned,  or  perifn  with  fatigue.  .  .  .  .• 
The  largenefs  of  thefe  bones  ought  not  to  aftonilh  us.  The 
tufks  are  fometimes  four  arfchincs  long,  and  fix  inches  in  diame- 
ter, (M.  de  Strahlenberg  fays  they  have  been  £esn  nine  inches 
in  diameter,)  and  the  largeii.  weigh  from  fix  to  feven  puds.  I 
mentioned,  in  another  place,  that  frefh  tuiks  have  been  taken 
from  the  elephant,  which  were  ten  feet  long,  and  weighed  a 
hundred,  a  hundred  and  forty-fix,  a  hundred  and  fixty,  and  a 
hundred  and  fixty  eight  pounds.  ,  .  .  .  .  There  are  pieces 
of  fofiil   ivory   which  are  yellowifh,    or  grow  yellow  in   the 

courfe 


88         THE     ELEPHANT. 


SUPPLEMENT. 


From  comparing  the  male  and  female  ele- 
phants, the  former  of  which  we  faw  in  the  year 
1 77 1,  and  the  latter  in  1773,  it  appears,  that,  in 
general,  the  parts  of  the  female  are  grofTcr  and 
snore  flelhy.  Her  ears,  indeed,  are  proportion- 
ally fmaller  than  thofe  of  the  male  :  But  her 
body  is  more  fwollen,  her  head  larger,  and  her 
members  more  rounded. 

Like  all  other  animals,  the  female  elephant  is 
more  gentle  than  the  male.  Our  female  even 
carefTed  people  with  whom  (he  was  unacquaint- 
ed. But  the  male  is  often  formidable:  The  one 
we  faw  in  1771  was  fiercer,  lefs  affectionate,  and 

more 

courfe  of  time  ;  others  are  brown  like  coccoa  nuts,  and 
more  luftrous  ;  and  others  are  of  a  blackifli  blue  colour.  The 
tufks  which  have  not  been  much  affected  with  the  froft  in  the. 
th,  ai  1  have  remained  feme  time  expofed  to  the  air,  are. 
fubjecl  to  become  more  or  lefs  yellow  or  brown,  and  aflame, 
other  colours,  according  to  thefpecies  of  humidity  with  which, 
the  air  is  impregnated.  M.  dc  Strahlenberg  alfo  remarks,  that 
pieces  of  theie  corrupted  teeth  are  fometimes  of  a  bluifli  black 

colour For  the  intereil  of  natural  hiitorv,  it  were  to 

be   wifhed,  that,   with  regard  to.  the  other  bones  found  in   Si- 
beria, we  knew  the  animal  to  which  they  belong  ;  but  there  is. 
:  hope  of  accornpliflung  this  purpofe  ;  Relation  d'uf:  -voyage  a, 
hatka,  par  M,  Gi/ielin,  imprime,  en  1735  a  Petcrfjourg,    en. 
.     The  translation  of  this  article  was  firft  comma,  ■ 
ited  to  me  by  hi.  de  1'Iile,  of  the  academy  of  fciences,  a:ii 
'    by  the  Maj  ie  Montmirail. 


THE     ELEPHANT.  Sq 

more  ungovernable  than  this  female.  In  a  ftate 
of  repofe,  the  genitals  of  the  male  appear  not  ex- 
ternally :  His  belly  feems  to  be  perfectly  fmooth  ; 
and  it  is  only  at  the  time  of  difcharging  urine, 
that  the  extremity  of  the  penis  comes  out  of  the 
meath.  This  male  elephant,  though  equally 
young  with  the  female,  was,  asformerlv  remark- 
ed, more  difficult  to  manage.  He  endeavoured 
to  lay  hold  of  people  who  approached  too  near, 
and  often  tore  their  clothes.  Even  his  governours 
were  obliged  to  act  with  caution  ;  bin  the  female 
obeyed  with  complacence  and  alacrity.  The  on- 
ly time  me  exhibited  marks  of  difpleafnre  was 
when  her  keepers  forced  her  into  a  covered  wag- 
gon, in  order  to  be  carried  from  one  town  to  an- 
other. When  they  wanted  her  to  enter,  fhe 
refufed  to  advance,  and  they  could  only  accom- 
plifh  their  purpofe  by  pricking  her  behind.  Ir- 
ritated by  this  ill  treatment,  and  being  unable  to 
turn  herfelf  in  her  prifpn,  fhe  had  no  other  me- 
thod of  revenge  but  to  till  her  trunk  with  water, 
and  throw  it  in  torrents  upon  thole  who  had 
teazed  her. 

I  remarked,  in  the  hiftory  of  the  elephant  *. 
that  thefe  animals  probably  did  not  copulate  in 
the  manner  of  other  quadrupeds  ;  becaufe  the 
poiition  of  the  organs  in  both  fexes  feemed  to 
require  that  the  female,  in  order  to  receive  the 
male,  mould  lie  on  her  back.  This  conjecture, 
which  appeared  to  be  plauiible,   is  not  true  ;  for 

the 

*  See  above,  p.  59. 


po        THE    ELEPHANT. 

the  following  tcflimony  of  M.  Marcel  Bles,    an, 

eye-witnefs,  deferves  full  credit. 

*  Having  perceived  that  the  Count  de  Buffon, 
in  his  excellent  work,  is  deceived  with  regard 
to  the  copulation  of  the  elephants,  I  know,  that, 
in  feverals  parts  of  Alia  and  Africa,  theie  ani- 
mals, efpecially  during  the  feafon  of  love,  re- 
main always  in  the  moil:  inaccefiible  places  of 
the  forefls  ;  but,  in  the  iiland  of  Ceylon,  where 
I  lived  twelve  years,  the  land  beincr  every  where 
inhabited,  they  cannot  fo  eafily  conceal  them- 
felves  ;  and,  having  often  examined  them,  I 
perceived  that  the  female  organ  is  iituated  near- 
ly under  the  middle  of  the  belly,  which  wrould 
lead  us  to  think,  with  M.  de  Buffon,  that  the 
males  cannot  cover  the  females  in  the  manner 
of  other  quadrupeds.  However,  there  is  only 
a  flight  difference  of  fituation.  When  they  in- 
clined to  copulate,  I  perceived  that  the  female 
bowed  down  her  head  and  neck,  and  leaned 
her  two  fore  legs,  which  were  alio  bended,  up- 
on the  root  of  a  tree,  as  if  fhe  meant  to  pro- 
ftrate  herfelf  on  the  ground  ;  and  the  two  hind 
legs  remained  erect,  which  gave  the  male  an 
opportunity  of  embracing  her  as  other  quadru- 
peds do.  I  can  likewife  affirm,  that  the  fe- 
males go  with  young  about  nine  months. 
Moreover,  the  elephants  never  copulate,  unlefs 
when  in  a  ftate  of  freedom.  In  the  feafon  of 
love,  the  males  are  firongly  chained  for  four 
or   five   week?,   during  which  time,  they  dif- 

*  charre 


THE     ELEPHANT.        91 

c  charge  vaft  quantities  of  femen,  and  are  fo  fu- 
'  rious,  that  their  cornacks  or  governours  can- 
6  not  come  near  them  without  danger.  The  ap- 
'  proach  of  the  rutting  feafon  is  eafily  known  ; 

*  for,  fome  days  before  it  happens,  an  oily  liquor 
'  flows   from  a  fmall    hole   on  each  fide  of  the 

*  head.  The  domeftic  female,  on  thefe  occa- 
4  fions,  fometimes  makes  her  efcape,  and  joins 
1  the  wild  males  in  the  woods.     Some  days   af- 

*  terward,  her  cornack  goes  in  queft  of  her,  and 

*  calls  her  by  her  name  till  me  comes.  She  fub- 
4  mits  to  him  with  complacence,  and  allows  her- 

*  felf  to  be  conducted  home,  and  ihut  up  in  the 

*  ftable.  It  was  from  cafes  of  this  kind  that  it 
'  was  difcovered  that  the  females  bring  forth  a- 
1  bout  the  end  of  nine  months.' 

The  firft  remark  with  regard  to  the  mode  of 
copulating,  feems  to  be  unqueflionable,  fmce  M. 
Marcel  Bles  allures  us,  that  he  has  feen  the  ele- 
phants perform  the  operation.  But,  as  to  the 
time  of  geftation,  which  he  limits  to  nine  months, 
we  ought  to  fufpend  our  judgment,  becaufe  all 
travellers  affirm,  that  the  female  elephant  is 
believed  to  go  with  young  no  lefs  than  two  years. 


THE 


THE     RHINOCEROS 


* 


NEXT  to   the   elephant,  the  Rhinoceros  is 
the  ftrongeft  quadruped.      He   is  at  leaft 
twelve   feet  long,   from  the   extremity   of  the 

muzzle 

*  The  rhinoceros  has  one  large  horn,  fometimes  two,  pla- 
ced near  the  end  of  the  nofe  ;  it  is  fometimes  three  feet  and  a 
half  long,  black,  and  fmooth.  The  upper  lip  is  long,  hangs 
over  the  lower,  ends  in  a  point,  is  very  pliable,  and  ferves  to* 
collect  its  food,  and  deliver  it  into  the  mouth.  The  noflrils 
are  placed  tranfverfely.  The  ears  are  large,  erect,  and  point- 
ed. The  eyes  are  fmaJl  and  dull.  The  fkin  is  naked,  rough, 
or  tuberculated,  and  lies  about  the  neck  in  vaft  folds.  There 
is  another  fold  from  the  fhoulders  to  the  fore  legs,  and  an- 
other from  the  hind  part  of  the  back  to  the  thighs.  The 
-  ikin  is  fo  thick,  and  fo  ftrong  as  to  turn  the  edge  of  a  fcimitar, 
and  refill:  a  mufket  ball.  The  tail  is  {lender,  flatted  at  the  end, 
and  covered  on  the  fides  with  very  ftiiF,  thick,  black  hairs. 
'The  belly  hangs  low.  The  legs  are  Ihort,  ftrong,  and  thick. 
The   hoofs  are  divided   into  three  parto,  each  pointing  for- 

■  rd  ;  Pennant' 's  fynopf.  of  quad.  p.  75. 

Though  the  name  of  this  animal  be  entirely  Greek,  it  was 
.nown  to  the  ancient  Greeks.  Ariftptle  takes  no  notice  of 
:-.  Strabo  is  the  firft  Greek,  and  Pliny  the  fir  ft  Roman  au- 
thor who  mentions  it.  The  rhinoceros  probably  did  not  fre- 
quent that  part  cf  India  into  which  Alexander  had  penetrated, 
ugh  he  met  with  great  numbers  of  elephants;  for  it  was 
about  three  hundred  years  after  Alexander,  that  Pompey  firft 
brought  this  animal  to  Europe. 

Rhinocerote  in  Italian  ;  Abada  in  Portugucfe  ;  Linfcot,  nax 
in  Orient,  pars  2.  /.  44.  Abada  in  India  and  Java  ;  Boutins  Lid. 
Orient,  p.  50.      P.  Philippe,  p.  371.     Purchas's  Pilgriv,    vol.  ?. 
^.1001.1773,     R     .  -         ...    'n-cbina,  p.   797.     Du  Haldes*s 


ei  //.>',// <!«(.//, 


V. 


THE    RHINOCEROS.         93 

muzzle  to  the  origin  of  the  tail,  and  the  circum- 
ference of  his  body  is  nearly  equal  to  his  length*. 

In 

China, -col,  i.  p.  120.  Faunul.  Sinenf.  Chiengtuenden  and.  Elker- 
kedon  in  Perfia ;  Pietro  delta  Valle,  torn.  4.  p.  245.  Chardin,  torn. 
3.  p.  45.  Arou  hafifi,  according  to  Thevenot ;  Relation  de  di- 
vers  voyages,  p.  IO. 

Rhinoceros  ;  Plin.  lib.  8.  c.  20.  Gefner.  quad.  p.  842.  Rail 
Jynppf.  p.  122.  Klein,  quad.  p.  26.  Grew 's  Muf.  p.  29.  Worm. 
Muf.  p.  336.  Brijon.  quad.  p.  J 8.  Phil.  Tranf.  abrid.  vol.  9.  p.  93. 
Kolben,  vrA.  2.  p.  I o  1 . 

Rhinoceros  unicornis;  Linn.  fyjl.  nat.  p.  104.  Edwards's 
Gleanings  of  Natural  Hijl.  p.  221. 

Rhinoceros,  a  /><s  et  xEg«$.  Naricomis  Catelani.  It  is  called 
Noemba  in  Java ;  Tuabba,  Nabba,  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  ; 
Nqzorozec,  Zebati,  in  Poland  ;  and  Gomala  in  India. 

*  I  have  in  my  poflcffion  a  figure  of  a  rhinoceros,  drawn 
by  an  officer  of  the  Shaftfbury  Eaff  India  velfel  in  the  year 
1737.  The  figure  correfponds  very  well  with  mine.  The  a- 
nimal  died  in  the  palfage  from  the  Eaff  Indies  to  Britain. 
This  officer  had  written  the  following  note  at  the  bottom  of 
the  figure.  '  His  back  was  about  feven  feet  high.  His  colour 
1  refembled  that  of  a  hog  whofe  ikin  is  beginning  to  dry  ar- 
4  ter  wallowing  in  the  mire.  He  had  three  hoofs  on  each 
'  foot.    The  folds  ot  his  ikin  lay  backward  on  each  other.      Be- 

<  tween  thefe  folds  were  harboured  infects,  miilepeds,  fcorpions, 
«  Imall  ferpents,  &c.     He  was  not  above  three  years  old  when 

<  his  figure  was  drawn.  His  penis,  when  extended,  fpread 
«  out  in  the  form  of  a  flower  de  luce.'  in  a  corner  of  the  plate  I 
have  given  a  figure  of  the  penis.  As  this  figure  was  commu- 
nicated to  me  by  Dr  Tyfon,  I  had  not  an  opportunity  of  con- 
futing the  author,  whether  thefe  noxious  infetts,  which  he 
fays  take  up  their  abode  in  the  folds  of  the  animal's  ikin,  were 
feen  by  himfelf,  or  whether  he  only  related  what  had  been 
told  him  by  the  Indians.  I  acknowledge  that  the  facl  appears 
very  lingular;  Edwards' s  Gleanings,  p.  25.  Note.  This  laft  face 
is  not  only  doubtful,  but  that  of  the  animal's  age,  compared 
With  his   largenefs;  appears  to  be  faffe.     We  faw  a  rhinoceros 


ofy 


94        THE    RHINOCEROS. 

In  magnitude,  therefore,  he  makes  a  near  ap- 
proach to  the  elephant ;  and  he  appears  to  be 
much  lcfs,  only  becaufe  his  legs  are  proportion- 
ally fhorter  than  thole  of  the  elephant.  But  he 
differs  ftill  more  from  the  elephant  in  his  natu- 
ral powers  and  intelligence  ;  for  Nature  has  be- 
ftowed  on  him  nothing  that  elevates  him  above 
the  ordinary  rank  of  quadrupeds.  He  is  depri- 
ved of  all  fenfibility  in  his  ikin;  neither  has  he 
hands  to  enable  him  to  improve  by  the  fenfe  of 
touching;  and,  inftead  of  a  trunk,  he  has  only  a 
moveable  lip,  to  which  all  his  means  of  dexterity 
or  addrefs  is  limited.  His  chief  fources  of  fupe- 
riority  over  other  animals  confifts  in  his  flrength, 
his  magnitude,  and  the  offenlive  weapon  on  his 
nofe,  which  is  entirely  peculiar  to  him.  This 
weapon  is  a  very  hard  horn,  folic!  throughout  its 
whole  extent,  and  fituated  more  advantageoufly 
than  the  horns  of  ruminating  animals,  which  de- 
fend only  the  fuperior  parts  of  the  head  and  neck. 
But  the  horn  of  the  rhinoceros  preferves  from 
infult  the  muzzle,  the  mouth,  and  the  face.  For 
this  reafon,  the  tiger  will  rather  attack  the  ele- 
phant, whofe  trunk  he  lays  hold  of,  than  the  rhi- 
noceros, whom  he  dare  not  face,  without  run- 
ning the  riik  of  having  his  bowels  torn  out ;   for 

the 

of,  at  Jeaft,  eight  years  of  age,  which  exceeded  not  five  feet  in 
height.  Mr  Parions  faw  one  of  two  years,  which  was  not 
higher  than  a  heifer,  which  may  be  computed  at  about  four 
feet.  Kow,  then,  could  the  rhinoceros  above  taken  notice  of 
bs  caly  three  years  old,  if  it  was  feyen  feet  high  ? 


THE    RHINOCEROS.         95 

the  body  and  limbs  of  the  rhinoceios  are  covered 
with  a  fkin  fo  impenetrable,  that  he  fears  neither 
the  claws  of  the  tiger  or  lion,  nor  the  fword  or 
(hot  of  the  hunter.     His  fkin  is  blackiih,  being 
of  the  fame  colour,  but  thicker  and  harder  than 
that  of  the   elephant,   and  is  not   fenfible  to  the 
flings   of  flies.      He   can    neither    extend    nor 
contract:  his   fkin,  which  is  rolled  up  into  large 
folds  at  the  neck, the  fnoulders,  and  the  crupper, 
in  order  to  facilitate  the  motion  of  his  head  and 
limbs,  which  laft  are  maffy,   and  terminated  by 
large  feet,  armed   with   three  great  toes.     His 
head  is  proportionably  longer   than  that  of  the 
elephant  ;  but. his  eyes  are  ftill  fmaller,  and  fel- 
dom  above  half  open.     The  upper,  which  pro- 
jects  over   the   under  lip,  is  moveable,  and  can 
be  firetched   out   about   fix   or  (even   inches  in 
length;  and  it  is  terminated  by  a  pointed  appen- 
dix, wrhich  gives  this  animal  a  power  of  collect- 
ing herbage  in  handfuls,  as  the  elephant  does  with 
its  trunk.     This   mufcular   and   flexible  lip  is  a 
kind  of  hand  or  imperfect  trunk ;  but  it  enables 
the  creature  to  feize  any  object  with  force,  and 
to  feel  with   fome   dexterity.      Inftead  of  thofe 
long  ivory  tufks  which  conuitute  the  armour  of 
the  elephant,    the   rhinoceros   has   a  formidable 
horn,  and  two  ftrong  incihve  teeth  in  each  jaw. 
Thefe  teeth,  of  which  the  elephant  is  deprived, 
are  fituated  at  a  great  diftance  from  each  other, 
one  in  each  angle  of  the  jaw*     The  under  jaw  is 
fquare  before  ;  and  there  are   no  other  incifive 

teeth 


96        THE    RHINOCEROS. 

teeth  in  the  anterior  part  of  the  month,  which  h 
covered  by  the  lips.  But,  befide  the  four  cut- 
ting teeth,  in  the  four  corners  of  the  mouth,  there 
arc  twenty-four  grinders,  fix  on  each  fide  of  the 
two  jaws.  He  holds  his  ears  always  erect  :  In 
figure  they  refemble  thofe  of  the  hog  ;  but  they 
are  proportionally  fmaller.  The  ears  are  the 
only  parts  of  the  body  on  which  there  are  hairs, 
or  rather  briMles.  The  extremity  of  the  tail* 
like  that  of  the  elephant,  is  garnimed  with  a  bufh 
of  large,  folid,  hard  briftles. 

Dr  Parfons,  a  celebrated  phyfician  in  London^ 
to  whom  the  republic  of  letters  is  much  indebt- 
ed for  many  valuable  difcoveiies  in  natural  hi- 
Itory,  and  to  whom  I  owe  the  highefl  acknow- 
ledgments for  the  marks  of  efteem  and  of  friend- 
fhip  with  which  he  has  been  pleafed  to  honour 
me,  publifhed,  in  the  year  1743,  a  niftory  of  the 
rhinoceros,  from  which  i  (hall  the  more  willing- 
ly make  extracts,  becaufe  every  composition  of 
that  gentleman  merits  the  attention  and  confi- 
dence of  the  public. 

Though  the  rhinoceros  was  frequently  exhi- 
bited in  the  Roman  fpectacles,  from  the  days  of 
Pompey  to  thofe  of  Heliogabalus  ;  though  he 
has  often  been  tranfported  into  Europe  in  more 
modern  times  ;  and  though  Bontius,  Chardin, 
and  Kolben  have  drawn  figures  of  him  both  in 
India  and  Africa  ;  yet  fo  ill  was  he  reprefented 
and  defcribed,  that  he  was  very  imperfectly 
known  till  the  errors  and  caprices  of  thofe  who 

had 


THE    RHINOCEROS.         97 

had  published  figures  of  him  were  detected  by 
inspection  of  the  animals  which  arrived  in  Lon- 
don in  the  years  1739  and  1741.  The  figure 
given  by  Albert  Durer  was  the  firit,  and  the  lead 
conformable  to  Nature  ;  yet  it  was  copied  by 
moft  riaturalifts,  fome  of  whom  loaded  it  with  pre- 
pofterous  drapery  and  foreign  ornaments.  That 
of  Bontius  is  more  fimple  and  correct  ;  but  the 
inferior  part  of  the  legs  is  improperly  reprefent- 
ed.  That  of  Chardin,  en  the  contrary,  gives 
a  pretty  good  idea  of  the  feet,  and  the  folds  of 
thefkin;  but,  in  other  refpe&s,  it  has  no  re- 
femblance  to  the  animal.  That  of  Camerarius 
is  no  better;  neither  is  that  drawn  from  the  rhi- 
noceros exhibited  at  London  in  the  year  i65c, 
and  which  was  publifhed  by  Carwitham  in  the 
1739.  In  fine,  the  figures  on  the  ancient  pave- 
ment of  Praenefte,  and  on  Domitian's  medals, 
are  extremely  imperfect  ;  but  they  have  the  me- 
rit of  not  being  deformed  by  the  imaginary  or- 
naments reprefented  in  the  figure  drawn  by  Al- 
bert Durer.  Dr  Parfons  has  taken  the  trouble  of 
drawing  this  animal  himfelf  *  in  three  different 
Vol.  VI.  G  views, 

*  One  of  our  learned  philofophers,  M.  de  Mours,  has  made 
ibme  remarks  on  this  fubjeft,  which  muft  not  be  omitted.  «  The 
'«  figure,'  fays  he,  «  of  the  rhinoceros  which  Dr  Parfons  has  ad- 

*  ded  to  his  Memoir,  and  which  he  drew  from  the  life,  is  fo  dif* 

*  ferent  from  that  engraved  at  Paris  in  the  year  1 749,  from  a 
«  rhinoceros  exhibited  at  the  fair  of  Saint  Germain,  that  it  is 
«  difficult  to  recognife  them  to  be  the  fame   animal.     That   of 

*  Dr  Parfons  is  Ihorter,  and  the  folds  of  the  fkin  are  fewer  in 

*  number,  left  marked,  and  fome  of.  them  placed  in  a  different 

« poutien, 


$3 


T  II  E     RHINOCERO  S. 


views,  before,  behind,  and  in   profile.     \b>  h:iS 
likewise  drawn  the  male  organs   of  generation, 

the 


n.  Tlie  ht- .i«.!,  particularly,  has  hardly  any  refembjance 
to  that  ofthe  Saint -Germain  rhinoceros.  We  cannot,  howe- 
ver, entertain  a  doubt  with  regard  to  the  accuracy  ofDrParfons. 
IIvj  i  eaions  of  fuch  remarkable  differences  mull  be  fought  for 
in  the  age  and  fex  ofthe  two  animals.  That  of  Dr  Parfoha 
was  drawn  from  a  male  rhinoceros,  which  exceeded  not  the 
age  of  two  years.  That  which  I  have  here  added,  was  drawn 
from  a  picture  oi  the  celebrated  M  Oudry,  a  molldiftinguifh- 
ed  animal  painter.  He  painted  from  the  life,  and  ofthe  na- 
tural fixe,  the  Saint  Germain  rhinoceros.  wh;ch  was  a  female, 
and  at  lead  eif^it  years  old  ;  I  fay  at  leaft  eight  years;  for  we 
fee  by   an  hofcriptioa   written   on  the   bottom   of  a  wooden 

I  ■it,  entitled,  A  true  portrait  of  a  living  rhinoceros  c::<:'.:::icd  at 
t  he  fair  of  Saint-  Germain  in  Paris*  that  this  animal,  when  taken, 
in  1741,  in  the  province  of  Aifem  belonging  to  the  Mo- 
gul, was  three  years  old  :  And,  eight  lines  lower,  it  is  faid„ 
that  the  animal  was  only  one  month  old  when  fome  Indians 
entangled  it  with  ropes,  alter  having  flain  the  mother  by  their 
fpears  and  darts.  Hence  it  muft  have  been  at  leal  eight 
irs  of  age,  and  might  be  ten  or  twelve.  This  difference  of 
aee  is  probably  the  reafon  of  the  remarkable  differences  be- 
tween  Dr  Parfohs's,  figure  and  that  of  M.  Oudry,  whofe  pic- 
tu:e,  executed  by  the  order  ofthe  King,  was  exhibited  in  the 
>  ter's  hall,  i  fhaH  only  remaik,  that  M.  Oudry  has  made 
the  horn  of  his  rhinoceros  too  long  ;  for  1  examined  the  ani- 
mal v  I  <■'■-  attention,  and  I  rind  that  this  part  is  better 
rep  d  in  the  wooden  print.  The  horn  of  the  prefent  fi* 
yU1  r  this  print,  and  the  red  is  copied  from 
jVL  Ou'dry's  picture.  The  animal  Which  it  r 
v  ;  ;hed,  about  a  year  before,  at  Stouquart,  in  the  dutchy  of 
Wittemberg,  and  its  weight  was  at  that  time  five  hundred 
pounds.  It  eat,  according  to  the  relation  of  Captain  Dowe- 
mot  Wan-defmeer,  who  conducted  it  to  Europe,  fixty  pounds 
of  I  1  twenty  pounds  of  bread,  every  day.  It  was  very 
tame,  and  furprifingly  agile,  confidering  the  enormity  of  its 

«  mafs,  and  its  unwieldy  afpecV     Thefe  remarks,  like  all  thofe 

of 


THE     RHINOCEROS.         99 

the  fingle  and  double  horns,  as  well  as  the  tail, 
from  other  rhinocerofes,  whofe  parts  are  prefer- 
ved  in  the  cabinets  of  natural  hiftory. 

The  rhinoceros  which  came  to  London  in  the 
year  j  739,  was  fent  from  Bengal.     Though  not 
above  two  years  of  age,  the  expence  of  his  food 
and  journey    amounted    to   near  one   thoufand 
pounds  Sterling.     He  was  fed  with  rice,  fugar, 
and  hay.      He  had  daily  feven   pounds  of  rice, 
mixed  with  three  pounds   of  fugar,  and  divided 
into  three  portions.     He  had  likewife  hay  and 
green    herbs,  which   laft    he   preferred  to  hay. 
His  drink   was  water,   of  which  he  took   large 
quantities  at  a  time.  He  was  of  a  peaceable  dif- 
pofition,  and  allowed  all  partem  of  his  body  to  be 
touched.     When  hungry  or  {truck  by  any  per- 
fon,  he  became  mifchievous,  and,  in  both  cafes, 
nothing  appeafed  him  but  food.  When  enraged, 
he   fprung   forward,  and  nimbly  railed   himfelf 
to   a   great  height,  pulhing,  at  the  fame  time, 
his  head  furiouily  againft  the  walls,    which    he 
performed   with    amazing    quicknefs,   notwith- 
standing his  heavy  afpe£t   and  unwieldy  mafs. 
I  often  obferved,  fays   Dr  Parfons,  thefe  move- 
ments produced  by  rage  or  impatience,  efpecial- 
ly   in  the  mornings   before  his  rice   and   fugar 
were  brought  to  him.    The  vivacity  and  promp- 
titude of  his  movements,  Dr  Parfons  adds,  led 

G  2  me 

of  M.  de  Mours,  are  judicious  and  fenfible.  See  the  figure  in 
his  French  tranflation  of  the  Philofophical  Tranfaclions,  ann. 
'743- 


ioo        THE    RHINOCEROS. 

me  to  think,  that  he  is  altogether  unconquerable, 
and  that  he  could  eafily  overtake  any  man  who 
fliould  offend  him. 

This  rhinoceros,  at  the  age  of  two  years,  was 
not  taller  than  a  young  cow  ihat  has  never  pro- 
duced. But  his  body  was  very  long  and  very 
thick.  His  head  was  difproportionally  large. 
From  the  ears  to  the  horn  there  is  a  concavity, 
the  txvo  extremities  of  which,  namely  the  upper 
end  of  the  muzzle,  and  the  part  near  the  ears, 
are  confiderably  raifed.  The  horn,  which  was 
not  yet  above  an  inch  high,  was  black,  fmooth 
at  the  top,  but  full  of  wrinkles  directed  back- 
ward at  the  bafe.  The  noftirls  are  fituated  ve- 
ry low,  being  not  above  an  inch  diffant  from 
the  opening  of  the  mouth.  The  under  lip  is 
pretty  fimiiar  to  that  of  the  ox  ;  but  the  upper 
lip  has  a  greater  refemblance  to  that  of  the  horfe, 
with  this  advantageous  difference,  that  the  rhi- 
no, eros  can  lengthen  this  lip,  move  it  fom  fide 
to  fr.le,  roll  it  about  a  ftaff,  and  feize  with  it  a- 
nv  object  he  wifhes  to  carry  to  his  mouth.  The 
tongue  of  this  young  rhinoceros  was  foft,  like 
that  of  a  calf,*      His  eyes  nad  no  vivacity:    In 

rig  u  re, 

*  Mod  voyagers  and  all  naturalifts,  both  ancient  and  mo- 
dern, tell  us,  that  the  tongue  of  the  rhinoceros  is  very  rough, 
and  its  papillae  lb  (harp,  that  with  the  tongue  alone,  he  tore 
the  flefli  from  a  man's  body  even  to  the  bones.  This  fad, 
■which  is  every  where  related,  appears  to  be  very  fuipicious 
an-H  ill  imagined  ;  becaufe  the  rhinoceros  does  not  eat  flefh> 
and  animals,  in  general,  which  have  rough  tongues,  are  fel- 
dom  carnivorous. 


THE    RHINOCEROS.        101 

figure,  they  refembled  thofe  of  the  hog,  and 
were  fituated  lower,  or  nearer  the  noftrils,  than 
in  any  other  quadruped.  His  ears  are  large, 
thin  at  the  extremities,  and  contradted  at  their 
origin  by  a  kind  or'  annular  rugofity.  1  he  neck 
is  very  Ihort,  and  furrounded  with  two  large 
folds  of  fkin.  The  moulders  are  very  thi.k, 
and,  at  their  juncture,  there  is  another  fold  of 
fkin,  which  defcends  upon  the  fore  legs.  1  .ie 
body  of  this  young  rhinoceros  was  very  thick, 
and  pretty  much  refembled  that  of  a  cow  about 
to  bring  forth.  Between  the  body  and  crupper 
there  is  another  fold,  which  defcends  upon  the 
hind  legs.  Laftly,  another  fold  tranfveriely  fur- 
rounds  the  inferior  part  of  the  crupper,  at  Ion  e 
diftance  from  the  tail.  The  belly  was  large  and 
hung  near  the  ground,  particularly  its  middle 
part.  The  legs  are  round,  thick,  fin  ng,  and 
i;:eir joint  bended  backwards,  i  hi  joint,  which, 
when  the  animal  lies,  is  covered  with  a  remark- 
able fold  or  the  fkin,  appears  when  he  hands. 
The  tail  is  thin,  and  proportionally  fhor  ;  that 
of  the  rhinoceros  fo  often  mentioned  executd 
not  fixteen  or  feventeen  inches  in  length.  It 
turns  a  little  thicker  at  the  extremity,  wh'ch  is 
garnifhed  with  fome  fhdrt,  thick,  hard  hairs. 
The  form  of  the  penis  is  very  extraordinary. 
It  is  contained  in  a  prepuce  or  (heath,  like  mat 
of  the  horfe;  and  ;he  hrfl  thing  that  appears  in 
the  time  of  ere&ion,  is  a  fecond  prepuce,  of  a 
ilem-  colour,  from  which  there  iffiies   a   hollow 

(-;   3  *  tube, 


io2       THE    RHINOCEROS, 

tube,  in  the  form  of  a  funnel  cut  and  bordered 
fame  what  like  a  flower  de  luce*,  and  confli- 
tutes  the  glans  and  extremity  of  the  penis. 
This  anomalous  glans  is  of  a  paler  flefli-colour 
'  than  the  fecond  prepuce.  In  the  moft  vigorous 
erection,  the  penis  extends  not  ab<ve  eight  in- 
ches out  of  the  body;  and  it  is  eafily  procured 
by  rubbing  the  animal  with  a  handful  of  ftraW 
when  he  lies  at  his  cafe.  The  direction  of  this 
organ  is  not  ftraijrht,  but  bended  backward. 
Hence  he  throws  cut  his  urine  behind;  and, 
from  this  circumdance,  it  may  be  inferred,  that 
the  male  covers  not  the  female,  but  that  they  u- 
nite  with  their  cruppers  to  each  other.  The  fe- 
male organs  are  fituated  like  thofe  of  the  cow, 
and  fhe  exactly  refembles  the  male  in  figure  and 
groflhefs  of  body.  The  fkin  is  fo  thick  and  im- 
penetrable, that,  when  a  man  lays  hold  of  any 
of  the  folds,  he  would  imagine  he  is  touching  a 
wooden  plank  of  half  an  inch  thick.  When 
tanned,  Dr  Grew  remarks,  it  is  exceffively  hard, 
and  thicker  than  the  hide  of  any  other  terreftri- 
al  animal.  It  is  every  where  covered  more  or 
lefs  with  incruftatidns  in  the  form  of  galls  or 
tuberofities,  which  are  pretty  fmali  on  the  top 
of  the  neck  and  back,  but  become  larger  on  the 
fides.  The  largeft  are  on  the  moulders  and 
crupper,  and  are  ftill  pretty  large  on  the  thighs  and 
legs,  upon  which  they  are  fpread  all  round,  and 
even  on  the  feet.     But,  between  the  folds,  the 

fkin 

*  Phil.  Tranf.  No.  470.  pi.  ill.  Edwards's  Gleanings, 


THE  RHINOCEROS.        103 

fk'n  is  penetrable,  delicate,  and  as  foft  to  the 
touch  as  filk,  while  the  external  part  of  the 
fo'd  is  equally  hard  with  the  reft.  This  tender- 
fkin  between  the  folds  is  of  a  light  flefh- colour; 
and  the  (kin  of  fhe  belly  is  nearly  of  the  fame 
colour  and  confidence.  1  hefe  galls  or  tuberofi- 
ties  mould  not  be  compared,  as  forhe  authors 
have  done,  to  fcales.  They  are  fimple  indura- 
tions of  the  fkin  only,  without  any  regularity  in 
their  figure,  or  fvmmetry  in  their  refpective  po- 
rtions. The  flexibility  of  the  fkin  in  the  folds 
enables  the  rhinoceros  to  move  with  facility  his 
head,  neck,  and  members.  The  whole  body, 
except  at  the  joints,  is  inflexible,  and  refembles  a 
coat  of  mail.  Dr  Parfons  remarks,  that  this  animal 
liltened  writb  a  deep  and  long  continued  a  ten- 
tion  to  any  kind  of  noife;  and  that,  though  he 
was  fleeping,  eating,  or  obeying  any  other  pref- 
fing  demands  of  nature,  he  railed  his  head 
liftened  till  the  noife  ceafed. 

In  fine,  after  giving  this  accurate  deft         on 
of  the    rhinoceros,   Dr  Parfons   exa 
ther  the  rhinoceros,  with  a  double  h 
and,  having  compared  the  teftimonies  or  : 
cients  and  moderns,  and  the  rem-    ■  ■  va- 

riety  in    the   collections   of   natural  1 
with  much  probability,  concludes,  that  the  rhi 
cerates  of  Afia  have  commonly    but   one   horn, 
and  that  thofe  of  Alia  have  generally  two. 

It  is  unquestionably   true,  that  Ibme  rhinoce- 
ra&s  have  t ■   -  •    e  hern,  and  that   others   have 

two. 


104       THE   RHINOCEROS. 

two*.  But  it  is  not  equally  certain  that  this 
variety  is  conftant,  and  depends  on  the  climate 
of  Africa  or  India ,  or  that  this  difference  is  alone 
fufjicient  to  conilitute  two  diftmct  fpecies.  It 
appears  that  the  rhinocerofes,  with  one  horn, 
have  this  excrefcence  always  loneer  than  thofe 
with  two.  There  are  Tingle  horns  of  three  and 
ilf,  and  perhaps  of  above  four  feet  in  length, 
by  fix  or  feven  inches  diameter  at  the  bafe.  Some 
double  horns  are  two  feet  long  f.  Thefe  horns 
are  commonly  of  a  brown  or  olive  colour  ; 
though  there  are  inftances  of  their  being  gray, 
and  even  white.  They  have  only  a  flight  con- 
cavity in  form  of  a  cup  under  the  bafe,  by  which 
they  are  fixed  to  the  (kin  of  the  nofe.  The  reft 
of  the  horn  is  folid  and  harder  than  common 
horn.  It  is  with  this  weapon  that  the  rhinoce- 
ros 

*  Kolben  averts  pofttively,  and  as  if  he  had  been  an  eye- 
witnefs,  that  the  firft  horn  of  the  rhinoceros  is  upon  the  nofe, 
aud  the  fecond  upon  the  front,  in  a  right  line  with  the  firft  ; 
that  the  latter,  which  is  brown,  never  exceeds  two  feet  in, 
length ;  and  that  the  fecond  is  yellow,  and  feldom  longer 
than  fix  inches;  Defcript.  du  Cap.  da  Bonne  Efperance,  torn.  3. 
p.  17. — But  we  have  already  mentioned  double  horns,  the 
fecond  differing  very  little  from  the  firft,  which  was  two 
feet  long,  and  both  were  of  the  fame  colour.  Befides,  it 
appears  to  be  certain,  that  they  are  never  at  fuch  a  diftance 
from  each  other,  as  this  author  has  placed  them  ;  for  the 
bafis  of  the  two  horns,  preferved  in  the  cabinet  of  Sir  Hans 
Sloane,  were  not  three  inches  afnnder. 

■f  Urfus  cornu  gemino  ;  Martial,  fpeftac.  ep.  22.  Phil.  Tranf. 
abrid.  vol.  9.  /•  100.  vcL  11.  p.  910.  Phil.  Tranf.  vol.  56. p.  32. 
tab.  Z.  Flacourt,  Hi/?.  Madag.  p.  395.  Lobo  Abyjf.  p.  2.30. 
Rhinoceros  bicornis;  Linn.  Syjl.  Nat.  p.  104. 


THE    RHINOCEROS.         105 

ros  is  faid  to  attack  and  fometimes  mortally 
wound  the  iargeft  elephants,  whofe  tall  legs  give 
the  rhinoceros  an  opportunity  of  ftriking,  with 
his  fnout  and  horn,  their  bellies,  where  thefkin 
is  moll  tender  and  penetrable.  But,  if  he  mifles 
his  firft  blow,  the  elephant  throws  him  on  the 
ground  and  kills  him. 

The  horn  of  the  rhinoceros  is  more  efteemed 
by  the  Indians  than  the  ivory  of  the  elephant, 
not  on  acount  of  its  real  utility,  though  they 
make  feveral  toys  of  it  with  the  chifel  and  tur- 
ner's lathe,  but  on  account  of  certain  medicinal 
qualities  they  afcribe  to  it*.     The  white  horns, 

being 

*  Sunt  in  regno  Bengalen  rhinocerotes  Lufitanls  Abadat 
dic~li,  cujus  animalis  corium,  dentes,  caro,  fanguis,  ungalae,  et 
caeterae  ejus  partes,  toto  genere  refiftunt  venenis  ;  qua  de 
caufa  in  maximo  pretio  eft  apud  Indos. —  In  thofe  parts  of 
Bengal  which  border  on  the  Ganges,  the  rhinpeerofes  or  uni- 
corns, there  called  Abades,  are  very  common,  and  numbers  of 
their  horns  are  brought  to  Goa.  They  are  about  two  palms 
in  circumference  at  the  bafe,  gradually  taper  to  a  point,  and 
ferve  the  animal  as  a  defenfive  weapon.  They  are  of  an  ob- 
fcure  colour,  and  the  cups  made  of  them  are  highly  efteem- 
ed>  efpecially  if  they  have  the  power  of  counteracting  poifo- 
nous  liquors  ;  Voyage  du  P.  Philippe,  p.  371. — Every  part  of 
the  rhinoceros's  body  is  medicinal.  His  horn  is  a  powerful 
antidote  againft  all  kinds  of  poifon  ;  and  the  Siamefe  make  a 
great  article  of  traffic  with  it  among  the  neighbouring  na- 
tions. Some  of  them  are  Void  for  more  than  a  hundred 
crowns.  Thofe  which  are  of  a  bright  gray  colour,  and  fpot- 
ted  with  white,  are  moft  valued  by  the  Chinefe  ;  Hijl.  Nat.  de 
Siam,  par  Nic.  Gervaife,  p.  34 — The  horns,  teeth,  toes,  flefli, 
(kin,  blood,  and  even  their  urine  and  excrements,  are  in  great 
requeft  among  the  Indians,  as  powerful  remedies  for  different 

difeafes  ;  Voyage  de  la  Compagnie  des  Indes  de  Hollander  torn  1  •  p- 

417. 


io6        THE     RHINOCEROS. 

being  raFeft,  are  in  great  requeft.  Among  the 
prefents  lent  by  the  King  of  Siam  to  Lewis  XIV. 
in  the  year  1686  *,  were  fix  horns  of  the  rhi- 
noceros In  the  royal  cabinet  we  have  twelve, 
of  different  fizes  ;  and  one  of  tliein,  though  cut, 
is  three  feet  eight  inches  and  a  half  long. 

The  rhinoceros,  without  heing  ferocious,  car- 
nivorous, or  even  extremely  wild,  is,  however, 
perfectly  untridab'e  f.  He  is  nearly  among 
Iarc;e,  what  the  hog  is  among  ftnall  animals,  rafh 
and  brutal,  without  intelligence,  fe;,timent,  or 
docility.  He  feerns  even  to  be  fubje£fc  to  pa- 
roxyfms  of  fuiy,   which  nothing  can  appeafe  ; 

for 

417. —  Ht9  horn  is  placed  between  the  two  noftrils;  ft  is  very 
thick  at  ti.e  bale,  and  terminates  ia  a  {harp  point  :  It  is  of  a 
greeuilh  brown  colour,  and  not  black,  as  fome  authors  main- 
tain. When  very  gray,  or  approaching  to  white,  it  brings  a 
higli  price.  But  it  is  aiways  dear,  on  account  of  the  value 
put  on  it  by  the  Indians  ;  Lie n,  ton.    7.  p.  277. 

*  Among  the  prefents  fent  by  the  King  of  Siam  to  France, 
in  the  year  1686,  were  fix  rhinoccroics  horns,  which  were 
greatly  valued  over  all  the  Eait.  The  Chevalier  Vernati  has 
written  from  Batavia  to  Britain,  that  the  horns,  teeth,  toes, 
and  blood  of  the  rhinoceros,  are  antidotes,  and  that  they  are 
as  much  ufed  in  the  Indian  pharmacopoeia  as  the  theiuca  in 
that  of  Europe  ;  Voyage  de  la  Compognie  des  Indes  de  Hollandet 
torn.  7.  p  484. 

f  Chardin  fays,  {torn,  3.  p.  45.)  that  the  Abyflinians  tame 
the  rhinoceros,  and  train  him  to  labour,  like  the  elephants. 
This  fact  feerns  to  be  extremely  fufpicious  :  No  other  author 
mentions  it;  and  it  is  well  known,  that,  in  bengal,  Siam, 
and  other  fouthern  parts  of  India,  where  the  rhinoceros  is, 
perhaps,  ftill  more  common  than  in  ^Ethiopia,  and  whetfe  this 
natives  are  accuflomed  to  tame  the  elephants,  he  i  led 

as  an  irreclaimable  animal,  of  which  no  domeilic  uk  can  be. 
made. 


THE     RHINOCEROS.         107 

for  the  one  which  Emanuel  King  of  Portugal 
fent  to  the  Pope  in  the  year  15 13,  deftroyed  the 
veffel  in  which  they  were  tranfporting  him  *; 
and  the  rhinoceros,  which  we  lately  faw  in  Pa- 
ris, was  drowned  in  the  fame  manner  in  its 
voyage  to  Italy.  Like  the  hog,  thefe  animals  are 
fond  of  wallowing  in  the  mire.  They  love 
moift  and  tnarihy  grounds,  and  never  quit  the 
banks  ofriver3.  They  are  found  in  Afia  and 
Africa,  in  Bengal  f ,  Siam  J,  Laos  ||,  Mogul  §> 
Sumatra  **,  at  Java  in  Abyflinia  tt>  m  -Ethio- 
pia J  J,  in  the  country  of  the  Anzicos  ||||,  and  as 
far  as  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  §§.  But,  in  ge- 
neral, the  fpecies  is  not  numerous,  and  much 
lefs  diffufed  than  that  of  the  elephant.  The  fe- 
male produces  but  one  at  a  time,  and  at  coniide- 
rable   intervals.     During  the    firil    month,    the 

young 

*  Philofcphical  tranfa&ions,  No.  470. 

j-  Voyage  du  P.  Philippe,  p.  371. — Voyage  de  la  Ccmpag- 
xiie  des  Indes  de  Hollande,  torn.  1.  p.  417. 

J  Hiftoire  naturelle  de  Siam,  par  Gervaife,  p.  33. 

||   Journal  de  l'abbe  de  Choify,   p.  339. 

$  Voyage  de  Tavernier,  torn.  3.  p.  97. — Voyage  d 'Edward 
Terri,  p.  15. 

**  Hiftoire  generale  des  voyages,  par  M.  l'abbe  Prevot, 
torn.  9.  p.  339. 

I  f  Voyage  de  la  Compagnie  des  Indes  de  Hollande,  torn. 
7.  p.  277. 

XX  Voyage  de  Chardin,  torn.  3.  p.  45. — Relation  de  Theve- 
not,  p.  10. 

||  ||  Hiftoire  generale  des  voyages,  par  M.  l'abbe  Prevot, 
torn.  5.  p.  91. 

<§§  Voyage  de  Franc,  le  Guat.  tom.  2.  p.  145. — Defcription 
£u  cap  de  Bonne- efperance,  par  Kolbe,  tom.  3.  p.  15.  et  fuiv.. 


io$         THE     RHINOCEROS, 

young  rhinoceros  exceeds  not  the  fize  of  a  large 
dog*.  When  recently  brought  iorrh,  it  has  no 
hornt,  though  the  rudiments  of  it  appear  in 
the  foetus.  At  the  age  of  two  years,  the  horn 
exceeds  not  an  inch  in  length  J,  and,  at  the  age 
of  fix,  it  is  from  nine  to  ten  inches  long  ||  :  Now, 
as  fome  of  thtfj  horns  are  known  to  be  near 
four  feet  in  length,  it  appears  that  *"hey  continue 
to  grow  during  the  half,  or  perhaps  during  the 
whole  of  the  animal's  life,  which  mud  be  con- 
fidently long,  lince  the  rhinoceros  defcribed  by 
Dr  Parions  had  only  acquired  about  one  half  of 
its  heignt  at  the  age  of  two  years  ;  from  which 
we  may  conclude,  that  this  animal,  like  man, 
{houid  iive  feventy  or  eighty  years. 

Without  the  capacity  of  becoming  ufeful,  like 
the  elephant,  the  rhinoceros  is  equally  hunful 
by  his  voracity,  and  particularly  by  the  great 
wafte  he  makes  in  the  cultivated  fields.  He  is 
of  no  ufe  till  he  is  (lain.     His  flefh  is   reckoned 

excellent 

*  We  have  feen  a  young  rhinoceros  which  was  not  larger 
than  a  dog.  It  followed  its  mailer  every  where,  and  drank 
the  milk  of  the  buffalo.  But  it  lived  only  three  weeks.  The 
teeth  were  beginning  to  appear;  Voyage  de  la  Compagnie  dee 
lades  de  Hollande,  to?n.  7.  />•  483. 

f  In  two  young  rhinocerofes,  nothing  but  a  prominence 
was  obferved  on  the  place  where  the  horns  were  to  arife, 
though  the  animals  were  then  as  large  as  an  ox.  But  their 
legs  are  very  fhort  efpecially  thofe  before,  which  are  fhorter 
than  the  hind  legs;    Voyage  de  Pietro della    Vahe,  tow.  4.  p.  245. 

%  Phil.  Tranf.  No.  470. 

I  Id.  ibid. 


THE    RHINOCEROS.        109 

excellent  by  the  Indians  and  Negroes*;  and 
Ko'be  lays  he  often  eat  it  with  pleafure.  His  fkin 
makes  the  harder!  and  beft  leather  in  the  world  f ; 
and  not  only  his  horn,  but  all  the  other  parts  of 
his  body,  and  even  his  blood  £,  urine,  and  ex- 
crements, are  efteemed  to  be  antidotes  againft 
poifon,  or  remedies  for  particular  djfeafes.  Thefe 
antidotes  or  remedies,  extracted  from  different 
parts  of  the  rhinoceros,  are  of  equal  u{q  in  the 
Indian  pharmacopoeia  as  the  theriaca  in  that  of 
Europe  [|.  Mod  of  the  virtues  afcribed  to  both 
are  probably  imaginary:  But  how  many  objects 
are  in  the  higheft  repute,  which  have  no  value 
but  in  the  opinions  of  men  ? 

The  rhinoceros  feeds  on  the  grofleft  herbs,  as 
thirties,  and  thorny  ihrubs,  which  he  prefers  to 
the  foft  p  aft  lire  of  the  bed   meadows  §.     He  is 

fond 

*  The  Indians  cat  the  flefii  of  the  rhinoceros,  and  reckon 
it-  excellent.  They  even  derive  advantage  from  his  blood, 
which  they  collecl  with  care  as  a  remedy  for  difeafes  in  the 
bread  ;  Hill.  Nat.  de  Siam,  par  Gervai/e,  p.  35. 

f  His  {kin  is  of  a  fine  gray  colour,  approaching  to  black, 
like  that  of  the  elephant ;  but  it  is  rougher  and  thicker  than 
that  of  any  other  animal.  .  .  .  The  fkin  is  covered  every 
where,  except  on  the  neck  and  head,  with  fmall  knots  or 
tubercles,  &c.  ;    Voyage  de  Chardin,  torn.  3.  p.  45. 

\  Voyage  de  Mandelflo,  torn.  2.  p.  350. 

||  Voyage  de  la  Comp.  des  Iudes  de  Hollande,  torn.  7. 
p.  48  4. 

§  This  animal  feeds  upon  plants,  and  prefers  brufhwood, 
broom,  and  thirties.  But  of  all  plants  he  is  fondeft  of  a  frirub 
which  refembles  the  juniper,  and  is  called  the  rhinoceros  jhrvb. 
Great   quantities  of  it  grow  on  heathy   lands   and   on  the 

mountains  j 


no       THE    RHINOCEROS. 

fond  of  the  fugar  cane,  and  likevvife  eats  all 
kinds  of  grain.  Having  no  appetite  for  fkfh,  he 
neither  diftnrbs  the  fmall,  nor  fears  the  large  ani- 
mals, but  lives  in  peace  with  all,  not  excepting 
the  tiger,  who  often  accompanies  the  rhinoceros, 
without  daring  to  attack  him.  This  peaceful 
difpolition  renders  the  combats  between  the  ele- 
phant and  the  rhinoceros  very  fufpicious:  Such 
combats  mud  at  leaft  be  rare,  fince  there  is  no 
motive  to  war  on  either  fide.  Befides,  no  an- 
tipathy has  ever  been  remarked  between  thefe 
animals.  They  have  been  known,  even  in  a 
ftate  of  captivity,  to  live  peaceably  together, 
without  difcovering  any  marks  of  refentment  or 
antipathy  *.  Pliny,  I  believe,  is  the  firft  author 
who  mentions  thefe  combats  between  the  ele- 
phant and  rhinoceros.  It  appears  that  thefe  a- 
nimals  were  compelled  to  fight  at  the  Roman 
fpe&acles  t  ;  an^  from  hence,  probably,  the 
idea  was  formed,   that,  when   in  their  natural 

ftate 

mountains ;  Defcfipt.  du  Cap.  de  Bonne-efperance,  par  Kolbc, 
torn.  3.  p.  17. 

*  The  Dutch  hiftory,  entitled  VAmbaJfade  de  la  Chine,  gives 
a  falfe  defcription  of  this  animal,  efpecially  when  it  exhibits 
the  rhinoceros  as  the  chief  enemy  of  the  elephant  ;  for  the 
rhinoceros  I  am  mentioning  was  kept  in  the  fame  liable  with 
two  elephants,  and  I  have  feveral  times  {ten  them  near  each 
other,  without  difcovering  the  fmalleft  antipathy.  An  jEthi- 
opian  ambafiador  had  brought  this  animal  as  a  prefent  3 
Voyage  de  Char  din,  torn.  3.  p.  45. 

f  The  Romans  took  pleafure  in  making  the  rhinoceros  and 
elephant  fight  at  their  public  fhews  ;  Singular,  ds  la  France 
Antarfiique,  par  Andre  Thevet,  p.  41. 


THE    RHINOCEROS.        in 

ftate  of  liberty,  they  fight  in  the  fame  manner. 
But  every  action  without  a  motive  is  unnatural; 
it  is  an  effe£t  without  a  caufe,  which  cannot 
happen  but  by  accident. 

The  rhinocerofes  aflemble  not,  nor  march  in 
troops,  like  the  elephants.  They  are  more  io- 
litary  and  favage  ;  and  it  is,  peihaps,  more  dif- 
ficult to  hunt  and  to  overcome  them.  They 
never  attack  men  *,  unlefs  they  are  provo- 
ked, when  they  become  furious  and  formi- 
dable, Their  fkin  is  fo  hard  as  to  rehft  fabr<  >, 
lances,  javelins,  and  even  muiket  bails  f.  'The 
only  penetrable  parts  of  the  body  are  the  bc'ly, 

the 

*  The  rhinoceros  never  attacks  any  perfon,  nor  becomes 
Furious,  unlefs  he  is  provoked,  and  then  his  ferocity  is  tre- 
mendous; he  gruntf  like  a  hog,  and  overturns  trees  and  every 
thing  that  comes  in  his  way;  Voyage  de  la  Compagnie  dss  Ir.^ss 
it  Hdlande,  torn.  7.  p.  278. 

f   His  ikin  is  thick,  hard,  and  rough.  ...     It  is  even  im- 
penetrable by  the  fibres  of  the  Japanefe,  and  coats  of  arms, 
bucklers,  5-:c.  are  made  of  it;   Id.   Ibid-  p.  483. — The  rhin 
ros  feldom  attacks  man,  unlefs  when  provoked,  or  the  perfon 
wears  a  red  habit.      In  both  thefe  cafes,   he  becomes   furious, 

'.  overturns  every  thing  that  oppofes  him.  When  thefe 
animals  attack  a  man,  they  iffize  him  by  the  middle  of  the 
body,  and  tefs  him  up  with  fuch  force,  that  he  is  killed  by 
the  fall.  ...  ver  enraged  he   may  be,  it  is  eafy  to  a- 

void  his  approach  :  Ke  is,  indeed,  very  fwift ;  but  he  turns 
with  great  difficulty.  E.  ,  according  to  my  information,, 
he    fees   only  what  is  e  him      Hence,   when   he  conies 

within  a  few  paces,  we  have  only  to  ftep  to  a  fide ;  for  he 
then  lofes  fight  of  us,  and  it  is  very  difficult  for  him  to  re- 
turn io  quePc  of  us.  I  .xperienced  this  fact,  having 
more  than  once  feen  him  advance  toward  me  with  all  his  fury  ; 
Defcript.  du  Cap  de  Bonne-ejpera  ice}  par  Kolbe,  torn,  3.  p.  17. 


ii2        THE    RHINOCEROS. 

the  eyes,  and  about  the  ears  *.  Hence  the 
hunters,  inftead  of  attacking  him  face  to  face, 
follow  him  at  a  diftance  by  the  tracks  of  his 
feet,  and  watch  till  he  lies  down  to  fieep.  We 
have,  in  the  royal  cabinet,  a  foetus  of  a  rhino- 
ceros, which  was  extracted  from  the  body  of 
the  mother,  and  fent  to  us  from  the  ifLind  of 
Java.  By  the  memoir  which  accompanied  this 
foetus,  we  are  informed,  that  twenty-eight  hun- 
ters having  aflembled  to  attack  the  mother,  they 
followed  her  at  a  diftance  for  fome  days,  de- 
taching one  or  two  of  their  number,  from  time 
to  time,  in  order  to  reconnoitre  her  fxtuation ; 
that,  by  this  means,  they  furprifed  her  when 
afleep,  and  filently  approached  fo  near,  that  the 
whole  twenty-eight  mufkets  were  difcharged  at 
once  into  the  lower  part  of  her  belly. 

From  the  defer iption  given  by  Dr  Parfons,  it 
appears  that  this  animal  has  an  acute  and  very 
attentive  ear.     We  are  likewife   aflured  that  his 

fenfe 

*  It  is  difficult  to  kill  him ;  and  men  never  attack  him 
without  danger  of  being  torn  to  pieces.  Thofe  who  are  ac- 
cuitomed  to  hunt  the  rhinoceros  find  means,  however,  to  de- 
fend themfelves  from  his  fury  ;  for  he  is  fond  of  marfhy 
grounds  ;  they  obferve  when  he  repairs  thither,  and,  con- 
cealing themfelves  among  the  buihes  oppofue  to  the  direction 
of  the  wind,  they  watch  till  he  lies  down  either  to  fleep  or  to 
v.  low,  that  they  may  have  an  opportunity  of  fhooting  him 
near  the  ears,  where  alone  he  can  receive  a  mortal  wound. 
They  place  themfelves  againft  the  wind ;  becaufe  the  fcent 
of  the  rhinoceros  is  fo  acute,  that  he  never  approaches  any 
objeft  he  perceives  till  the  fmell  of  it  reaches  his  noftrils  j 
Hiji.  IVai.  de  Sia?n,  far  Cervaife,  p.  35. 


THE   RHINOCEROS.        n* 


>i 


fenfe  of  fmelling  is  excellent.  But  it  is  faid, 
that  his  eyes  are  not  good,  and  that  he  fees  iuch 
objects  only  as  are  before  him  *.  The  extreme 
minutenefs  of  his  eyes,  their  low,  oblique,  and 
deep  fituation,  the  dullnefs,  and  the  fmall  de- 
gree of  motion  they  feem  to  poiTefs,  tend  to  con- 
firm this  fact.  His  voice,  when  he  is  in  a  ftate 
of  tranquility,  is  blunt,  and  refembles  the  grunt- 
ing of  a  hog  ;  but,  when  enraged,  it  becomes 
fharp,  and  is  heard  at  a  great  diftance.  Though 
he  lives  on  vegetables  only,  he  does  not  rumi- 
nate. Hence  it  is  probable,  that,  like  the  ele- 
phant, he  has  but  one  ftomach,  and  capacious 
bowels,  which  fupply  the  place  of  many  fto- 
machs.  His  confumption  of  food,  though  *:on- 
fiderable,  is  not  near  fo  great  as  that  of  the  ele- 
phant ;  and  it  appears,  from  the  denfity  and  un- 
Vol.  VI.  H  interrupted 

*  See  the  preceding  Note — The  eyes  of  the  rhinoceros  are 
very  fmall,  and  he  fees  only  forward.  When  he  walks,  or 
purfues  his  prey,  he  proceeds  always  in  a  direct  line,  forcing, 
overturning,  and  piercing  through  every  obftrudtion  that  falls 
in  his  way.  Neither  bufhes,  nor  trees,  nor  thickets  of  brambles, 
nor  large  itones,  can  turn  him  from  his  courfe.  With  the 
horn  on  his  nofe,  he  tears  up  trees,  raifes  ftoncs  high  in  the 
air,  and  throws  them  behind  him  to  a  considerable  diftance, 
and  with  a  great  noife :  In  a  word,  he  overthrows  every  ob- 
ject which  he  can  lay  hold  of.  When  he  is  enraged,  and 
meets  with  no  obftrnftion,  lowering  his  head,  he  plows  the 
ground,  and  throws  large  quantities  of  earth  over  his  head. 
He  grunts  like  a  hog :  His  cry,  when  in  a  ftate  of  tranquility* 
does  not  reach  far  ;  but,  when  in  purfuit  of  his  prey,  it  may 
be  heard  at  a  great  diftance  ;  Defer: ft.  da  Cape  de  Bcnne  -[v^ 
ranee,  par  Kolbe. 


ii4       THE    RHINOCEROS. 

interrupted  thicknefs  of  his  fkin,   that  he  alfo 
lofes  much  lefs  by  perfpiration. 


SUPPLEMENT. 


I  have  feen  a  fecond  rhinoceros,  which  was. 
lately  brought  to  the  royal  menagery.  In  the 
month  of  September  1770,  if  the  people  who 
conducted  it  can  be  credited,  the  animal  was 
only  three  months  old.  But,  I  am  perfuaded, 
that  it  was  at  leaft  two  or  three  years  of  age  ; 
for  its  body,  including  the  head,  was  already 
eight  feet  two  inches  long,  five  feet  fix  inches 
high,  and  eight  feet  two  inches  in  circumfe- 
rence. A  year  afterward,  its  body  was  length- 
ened feven  inches  ;  fo  that,  on  the  28th  day  of 
Auguft  1 77 1,  it  was  eight  feet  nine  inches,  in- 
cluding the  length  of  the  head;  five  feet  nine 
inches  high,  and  eight  feet  nine  inches  in  cir- 
cumference. On  the  1 2th  day  of  Auguft  1772, 
the  length  of  the  body,  comprehending  the  head, 
was  nine  feet  four  inches,  the  height  of  the 
crupper  fix  feet  four  inches,  and  that  of  the  wi- 
thers only  five  feet  eleven  inches.  Its  fkin  had 
the  colour  and  appearance  of  an  old  elm  tree, 
fpotted  in  fome  places  with  black  and  gray,  and 
in  others  doubled  into  deep  furrows,  which  form- 
ed a  kind  of  fcales.     It  had  only  one  horn,  the 

colour 


THE  RHINOCEROS.        1 1 


5 


colour  of  which  was  brown,  and  its  fubftance' 
folid  and  hard.  The  eyes  were  fmall  and  pro- 
minent, the  ears  large,  and  pretty  fimilar  to 
ihofe  of  an  afs.  The  back,  which  was  hollow, 
or  deprelTed,  feemed  to  be  covered  with  a  natu- 
ral faddle.  The  legs  were  fhort  and  very  thick. 
The  feet  were  rounded  behind,  and  divided  be- 
fore into  three  hoofs.  The  tail  refembled  that 
of  an  ox,  and  was  garnifhed  with  black  hairs  at 
the  extremity.  The  penis  lay  along  the  tefti- 
cles,  and  erected  itfelf  for  the  difcharge  of  urine, 
which  the  animal  threw  out  to  a  great  diftance. 
The  point  of  it  was  alfo  very  remarkable,  form- 
ing a  cavity  like  the  mouth  of  a  trumpet.  The 
fheath  from  which  it  ifTues  is  flefhy,  and  of  a 
vermilion  colour,  like  the  penis  itfelf.  This 
flefhy  fubftance,  which  formed  the  firft  tube, 
came  out  of  a  fecond  fheath  compoCed  of  fkin, 
as  in  other  quadrupeds.  The  tongue  is  fo  hard 
and  rough,  that  it  tears  off  the  fkin  of  any  per- 
ibn  whom  it  licks  ;  hence  this  animal  eats  large 
thorns,  without  feeling  any.  pain.  The  rhino- 
ceros requires  one  hundred  and  fixty  pounds  of 
food  every  day.  His  flefh  is  much  relifhed  by 
the  Indians  and  Africans,  and  efpecially  by  the 
Hottentots.  If  trained  when  young,  he  might 
be  rendered  dnmeftic,  and,  in  this  ftate,he  would 
multiply  more  eafily  than  the  elephant. 

4  I  could  never  difcover  the  reafon  (M.  P.  re- 
*  marks)  why  in  Afia  the  rhinoceros  is  allowed 


H  2  •  to 


t 


116       THE   RHINOCEROS. 

to  remain  in  a  wild  ftate,  while  in  Abyflinia  he 
is  rendered  domeftic,  and  is  employed  in  car- 
rying burdens  *.' 

*  M.  deBufFon,'  fays  Mr  Bruce,  '  conjectured 
that  there  were,  in  the  interior  parts  of  Africa, 
rhinocerofes  with  two  horns.   This  conjecture 
is  fully  verified  ;  for  all  the  rhinocerofes  I  faw 
in  Abyflinia  had  two  horns.    The  firft,  that  is, 
the   one   neareft   the   nofe,  is  of  the  common 
form  ;  the  fecond  is  fharp  at   the  point,   and 
always  fhorter  than  the  firft.     Both  fpring  at 
the  fame  time  ;  but  the  firft  grows  more  quick- 
ly, and  exceeds  the  other  in  fize,  not  only  du- 
ring the  time  of  growth,  but  during  the  whole 
life  of  the  animal  f.' 
On  the  other  hand,  M.  Allamand,  a  very  able 
naturalift,  wrote  to  M.  Daubenton  a  letter,  dated 
at  Leydon,  October  31.  1766,    in  the  following 
terms  : 

'  I   recollect   a  remark   of  M.  Parfons,   in  a 

*  paffage  quoted  by  M.  de  BufFon  :   He  fufpeet- 

*  ed  that  the  rhinocerofes  of  Afia  have  but  one 
1  horn,  and  that  thofe  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
e  Hope  have  two.  I  fufpect  the  very  oppofite  : 
1  The  heads  of  the  ihinocerofes  which  1  received 

*  from  Bengal  and  other  parts  of  India,  had  al- 
?  ways  double  horns,   and  all  thofe  which  came 

4  from 

*  Defenfe  des  Recherches  fur  ]e<;  Americains,  p.  95. 
f  Note  communicated  by  Mr  Bruce  to  M.  de  BufFon, 


Tlafe  CKXVII. 


Rhinoceros; 


THE     RHINOCEROS.       117 

c  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope   had  but  one 
'  horn.' 

This  laft  pafTage  proves  what  we  have  for- 
merly remarked,  that  the  rhinocerofes  with 
double  horns  form  a  variety  in  the  fpecies,  a 
particular  race,  which  is  found  equally  in  Afia 
and  Africa. 


H  3  The 


The  CAMEL  *    and  DROME- 
DARY**. 


THE  names  Camel  and  Dromedary  fignify 
not  two  different  fpecies,  but  only  two  di- 
flintt  races  of  the  camel,  which  have  iubfifted 

long 

*  There  are  two  fpecies  of  the  camel,  the  BaJlrian  camel, 
and  the  Arabian  camel  or  Dromedary.  They  have  no  cut- 
ting teeth  in  the  upper  jaw*  The  upper  lip  is  divided,  like 
that  of  the  hare  ;  and  they  have  fix  cutting  teeth  in  the  low- 
er jaw The  Bacti ian  camel  has  two  bunches  on  the  back, 

a  fmall  head,  fhort  ears,  and  a  long  {lender,  bending  neck. 
The  height,  to  the  top  of  the  bunches,  is  fix  feet  fix  inches. 
The  hair  is  foft,  longeft  about  the  neck,  under  the  throat, 
and  about  the  bunches.  The  colour  of  the  hair  on  the  pro- 
tuberances is  duilcy,  on  the  other  parts  it  is  a  reddilh  aih-co- 
iour.  The  tail  is  long,  the  hairs  on  the  middle  is  foft,  and 
coarfe,  black,  and  long  on  the  fides.  The  hoofs  are  fmall ; 
the  feet  flat,  divided  above,  but  not  through.  The  bottom 
of  the  feet  is  exceffively  tough,  yet  pliant.  There  are  fix  cal- 
lofities  on  the  legs,  one  on  each  knee  ;  one  on  the  infide  of  each 
fore-leg,  on  the  upper  joint  ;  one  on  the  infide  of  the  hind- 
leg,  at  the  bottom  of  the  thigh ;  another  on  the  lower  part  of 
the  bread,  the  places  that  the  animal  refts  on  when  it  lies 
down  ;  Pennant's  Sy?iopf.  of  quad.  p.  60. 

In  Greek,  K«itnA«s  B«*T£«s  ;  in  Latin,  Camclus ;  in  Italian, 
Camelo  ;  in  Spanifh,  Camelo  ;  in  German,  Koeviel ;  in  Hebrew, 
Gamal ;  in  Chaldean,  Gamala  ;  in  ancient  Arabic,  Gemal ;  in 
modern  Arabic,  Cimel ;  in  French,  Cha?neau.  From  thefe  de- 
nominations, it  appears,  that  the  name  of  this  animal  has 
been   adopted  into  modern  languages,  with  little  variation, 

from  the  ancient  Hebrew,  Chaldean,  and  Arabic. 

Camel  us 


THE    CAMEL,     &c.         119 

long  previous  to  the  records  of  hiftory.  The 
chief,  and  perhaps  the  only  fenfible  character  by 
which  thefe  two  races  are  diftinguifhed,  is,  that 
the  camel  has  two  bunches  on  the  back,  and  the 
dromedary  but  one.  The  latter  is  alio  fomewhat 
fmaller  and  weaker  than  the  camel.     But  both 

of 

Camelus  Baclrianus  ;  Arifl.  Hlfi.  Anhn.  lib.  2.  cap.  i. — Plln. 
Jib.  8.  cap.  1 8. — Gefner,  Icon.  quad.  p.  22. — Profp.  Alpln.  Hijl* 
Nat.  /Egypt,  torn.  2.  p.  224.  tab.  13. 

Camel  called  Becheti  ;  Leo,  Afrlc.  p.  338. 

Camelus  duobus  in  dorfo  tuberibus,  feu  Baftrianus  ;  Rait 
'Synopf.  quad.  p.  145". 

Camelus  Baclrianus:,  tophis  dorfi  duobus ;  Linn.  Syfl.  Nat. 
p.  90 — Klein,  quad.  p.  41. 

Perfian  camel ;  Rufel's  Aleppo,  p.  57. 

*  *  The  Arabian  camel,  or  dromedary,  has  but  one  bunch 
on  the  back.  In  all  other  refpefts  it  is  like  the  preceding,  and 
is  equally  adapted  for  riding  or  carrying  loads  ;  Pennant's  fy- 
nopf.  of  quad.  p.  62. 

In  Greek,  A^oftx?,  or  rather  Camelus  Dromas  ;  for  dromas  is 
only  an  adjective  derived  from  dromos,  which  iignihes  fuiflnefs , 
and  ca?nelus  dromas  is  equivalent  to  the  Jiuift  running  camel : 
In  modern  Latin,  Dromedarius  ;  in  the  Levant,  Maibary,  ac- 
cording to  Doctor  Shaw. 

Camelus  Arabicus  ;  Arifl.  Hifl.  Anim.  lib.  2.  cap.  I. — P/in. 
lib.  8.   cap.  18. 

Camelus  dromas  ;  Gefner.  £htad.  p.  159.  Icon.  Quad*  p.  23. 
Profp.  Alpin.  Hifl.  /Egypt,  torn.  1.  p.  223.  tab.  12. 

Camelus  unico  in  dorib  gibbo,  feu  dromedarius  ;  camel  or 
dromedary  ;   Rail  Synopf.  Quad.  p.  143.    Klein,  Quad.  p.  42. 

Camel  called  Hugiun  ;  Leo  Afric.  p.  338. 

Camelus  dromedarius,  topho  dorh  unico  ;  Linn.  Syfl.  Nat. 
p.  90. 

Chameau  5  Mem.  pour  fervir  a  Vkifl.  des  Animaux,  part.  i.p. 
69.pl.  7. 

Camel  with  cne  bunch  ;  Pocod's  travels,  vol.  I.  /.  207. 
Shaw's  travels,  p.  239=  Rufel's  Hifl.  of  Aleppo,  p.  56.  Plaifled's 
journal,  p.  82. 


120 


THE      CAMEL 


of  them  intermix  and  produce ;  and  the  indivi- 
duals Which  proceed  from  this  crofling  of  the 
races,  are  the  moft  vigorous,  and  preferred  to  all 
others  *  Thefe  mongrels  form  a  fecondary 
race,  which  multiply  among  themfelves,  and  like- 
wife  mix  with  the  primary  races.  Hence,  m 
this  fpecies,  as  well  as  in  thofe  of  other  domeftic 
animals,  there  are  many  varieties,  the  molt  ge- 
neral of  which   proceed  from  the  influence  of 

different 

i  The  Perils  have  feveral  kind,  of  camels.  Thofe  with 
t,o  bunche,  .he,  cal,  ,,,',,  and  I^^^S 
Of  thefe  U&  there  are  four  tod  .     T     fc  ca      ; 

excellence,  N<r,  that  nfg  J*^™^  and  a  female 
of  a  dromedary,  or  a  camel  wthtwo  bunch    ,  ^  ^ 

With  one  bunch,  wh,ch  ,s  called  ^  "^  d    that  fome 

S  covered  by  others,  and  arc  &  h«"j  e  "  ,0  ds  rf  „;„ 
of  them  fell  for  a  hundred  "^  ^MS-afc  When 
f.   t»  -<'«J  Jffl^.JSl"S-S    m»tt?-  enraged, 

iD  it"'  To  ^ -  t  hem  .om  hurting  their  keepers,  the 
-and  bite.     To  orgeat  ^  ^^         fc 

I'evfians  put  muzzles  on  thur  moot,  , 

The  camels  tvhich  proceed   rem  th     k,nd      g  ^ 

^S^Stth^Turks,  and  fel,  at  thirty 

wheB  h,  fcafon,  they  foam   not,  but  p« 

%f  ^  ^thSkt^!fS     They  fell  at 
thcir  hreuh,  rarfe  that  ,  &  ^  ^  ^ 

P?  Th!  c=t=  S^L.  *^  tW  A>-k  of  a   vahant 

l"^'  ,  "tat  he  is  a  fW,  and  a  poltroon  is  called  -  ,«.     A 
man,  lay  mat  nets  a  <      ,  i  d  fc 

Jfeth  Knd  -  called  by  the  PerKan      -*£   *     J    ^J 
the  Turks  V  that.?  ^«"^     ^f^  of  walk. 

but  more  fpnghtly  than  the  other  lands  ,  J*-^*  as 

iig;  like  ordinary  camels,  they  trot  and   gallop  as  v.c.1 
horfes  ;  7yage  fOkarius*  torn.  Up.  55»- 


AND    DROMEDARY.  12 

different  climates.  Ariftotle  *  has  marked  the 
two  principal  races  with  much  propriety  ;  the 
firft,  or  the  one  with  two  bunches,  under  the 
name  of  the  Baclrian  camel  If,  and  the  fecond 
under  that  of  the  Arabian  camel.  The  firft  are 
called  Turkijh  camels  J,  and  the  other  Arabian 
camels.  This  distinction  ftill  fubfifts;  but,  as 
many  parts  of  Afia  and  Africa  are  now   difco- 

vered, 

*  Camelus  proprium  inter  caeteros  quadrupedes  habet  in 
dorfo,  quod  tuber  appellant,  fed  ita  ut  Badrianae  ab  Arabiis 
differant ;  alteris  enim  bina,  altem  fingula  tubera  habentur  ; 
Arifl  hift.  anitn.  lib.  2.  cap.  I. — Theodore  Gaza,  whofe  trans- 
lation I  have  uniformly  followed  when  I  quote  from  Arif- 
totle, appears  to  have  rendered  this  paffage  in  an  ambiguous 
manner  ;  Alteris  enimbina,  alteris  fingula  tubera  habentur,  Signi- 
fies only  that  fome  have  two,  and  others  but  one  bunch  ; 
while  the  Greek  text  mentions  exprefsly,  that  the  Arabian 
camels  have  but  one,  and  the  Baftrian  camels  two  bunches. 
Pliny  likewife,  who,  in  this  article,  as  well  as  in  many  others, 
copies  Ariftotle,  has  tranflated  this  paffage  much  better  than 
Gaxa  ;  Cameli  Baclriani  et  A  rabid  differant,  quod  illi  bina  habent 
tubera  in  dorfo,  hi  fingula  ;  Plin.  Hift.  Nat.  lib.  8    cap.  18. 

f  Bactriana  is  a  province  of  Alia,  which  now  includes 
Turkeftan,  the  country  of  the  U  {becks,  &c. 

t  We  went  to  Mount  Sinai  upon  camels,  becaufe  there  is 
no  water  on  this  road,  and  other  animals  cannot  travel  with- 
out drinking. . .  •  But  the  Arabian  camels,  which  are  fmall, 
and  different  from  thofe  of  Cairo,  who  come  from  Sour,  and 
other  places,  can  travel  three  or  four  days  without  drink.  .  . 
They  travel  from  Cairo  to  Jerufalem,  not  only  upon  thefe 
fmall  Arabian  camels,  but  upon  a  larger  kind,  which  are  cal- 
led TurkiJJj  camels  ;  Voyage  de  Pietro  della  Valle,  torn.  I.  p.  360.  et 

408. In  Barbary,  the  dromedary   is   called  Maihari;  and 

is  not  fo  common  in  Barbary  as  in  the  Levant This 

fpecies  differs  from  the  ordinary  camel,  by  having  a  rounder 
and  handibmer  body,  and  only  one  fmall  bunch  on  the  back ; 
Shaw's  Travels. 


f«2  THE      CAMEL 

veredj  which  were  unknown  to  the  ancients,  it 
appears,  that  the  dromedary  is  incomparably 
more  numerous,  and  more  generally  difiufed, 
than  the  camel.  The  latter  is  found  only  in 
Turkeilan  *,  and  fome  other  places  of  the  Le- 
vant t«  But,  in  Arabia,  the  dromedary  is 
more  common  than  any  other  bead  of  burden. 
It  is  likewife  very  numerous  iii  all  the  nor- 
thern parts  of  Africa  J,  from  the  Mediterranean 
fea  to  the   river  Niger  ||.     It  is  alio   found   in 

Egypt* 

*  The  Academy  having  ordered  the  miflloners  fent  to 
China,  in  quality  of  King's  mathematicians,  to  obtain  infor- 
mation concerning  forrfe  particulars  in  the  hiftory  of  the  ca- 
mel, the  Perfian  ambaffador  gave  the  following  anfwers  to 
the  queries  put  to  him  by  M.  Conftance:  i.  That,  in  Perfia, 
there  were  camels  with  two  bunches  on  the  back ;  but  that 
they  came  originally  from  Turkeitan,  and  belong  to  the  race 
of  thofe  which  the  King  of  the  Moors  had  brought  from 
that  country,  the  only  known  part  of  Afia  where  this 
kind  exifts ;  and  that  thofe  camels  were  highly  efteemed  in 
Perfia,  becauie  their  two  bunches  render  them  more  proper 
for  carriages.  2.  That  thefe  bunches  are  not  formed  by  a  cur- 
vature of  the  back-bone,  which  is  here  as  low  as  in  any  other 
part,  but  are  only  excrefcences  of  a  glandulous  fubftance,  fimi- 
lar  to  that  which  compofes  the  udders  of  other  animals;  and 
that  the  interior  bunch  is  about  fix  inches  high,  and  the  po- 
fterior  an  inch  lower  ;  Mem.  pour  fervir  a  i'btft,  des  animauk, 
part,  l .  p.  80. 

f  The  camels  of  the  Calmuck  Tartars  are  pretty  large  and 
ftrong ;  but  they  have  all  two  bunches ;  Relation  de  la  Grandt 
Tartarle,  p.  267. 

X  Camelus  animal  blandum  ac  domeflicum  maxima  copia 
in  Africa  invenitur,  praefertim  in  defertis  Libyae,  Numidiae, 
et  Barbariae;  Leon.  Afric.  defcript.  Jfricae,  vol.  2.  pag.  748. 

|[  The  Moors  have  numerous  flocks  of  camels  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Niger;   Voyage  an  Senegal,  par  M*  Adarfon,  p.  36. 


AND    DROMEDARY.         123 

Egypt  *,  in  Perfia,  in  South  Tartary  f ,  and  in 
tire  northern  parts  of  India.  Thus  the  drome- 
dary  occupies  immenfe  territories,  and  the  camel 
is  confined  within  narrow  limits.  The  firft  in- 
habits dry  and  hot  regions,  the  fecond,  countries 
which  are  lefs  dry  and  more  temperate;  and  the 
whole  fpecies,  including  both  varieties,  feems  to 
be  limited  to  a  zone  of  three  or  four  hundred 
leagues  in  breadth,  extending  from  Mauritania 
to  China;  for,  on  either  fide  of  this  zone,  it  has 
no  exiftence.  This  animal,  though  a  native  of 
warm  climates,  dreads  thofe  which  are  exceflive- 
ly  hot.  The  fpecies  terminates  where  that  of 
the  elephant  commences ;  and  it  can  neither 
fubfift  under  the  burning  heat  of  the  Torrid 
Zone,  nor  under  the  mild  air  of  the  Temperate. 
It  feems  to  be  an   original   native   of  Arabia  J ; 

for 

*  Audio  verb  in  iEgypto  longe  plura  qUam  quater  centum 
jnillia  camelorum  vivere  ;  Profp.  dip.  Rift.  Nat.  Egypt. part.  i. 
j>ag.  226. 

f  Delectantur  etiam  Tartan  Buratflcoi  re  pecuaria,  max- 
ime  camelis,  quorum  ibi  magna  copia  eft,  uncle  complures  a 
caravannis  ad  Sinam  tendentious  redimuntur,  ita  ut  optimus 
camelus  duodecim  vel  ad  iummum  quindecim  rubelis  ha- 
beri  poffit  ;   Noviffima  Stnica  hlftoriam  nojiri  temporis  illujiratura, 

&c.  edente  G.  G.  L.  pag.  1 66. Tartary  abounds   in   cattle, 

and  particularly  in  horfes  and  camels;  Voyage  hi/iorique  de I' Eu- 
rope, torn.  7.  p.  204. 

%  Arabia  is  the  native  country  of  camels ;  for,  though 
they  are  found  in  all  places  into  which  they  have  been  car- 
ried, and  even  multiply  in  thefe  places ;  yet  there  is  no  part 
of  the  earth  where  they  are  equally  numerous;  Voyage  du  P. 
Philippe,  p.  369 — Tanta  apud  Arabes  eft  camelorum  copia, 

ut 


124  THE      CAMEL 

for  this  is  not  only  the  country  where  they  are 
moil  numerous,  but  where  they  thrive  beft. 
Arabia  is  the  drieft  country  in  the  world,  and 
where  water  is  molt  rare.  The  camel  is  the  moft 
lober  of  all  animals,  and  can  pafs  feveral  days 
without  drink  *.  The  foil  is  almoll:  every  where 
dry  and  fandy.  The  feet  of  the  camel  are  adapt- 
ed for  walking  on  fands,  and  the  animal  can- 
not fupport  itfelf  on  moift  and  flippery  ground  f. 

This 

ut  eorum  pauperrimus  decern  ad  minus  camelos  habeat : 
Multique  funt  quorum  quifque  quatuor  centum  ac  mille  etiam 
numerare  pollit ;  Profp.  Alpin.  btfi.  Egypt,  pag.  226. 

*  Without  the  aiiiftance  of  camels,  it  would  be  extremely 
difficult  to  traverfe  the  vafl  deferts  of  Solyma,  where  neither 
bird,  wild  beaft,  herbage,  nor  even  a  mufhroom  can  be  found, 
and  where  nothing  is  to  be  feen  but  mountains  of  fand,  rocks, 
and  camel's  bones.  Thefe  animals  fometimes  pafs  fix  or  fe- 
ven  days  without  drinking,  which  I  fhould  never  have  belie- 
ved, if  I  had  not  feen  the  facl  verified  ;  Relation  du  Voyage  de 

Ppncet  et  Ethiopie\  Lettres  Edijiantes,  recueil  4.  p.  259. In 

going  from  Aleppo  to  Ifpahan,  by  the  great  defert,  we  tra- 
velled near  fix  days  without  finding  water,  which,  added  to 
the  three  preceding,  make  the  nine  days  I  formerly  mentioned, 
during  which  our  camels  had  no  drink ;  Voyage  de  Taverxier, 
tojn.  1.  p.  202. 

f  Camels  cannot  walk  upon  fat  or  flippery  ground.  They 
are  only  fit  for  fandy  places;  Voyage  de  Jean  Ovington,  torn.  I. 
p.  222. — There  are  chierly  two  kinds  of  camels,  the  one  proper 
for  warm  countries,  the  other  for  cold.  The  camels  of  very 
warm  countries,  as  thofe  which  come  from  Ormus,  and  as 
far  as  Ifpahan,  cannot  walk  when  the  ground  is  moift  and 
flippery ;  for,  by  the  fpreading  of  their  hind  legs,  they  are  in, 
danger  of  tearing  open  their  bellies :  They  are  fmall,  and 
carry  loads  of  only  fix  or  feven  hundred  pounds.  .  .  .  The 
camels  of  colder  countries,  as  thofe  from  Tauris  to  Conftan- 

tinople, 


AND  DROMEDARY.         125 

This  foil   produces   no   pafture  ;  the  ox  is  alfo 
wanting  ;  and  the  camel  fupplies  his  place. 

When  we  confider  the  nature  and  ftru&ure  of 
thefe  animals,  we  cannot  be  deceived  with  re- 
gard to  their  native  country,  which  muft  be  fuit- 
ed  to  their  frame  and  temperament,  efpecially 
wnen  thefe  are  not  modified  by  the  influence  of 
other  climates.  In  vain  have  attempts  been 
made  to  multiply  them  in  Spain  *  ;  in  vain 
have  they  been  tranfported  to  America.  They 
have  neither  fucceeded  in  the  one  country  nor 
in  the  other  ;  and,  in  the  Eaft  Indies,  they  are 
not  found  beyond  Surat  and  Ormus.  We  mean 
not  to  fay  abfolutely,  that  they  cannot  fubfift  and 
produce  in  India,  Spain,  and  America,  and  even 
in  colder  countries,  as  thofe  of  France,  Germa- 
ny, &c.  "(*.  By  keeping  them,  during  the  winter, 
in  warm  {tables  ;  by  feeding  them  well,  and 
treating  them  with  care  ;  by  not  employing  them 
in  labour,  and  not  allowing  them  to  go  out  for 

exercife, 

tinople,  are  large,  and  commonly  carry  burdens  of  one  thou- 
fand  pounds.  They  draw  themfelves  out  of  miry  ground  ; 
but,  when  the  earth  is  fat  and  Hippery,  they  are  obliged  to 
go,  fometimes  to  the  number  of  a  hundred,  at  each  others 
iides,  in  order  to  pafs  over  it  ;  Voyage  de  Tavernicr,  tcm.  I. 
p.  161. 

*  Camels  are  frequently  feen  in  Spain.  They  are  fent,  by 
the  governours  of  places,  from  the  frontiers  of  Africa.  But 
they  never  live  long  there;  becaufe  the  country  is  too  cold 
for  them;  & Afrique  de  Marmot,  torn.  i.  p.  50- 

f  M.  le  Marquis  de  Montmirail  informs  me,  that  he  was 
afTured  that  the  King  of  Poland  had,  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Drefden.  camels  and  dromed?rie?  which  multiplied. 


126        THE     CAMEL 

exercife,  but  in  fine  weather,  their  lives  might 
be  preferved,  and  we  might  even  hope  to  fee 
them  produce.  But  fuch  productions  are  rare* 
and  feeble  ;  and  the  parents  themfelves  are  weak 
and  languid.  In  thefe  climates,  therefore,  they 
lofe  all  their  value,  and,  inftead  of  being  ufeful, 
they  coft  their  owners  much  expence  in  the 
rearing.  But,  in  their  native  country,  they  con- 
stitute the  fole  riches  of  their  matters  *.  The  A- 
rabians  regard  the  camel  as  a  prefent  from  hea- 
ven, a  facred  animal  "f,  without  whofe  afliftance 
they  could  neither  fubfift,  carry  on  trade,  nor 
travel.  Camel's  milk  is  the  common  food  of  the 
Arabians.  They  alfo  eat  its  flefh,  that  of  the 
young  camel  being  reckoned  highly  favoury.  Of 
the  hair  of  thofe  animals,  which  is  fine  and  foft, 
and  which  is  completely  renewed  every  year  J, 

the 

*  Ex  camelis  Arabes  divitia,s  ac  poiTeffiones  aeftimant ;  et 
fi  quando  de  divitiis  principis  aut  nobilis  cujufdam  fermo 
fiat,  poffidere  aiunt  tot  camelorum,  non  aureorum,  millia  ; 
Leon.  Afric.  defer ipi.  Afrieae,  vol.  2.  p.  748. 

+  Camelos,  quibus  Arabia  maxime  abundat,  animalia  fanc- 
ta  ii  appellant,  ex  infigni  commodo  quod  ex  ipfis  indigenae 
accipiunt ;  Profp.  Alpin.  hljl.  Egypt,  pars  \.  p.  225. 

\  In  fpring,  the  hair  of  the  camel  fells  off  fo  entirely,  that 
he  refembles  a  fcalded  hog.  He  is  then  fmeared  all  over  with 
pitch,  to  defend  him  from  the  flies.  The  hair  of  the  camel  is 
a  fleece  fupeiior  to  that  of  any  other  domeftic  animal.  In 
thefe  countries,  it  is  made  into  very  fine  fluffs,  and,  in  Europe, 
hats  are  made  of  it,  by  mixing  it  with  beaver's  hair;  Voyage  de 
Chard'uiy  torn.  2.  p.  28. — In  the  fpring,  the  whole  hair  falls  from 
the  camel  in  Iefs  than  three  days.  The  fkin  is  completely 
r.aked,  and  then  the  flies  become  extremely  troublefome,  a- 

gainft 


AND    DROMEDARY.  127 

the  Arabians  make  fluffs  for  clothes,  and  other 
furniture.  With  their  camels,  they  not  only  want 
nothing,  but  have  nothing  to  fear  *.  In  one  day, 
they  can  perform  a  journey  of  fifty  leagues  into 
the  defert,  which  cuts  off  every  approach  from 
their  enemies.  All  the  armies  of  the  world  would 
perifh  in  purfuit  of  a  troop  of  Arabs.  Hence 
they  never  fubmit,  unlefs  from  choice,  to  any 
power.  Figure  to  yourfelves  a  country  without 
verdure,  and  without  water,  a  burning  fun,  an 
air  always  parched,  fandy  plains,  mountains  {till 
more  aduft,  which  the  eye  runs  over  without 
perceiving  a  fingle  animated  being;  a  dead  earth, 
perpetually  tolfed  with  the  winds,  and  prefent- 
ing  nothing  but  bones,  fcattered  flints,  rocks  per- 
pendicular or  overturned  ;  a  defert  totally  void, 
where  the  traveller  never  breathes  under  a  made, 
where  nothing  accompanies  him,  nothing  recalls 
the  idea  of  animated  Nature  ;  abfolute  folitude, 

more 

gainfl;  which  there  is  no  other  remedy  but  befmearing  the 
whole  body  with  pitch;  Voyage  de  Taverhier,  torn.  i.p.  162. — 
Praeter  alia  emolumenta  quae  ex  camelis  capiunt,  veftes  quo- 
que  et  tentoria  ex  iis  habent;  ex  eorum  enim  pilis  multa  Hunt, 
maxime  vero  pannus,  quo  et  principes  obleclantnr  ;  Projp. 
A/pi/!,  hi/}.  JEgypt.  pars  I.  p.  226. 

*  The  camels  conflitute  the  wealth,  the  fafety,  and  the 
ftrength  of  the  Arabs ;  for,  by  means  of  their  camels,  they 
carry  all  their  effects  into  the  deferts,  where  they  have  no- 
thing to  fear  from  the  invasion,  of  enemies  ;  U  Afrique  d'O.; 
p.  1 2 — Qui  porro  camelos  pofiident  Arabes  fteriliter  vivunt 
ac  libere,  utpote  cum  quibus  in  defertis  agere  poffint ;  ad 
quae,  propter  ariditatem,  nee  reges,  nee  principes  pevver.ire 
valent;  Leo?i.  Afric.  defcript.  Africa?,  vol.  2. p.  749. 


128  THE     CAMEL 

more  dreadful  than  that  of  the  deeped  forefts  ; 
for  to  man,  trees  are,  at  lead,  vifible  obje&s : 
more  folitary  and  naked,  more  loft  in  an  unli- 
mited void,  he  every  where  beholds  fpace  fur- 
rounding  him  as  a  tomb  :  The  light  of  the  day, 
more  diimal  than  the  darknefs  of  night,  ferves 
only  to  give  him  a  clearer  view  of  his  own 
wretchednefs  and  impotence,  and  to  conceal  from 
his  view  the  barriers  of  the  void,  by  extending 
around  him  that  immenfe  abyfs  which  feparates 
him  from  the  habitable  parts  of  the  earth  ;  an 
abyfs,  which,  in  vain,  he  fhould  attempt  to  tra- 
verfe  ;  for  hunger,  thirft,  and  fcorching  heat, 
haunt  every  moment  that  remains  to  him  be- 
tween defpair  and  death. 

The  Arab,  however,  by  the  afliftance  of  his 
camel,  has  learned  to  furmount,  and  even  to  ap- 
propriate, thefe  frightful  intervals  of  Nature. 
They  ferve  him  for  an  afylum,  they  fecure  his 
repofe,  and  maintain  his  independence.  But 
man  never  ufes  any  thing  without  abufe  !  This 
fame  free,  independent,  tranquil,  and  even  rich 
Arab,  inftead  of  regarding  hisdeferts  as  the  ram- 
parts of  his  liberty,  pollutes  them  with  his  crimes. 
He  traverfes  them  to  carry  off  flaves  and  gold 
from  the  adjacent  nations.  He  employs  them 
for  perpetrating  his  robberies,  which  unluckily 
he  enjoys  more  than  his  liberty;  for  his  enter- 
prifes  are  almoft  always  fuccefsful.  Notwith- 
standing the  vigilance  of  his  neighbours,  and  the 
fuperiority  of  their  ftrength,  he  efcapes  their  pur- 

fuit, 


AND    DROMEDARY.         129 

fuit,  and  carries  off,  with  impunity,  all  that  he 
ravages  from  them.  An  Arab,  who  gives  him- 
felf  up  to  this  kind  of  terreftrial  piracy,  is  early 
accuftomed  to  the  fatigues  of  travelling,  to 
want  of  fleep,  and  to  endure  hunger,  thirft,  and 
heat.  With  the  fame  view,  he  inftru&s,  rears, 
and  exercifes  his  camels.  A  few  days  after  their 
birth  *,  he  folds  their  limbs  under  their  belly, 
forces  them  to  remain  on  the  ground,  and,  in 
this  fituation,  loads  them  with  a  pretty  heavy 
weight,  which  is  never  removed  but  for  the  pur- 
pole  of  replacing  a  greater.  Inftead  of  allowing 
them  to  feed  at  pleafure,  and  to  drink  when  they 
are  dry,  he  begins  with  regulating  their  meals, 
and  makes  them  gradually  travel  long  journeys, 
diminishing,  at  the  fame  time,  the  quantity  of 
their  aliment.  When  they  acquire  fome  ftrength, 
they  are  trained  to  the  courfe.  He  excites  their 
emulation  bv  the  examole  of  horfes,  and,  in  time, 
renders  them  equally  fwift,  and  more  rctuft  "f. 
Vol.  VI.  I  In 

*  The  young  camels,  foon  after  birth,  are  obliged  to  lie 
on  the  ground,  with  their  four  legs  folded  under  their  belly, 
for  fifteen  or  twenty  days,  in  order  to  inure  them  to  this  po- 
fture.  They  never  lie  in  another  pofition.  To  learn  them 
temperance  and  abllinence,  they  are  then  allowed  very  little 
milk  ;  and,  by  this  practice,  they  are  trained  to  continue  eight 
or  ten  days  without  diinking  :  And,  as  to  victuals,  it  is  afto* 
nifhing  that  fo  large  an  animal  mould  live  on  fo  fmall  a  quan- 
tity of  food  ;    Voyage  dc  Ckardin,  torn.  2.  />.  28. 

t  The  dromedary  is  particularly  remarkable  for  fwiftncfs. 
The  Arabs  fay,  that  he  can  travel,  as  far  in  one  day  as  one  of 
their  beft  horfes  can  do  in  eight  or  ten.  The  Bekb,  who  con- 
dueled  us  to  Mount  Sinai,  was  mounted  on  one  of  thefe  camel?, 

and 


130         THE      CAMEL 

In  fine,  after  he  is  certain  of  the  firength,  fleet-* 
nefs,  and  fobriety  of  his  camels,  he  loads  them 
both  with  his  own  and  their  food,  fcts  off  with 
them,  arrives  unperceived  at  the  confines  of  the 
defert,  robs  the  firft  paffengers  he  meets,  pillages 
the  folitarv  houles,  loads  his  camels  with  the 
booty,  and,  if  purfued,  he  is  obliged  to  accelerate 
his  retreat.  It  is  on  thefe  occafions  that  he  un- 
folds his  own  talents  and  thofe  of  the  camels. 
He  mounts  one  of  the  fleeted  *,  conducts  the 
troop,  and  makes  them  travel  night  and  day, 
without  almoft  either  flopping,  eating,  or  drink- 
ing ;  and,  in  this  manner,  he  eafily  performs  a 
journey  of  three  hundred  leagues  in  eight  daysf. 

During 

and  often  amufed  us  with  the  great  fleetnefs  of  the  animal  on 
which  he  rode.  He  quitted  our  caravan  to  reconnoitre  an- 
other, which  was  fo  diftant  that  we  could  hardly  perceive  it, 
and  returned  to  us  in  lefs  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ;  Shaw's 
travels. — A  kind  of  camels  are  reared  in  Arabia  for  the  pur- 
pofes  of  the  courfe.  They  trot  fo  fleetly,  that  a  horfe  cannot 
keep  up  with  them,  unlefs  at  a  gallop  ;  Voyage  dc  Ckardin,  torn. 
2.  p.  28. 

*  The  dromedaries  are  fo  fleet  that  they  march  thirty- five 
or  forty  leagues  a-day,  and  continue  at  this  rate  for  eight  or 
ten  days  through  the  defert,  and  eat  extremely  little.  They 
are  ufed  by  the  Arabs  of  Numidia  and  the  Lybian  Africans 
as  poft  horfes,  when  a  long  journey  is  neceflary  ;  they  like  wife 
mount  thefe  animals  in  the  time  of  combat ;  & dfriqua  ds 
Manual,  torn.  \.  p.  49. — The  true  dromedary  is  much  lighter 
and  fwifter  than  the  other  camels  ;  he  can  travel  a  hundred 
miles  in  a  day,  and  continue  at  the  fame  rate,  acrofs  the  de- 
ferts,  with  very  little  food,  for  feven  or  eight  days  ;  UAfriquc 
d'Ogilby,  p.  12. 

f  The  dromedaries  are  fmaller,  more  (lender,  and  fleeter 
.     . .  than 


AND     DROMEDARY.         131 

During  this  period  of  motion  and  fatigue,  his 
camels  are  perpetually  loaded,  and  he  allows 
thenij  each  days  one  hour  only  for  repofe,  and  a 
ball  of  pafte.  They  often  run  in  this  manner 
nine  or  ten  days,  without  finding  water  *  ;  and 
when,  by  chance,  there  is  a  pool  atfomediftance, 
they  fcent  the  water  half  a  league  oiT*f ,  Thirft 
makes  them  double  their  pace,  and  they  drink 
as  much  at  once  as  ferves  them  for  the  time  that 
is  paft,  and  as  much  to  come  ;  for  their  jour- 
neys often  lalt  feveral  weeks,  and  their  abftinence 
continues  an  equal  time. 

I  2  In 

than  the  other  camels,  and  are  ufed  only  for  carrying  men. 
They  have  a  fine  foft  trot,  and  eafily  accomplifh  forty  leagues 
a-day.  The  rider  has  only  to  keep  a  firm  feat ;  and  fome 
people,  for  fear  of  falling,  are  tied  on  ;  Relation  de  Thevenct, 
torn.   I.  p.  312. 

*  The  camel  can  difpenfe  with  drinking  during  four  or 
five  days.  A  fmall  quantity  of  beans  and  barley,  or  rather 
fome  morfels  of  pafte  made  of  flour,  are  fufficient  for  his  daily 
nourifhment.  This  fa&  I  often  experienced  in  my  journey  to 
Mount  Sinai.  Though  each  of  our  camels  carried  feven 
quintals,  we  travelled  ten,  and  fometimes  fifteen  hours  a  day, 
at  the  rate  of  two  and  a  half  miles  every  hour  ;  SkaixSj  travels. 
■ — Adeo  litim  cameli  tolerant,  ut  potu  abfque  incommodo  die- 
bus  quindecim  abftinere  poflmt.  Nociturus  alioquin  fi  ca- 
rnelarius  triduo  abfoluto  aquam  illis  porrigat,  quod  fmgulis 
quinis  aut  novenis  diebus  confueto  more  potentur  vel  urgentc 
neceffitate  quindenis  ;  Leon.  Afric.de/cript.  Africae,  vol.  2. p.  749. 
—The  patience  with  which  the  camels  fuffer  third  is  truly 
admirable.  The  laft  time  I  travelled  the  deferts,  which  the 
taravan  did  not  clear  in  lefs  than  fixty-five  days,  our  camels 
were  once  nine  days  without  drink  ;  becaufe,  during  all  this 
time,  we  found  no  water  ;  Voyage  de  Tavernier,   torn.  i.p.  162. 

f  We  arrived  at  a  hilly  country  :  At  the  foot  of  the  hills 

were 


*$i  T   HE    CAME    L 

In  Turkey,  Perfla,  Arabia,  Egypt,  Barbary, 
&c.  all  the  articles  of  merchandize  are  carried 
by  camels  *.  Of  all  carriages,  it  is  the  cheap- 
eft  and  mod  expeditious.  The  merchants  and 
other  paflengers  unite  in  a  caravan,  to  prevent 
the  infults  and  robberies  of  the  Arabs.  Thefe 
caravans  are  often  very  numerous,  and  arc  al- 
ways compofed  of  more  camels  than  men.  Each 
camel  is  loaded  in  proportion  to  his  ftrength  ; 
and,  when  over-loaded  f,  he  refufes  to  march, 
and  continues  lying  till  his  burden  is  lightened. 
The  large  camels  generally  carry  a  thoufand,  or 

even 

were  large  pools.  Oar  camels,  which  had  parted  nine  days 
without  drink,  fmelled  the  water  at  the  diftance  of  half  a 
league.  They  inftantly  began  their  hard  trot,  which  is  their 
mode  of  running,  and,  entering  the  pools  in  troops,  they  firft 
troubled  the  water,  &c  Taverjiier,  torn.  i.  p.  202. 

*  The  camels  are  very  commodious  for   carrying  baggage 

and  merchandize  at  a  fmall  expence.- -Their  fteps,  as  well 

as  their  journeys,  are  regulated. -Their  food  is  cheap;  for 

they  live    on  thirties,    nettles,    &c They  fuffer    drought 

two  or  three  days  ;    Voyage  d'Okarius,  torn.  l.p.  552. 

f  When  about  to  be  loaded,  at  the  command  of  their  con- 
ductor, they  inrtantly  bend  their  knees.  If  any  of  them  difobey, 
they  areimmediatelyftruck  with  aftick,  ortheirnecks  are  pulled 
down;  and  then,  as  if  conftrained,  and  complaining  in  their 
cwn  manner,  they  bend  their  knees,  put  their  bellies  on  the 
earth,  and.  remain  in  this  pofture  till  they  are  loaded  and 
.  deiired  to  rife.  This  is  the  origin  of  thofe  large  cal- 
Joflties  on  the  parts  of  their  bellies,  limbs,  and  knees,  which 
reft  on  the  ground.  If  over-burdened,  they  give  repeated 
blows  with  theirheads  to  the  perfon  who  oppreffes  them,  and  fet 
up  lamentable  cries.  Their  ordinary  load  is  double  that  which 
the  llrongert  mule  can  carry  ;  Voyage  du  P.  Philippe, p.  369. 


AND   DROMEDARY.         133 

even  twelve  hundred  *  pounds  weight,  and  the 
fmalleft  from  fix  to  feven  hundred  j\  in  ine*e 
commercial  travels,  their  march  is  not  hastened  : 
As  the  route  is  often  feven  or  eight  hundred 
leagues,  their  motions  and  journeys  are  regu- 
lated. They  walk  only,  and  perform  about 
from  ten  to  twelve  leagues  each  day.  Every 
night  they  are  unloaded,  and  allowed  to  pafturc 
at  freedom.  When  in  a  rich  country,  or  fer- 
tile meadow,  they  eat,  in  lefs  than  an  hour  J, 
as  much  as  ferves  them  to  ruminate  the  whole 
night,  and  to  nourifh  them  during  twenty-four 
hours.     But  they  feldom   meet   with   fuch   pa- 

I  3  llures ; 

*  Some  camels  can  carry  loads  of  fifteen  hundred  pounds. 
But  they  are  never  burdened  in  this  manner,  unlefs  when  the 
merchants  approach  the  places  where  the  imports  on  goods  are 
levied,  which  they  mean  partly  to  evade,  by  laying  as  much  on 
one  camel  as  was  carried  before  by  two.  But,  with  this 
great  load,  they  travel  not  above  two  or  three  leagues  a-day  ; 
Voyage  de  Tavernier,  torn.  2.  p.  335. 

f  In  the  Eaft,  the  camel  is  called  a  land  flrip,  on  account 
of  the  great  load  he  carries,  which,  for  large  camels,  is  gene- 
rally twelve  or  thirteen  hundred  pounds  ;  for  there  are  two 
kinds,  the  northern  and  the  fouthern,  as  they  are  denominated 
by  the  Perhans.  The  latter,  who  travel  only  from  the  Perfic 
Gulf  to  Ifpahan,  are  much  fmaller  than  the  other.'.,  and  carry- 
only  about  feven  hundred  pounds  ;  but  they  bring  as  much, 
if  not  more  profit  to  their  mailers,  becaufe  their  food  hardly 
colls  any  thing.  They  march  loaded  in  this  manner,  paftu- 
ring  along  the  road,  without  bridle  or  halter ;  Voyage  de 
Char  din,  torn.  2.  p.  27. 

%  Viflum  cameli  parcuTimum,  exiguique  fumptus  ferunt,  et 

magnis  laboribus  robuftiffime   refiftunt. — . Nullum  animal 

iilius  molis  citius   comejit  ;   Prifp.  Alp'in,  \ 


134  THE     CAM    EI* 

ftures;  neither  is  this  delicate  food  neceflary  for 
them.  They  even  fecm  to  prefer  wormwood, 
thirties  *,  nettles,  broom,  caffia  f,  and  other 
prickly  vegetables,  to  the  fofteft  herbage.  As 
long  as  they  find  plants  to  browfe,  they  eafily 
difpenfe  with  drink  %. 

Beiides,  this  facility  of  abftaining  long  from 
drink  proceeds  not  from  habit  alone,  but  is  ra- 
ther an  effed  of  their  ftructure.  Independent 
of  the  four  ftomachs,  which  are  common  to  ru- 
minating animals,  the  camels  have  a  fifth  bag, 
whicn.  ferves  them  as  a  refervoir  for  water. 
This  fifth  fto.mach  is  peculiar  to  the  camel.  1$ 
is  fo  large  as  to  contain  a  vaft  quantity  of  wa- 
ter, where  it  remains  without  corrupting,  or 
mixing  with  the  other  aliments.  When  the 
animal  is  prefTed  with  thirft,  and  has  occafion 
for  water  to  macerate  his  dry  food  in  rumina- 
ting, he  makes  part  of  this  water  mount  into  his 

paunch, 

*  When  the  camels  are  unloaded,  they  are  allowed  to  go 

in  queft  of  briars  or  brambles. Though  the  camel  is  a 

large  animal,  he  eats  little,  and  is  content  with  what  he  finds. 
He  fearches  particularly  for  thirties,  of  which  he  is  very  fond; 
Voyage  de  Tavernier,  torn.  l»  p.  162. 

f  Cameli  pafcentes  fpinam  in  Egypto  acutam,  Arabicam- 
que  etiam  vocatam  Acaciam,  in  Arabia  Petrea,  atquejuncum 
odoratum  in  Arabia  deferta,  ubivis  abfynthi  fpecies  aliafque 
herbas  et  virgulta  fpinofa  quae  in  defertis  reperiuntur  ; 
Profp.  Alpin.  Htft.  Egypt,  part.  I.  p.  226. 

%  When  the  camel  is  loaded,  he  lies  on  his  belly,  and  ne= 
ver  allows  a  greater  burden  to  be  put  on  his  back  than  he 
is  able  to  carry.  If  he  finds  herbage  to  eat,  he  can  pafs  fe- 
deral days  without  drink;  V  Afrique  d'Qgilby,  p.  it. 


A  N  D  D  R  O  M  E  D  A  R  Y.         13$ 

paunch,  or  even  as  high  as  the  oefophagus,  by 
a  iimple  contraction  of  certain  mufcles.  It  is 
by  this  lingular  ftru&ure  that  the  camel  is  en- 
abled to  pafs  ieveral  days  without  drinking,  and 
to  take  at  a  time  a  prodigious  quantity  of  water, 
which  remains  in  the  refervoir  pure  and  limpid, 
becaufe  neither  the  liquors  of  the  body,  nor  the 
juices  of  digeftion,  can  mix  with  it. 

If  we  reflect  on  the  diffimilarities  in  this  ani- 
mal from  other  quadrupeds,  we  cannot  doubt 
that  his  nature  has  been  confiderably  changed 
by  conftraint,  ilavery,  and  perpetual  labour:  Of 
all  animals,  the  camel  is  the  mod  ancient,  the 
completer!:,  and  the  moft  laborious  Have.  He  is 
the  moft  ancient  flave,  becaufe  he  inhabits  thofe 
climates  where  men  were  firft  polifhed.  He  is 
the  moft  complete  flave,  becaufe,  in  the  other 
fpecies  of  domeftic  animals,  as  the  horfe,  the  dog, 
the  ox,  the  (heep,  the  hog,  &c.  we  ftill  End  in- 
dividuals in  a  irate  of  nature,  and  which  have 
never  fubmittcd  to  men.  But  the  whole  fpecies 
of  the  camel  is  enflaved ;  for  none  of  them  ex- 
ift  in  their  primitive  ftate  of  liberty  and  indepen- 
dence. Laftly,  he  is  the  moft  laborious  flave ; 
becaufe  he  has  never  been  nourifhed  for  pomp, 
like  moft  horfes,  nor  for  amufement,  like  moft 
dogs,  nor  for  the  ufe  of  the  table,  like  the  ox, 
the  hog,  and  the  (heep;  becaufe  he  has  always 
been  made  a  beaft  of  burden,  whom  men  have 
never  taken  the  trouble  of  yoking  in  machines, 
but  have   regarded  the  body  of  the  animal  as  a 

living 


136  THE      CAMEL 

living  carriage,  which  they  may  load,  or  overload, 
even  during  fleep ;  for,  when  hurried,  the  load 
is  fometimes  not  taken  off,  but  he  lies  down  to 
fleep  under  it,  with  his  legs  folded  *,  and  his 
body  refting  on  his  ftomach.  Hence  thefe  ani- 
mals perpetually  bear  the  marks  of  fervitude  and 
pain.  Upon  the  under  part  of  the  breaft,  there 
is  a  large  callofity  as  hard  as  horn,  and  fimilar 
ones  on  the  joints  of  the  limbs.  Though  thefe  cal- 
lofities  are  found  on  all  camels,  they  exhibit  a 
proof  that  they  are  not  natural,  but  produced  by 
exceffive  conftraint  and  painful  labour;  for  they 
are  often  filled  with  pus  t«  The  bread  and  legs, 
therefore,  are  deformed  by  callofities  ;  the  back 
is  flill  more  disfigured  by  one  or  two  bunches. 
The  callofities,  as  well  as  the  bunches,  are  per- 
petuated by  generation.  As  it  is  obvious,  that 
the  firft  deformity  proceeds  from  the  conftant 
practice  of  forcing  thefe  animals,  from  their  ear- 
lier!: age  J,  to  lie  on  their  ftomach,  with  their  limbs 

folded 

*  In  the  night,  the  camels  deep  on  their  knees,  and  rumi- 
nate what  they  have  eaten  during  the  day  ;  I  'oyage  da  P. 
Philippe,  p.  269. 

f  Having  opened  the  callofities  on  the  legs  to  examine  their 
ftruclure,  which  is  a  medium  between  fat  and  ligament,  w« 
found,  in  a  fmall  camel,  that  fomc  of  them  contained  a  collection 
ot  thick  pus.  The  callofity  on  the  fternum  was  eight  inches 
long,  fix  broad,  and  two  thick.  In  it  likewife  we  found  a  great 
deal  of  pus;  Mem.  pour  fervir  a  Vhijt.  des.   annua ux,  part.    1. 

h  74- 

%   As  foon  as  a  camel  is  brought    forth,  his  four  lep-s  are 

folded  under  his  body.     After  which,  be  is  covered  with  a 

,    ::h.  hangs  down  to  the  ground,  and  on  the  borders 

of 


AND   DROMEDARY.         137 

folded  under  the  body,  and,  in  this  fituation,  to 
bear  both  the  weight  of  their  own  bodies,  and 
that  of  the  loads  laid  on  their  backs,  we  ought 
to  prefume  that  the  bunch  or  bunches  have  alfo  o- 
riginated  from  the  unequal  preffure  of  heavy  bur- 
dens, which  would  naturally  make  the  flefh,  the 
fat,  and  the  fkin,  fwell ;  for  thefe  bunches  are  not 
offeous,  but  compofed  of  a  flefhy  fubftance  fimi- 
lar  to  that  of  a  cow's  udder  *.  Hence  the  cal- 
lofities  and  bunches  mould  be  equally  regarded 
as  deformities  produced  by  continual  labour  and 
bodily  conftraint;  and,  though  at  firft  accidental 
and  individual,  they  are  now  become  permanent 
and  common  to  the  whole  fpecies.  We  may 
likewife  prefume,  that  the  bag  which  contains 
the  water,  and  is  only  an  appendix  to  the  paunch, 
has  been  produced  by  an  unnatural  extenfion  of 
this  vifcus.  The  animal,  after  fufFering  third 
for  a  long  time,  by  taking  at  once  as  much,  and 
perhaps  more  water  than  the  ftomach  could  ea- 
iily  contain,  this  membrane  would  be  gradually 
extended  and  dilated ;  in  the  fame  manner  as 
we  have  feen  the  ftomach  of  a  iheep  extend  in 
proportion  to  the  quantity  of  its  aliment.  In 
iheep  fed  with  grain,  the  ftomach  is  very  fmall; 

but 

of  which  a  quantity  of  ftones  are  laid,  to  prevent  him  from 
rifmg,  and  in  this  pofition  he  remains  fifteen  or  twenty  days. 
He  is  ferved  with  milk,  but  very  fparingly,  in  order  to  ar- 
cuftom  him  to  drink  little  ;  Voyage  ds  Tavernier,  torn.  l.p.  i6r. 
*  The  flefh  of  the  camel  is  infipid,  efpecially  that  of  the 
bunch,  the  tafte  of  which  refembles  that  of  a  fat  cow's  ud 
VAfriqtie  dc  Manuel,  torn.  l.p.  50. 


138        THE      CAMEL 

but  becomes  very  large  in  thofe  fed  with   her> 
bage  alone. 

Thcfe  conjectures  would  be  either  fully  con- 
firmed or  deftroyed,  if  we  had  wild  camels  to 
compare  with  the  domeftic.  But  thefe  animals 
no  where  exift  in  a  natural  ftate,  or,  if  they  do, 
no  man  has  obierved  or  defcribed  them.  We 
ought  to  fuppofe,  therefore,  that  every  thing 
good  and  beautiful  belongs  to  Nature,  and  that 
whatever  is  defective  and  deformed  in  thefe  ani- 
mals proceeds  from  the  labour  and  flavery  im- 
pofed  on  them  by  the  empire  of  man.  Thefe 
inofFenfive  creatures  muft  fuffer  much;  for  they 
utter  the  mod  lamentable  cries,  efpecially  when 
overloaded.  But,  though  perpetually  opprefled, 
their  fortitude  is  equal  to  their  docility.  At  the 
firft  fignal*,  they  bend  their  knees  and  lie  down 
to  be  loaded  f,  which  faves  their  conductor  the 

trouble 

#  The  camels  are  fo  obedient  to  their  mailers,  that,  when 
he  wants  to  load  or  unload  them,  by  a  fmgle  word  or  fignal, 
they  inltantly  lie  down  on  their  bellies.  Their  food  is  fcanty 
and  their  labour  great ;  Cofmog.  du  Levatittpnr  Tbevet,  p.  74. — 
They  are  accuftomed  to  lie  down  to  be  loaded,  by  having 
their  legs  folded  under  them  when  very  young;  and  their  obe- 
dience is  fo  prompt  as  to  excite  admiration.  Whenever  the 
caravan  arrives  at  the  place  of  encampment,  all  the  camels 
which  belong  to  one  mafter  range  themfelves  fpontaneoufly 
in  a  circular  form,  and  lie  down  on  their  four  legs ;  fo  that, 
by  loofing  a  cord  which  binds  the  bales,  they  gently  fall  down 
on  each  ride  of  the  animal.  When  the  time  of  loading  ar- 
rives, the  camels  come  and  lie  down  between  the  bales,  and, 
after  they  are  fixed,  rife  foftly  with  their  load.  This  exercife 
they  perform  in  a  fhort  time,  and  without  the  fmalleft  trou- 
ble or  noife;    Voyage  de  Tavernler,  torn.  Up.  160. 

f  The  camels.,  when  about  to  be  loaded,  lie  down  on  their 

four 


AND    DROMEDARY.         139 

trouble  of  raifing  the  goods  to  4  great  height. 
As  foon  as  they  are  loaded,  they  rife  fpontaneouf- 
ly,  and  without  any  afliftance.  One  of  them  is 
mounted  by  their  conductor,  who  goes  before, 
and  regulates  the  march  of  all  the  followers. 
They  require  neither  whip  nor  fpur.  But,  when 
they  begin  to  be  tired,  their  courage  is  fupported, 
or  rather  their  fatigue  is  charmed,  by  fmging,  or 
J>y  the  found  of  fome  inftrument*.  Their  con- 
ductors relieve  each  other  in  fmging  ;  and,  when 
they  want  to  prolong  the  journey  f>  they  give 

the 

four  legs,  and  then  rife  with  their  burden  ;  Voyage  de  la  Bote- 
laiele-GouZt  p.  255. — The  camels  lie  down  to  be  loaded  or 
unloaded,  and  rile  when  defired ;  Relation  de  Thevenot,  torn.  I. 

A  312- 

*  The  camels  rejoice  at  the  harmonious  found  of  the  voice , 

or  of  fome  inftrument.  ....  The  Arabs  ufe  timbrels,  be- 
caufe  whipping  does  not  make  the  animals  advance.  But 
mufic,  and  particularly  that  of  the  human  voice,  animates 
and  gives  them  courage;  Voyage  d'Oleariuj,  torn.  l.  p.  552. — 
When  their  conductor  wants  to  make  his  camels  perform  ex- 
traordinary journeys,  inftead  of  chaltiling,  he  encourages 
them  with  a  fong_;  and,  though  they  had  formerly  ftopt, 
and  refufed  to  proceed  farther,  they  now  go  on  chearfully, 
and  quicker  than  a  horfe  when  pufhed  with  the  fpur;  UAfri- 
que  de  Marmol,  torn  I.  p.  47. — The  maftcr  conducts  his  camels 
by  fmging,  and,  from  time  to  time,  blowing  his  whiftle.  The 
more  he  fmgs,  and  the  louder  he  blows,  the  animals  march 
the  quicker ;  and,  when  he  ceafes  to  fing,  they  flop.  Their 
conductors  relieve  each  other  by  fmging  alternately,  &c. 
Voyage  de  Tavernier,  torn.  l./>.  163. 

t  It  is  remarkable,  that  the  camels  learn  to  march  by  a 
kind  of  fmging  ;  for  they  proceed  quickly  or  flowly,  accor- 
ding to  the  found  of  the  voice.  In  the  fame  manner,  when 
their  matters  want  an  extraordinary  journey  performed,  they 

know 


140 


THE      CAMEL 


the  animals  but  one  hour's  reft ;  after  which, 
reluming  their  fong,  they  proceed  on  their 
march  for  feveral  hours  more,  and  the  finging  is 
continued  till  they  arrive  at  another  refting-place, 
when  the  camels  again  lie  down;  and  their  loads, 
by  unloofing  the  ropes,  are  allowed  to  glide  off 
on  each  fide  of  the  animals.  Thus  they  ileep  on 
their  bellies  in  the  middle  of  their  baggage,  which, 
next  morning,  is  fixed  on  their  backs  with  equal 
quicknefs  and  facility  as  it  haa*  been  detached  the 
evening  before. 

The  callofities  and  tumours  on  the  breaft  and 
legs,  the  contufions  and  wounds  of  the  fkin,  the 
complete  falling  ofF  of  the  hair,  hunger,  thirft, 
and  meagernefs,  are  not  the  only  inconveniences 
to  which  thefe  animals  are  fubje&ed  :  To  fufFer  all 
thefe  evils  they  are  prepared  by  caftration,  which 
is  a  misfortune  greater  than  any  other  they  are 
obliged  to  undergo.  One  male  is  only  left  for  eight 
or  ten  females  * ;  and  the  labouring  camels  are 
generally  geldings.  They  are  unquestionably 
weaker  than  unmutilated  males ;  but  they  are 
more  tradable,  and  at  all  feafons  ready  for  ier- 
vice.  While  the  former  are  not  only  unma- 
nageable, but  almoit  furious  t,  during  the  rut- 


ting 


know  the  tunes  which  the  animals  love  beft  to  hear;  Voyage 
de  Char  din,  torn.  2.  p.  28. 

*  The  Africans  geld  all  their  camels  which  are  deftined 
to  carry  burdens,  and  only  one  entire  male  is  left  for  ten  fe- 
males;   U /jfrique  de  Alamo/,  torn.  I.  p.  48. 

f  In  the  rutting  feafon,  the  camels  are  extremely  trouble- 
{hme.  They  fret  and  foam,  and  bite  every  perfon  who  ap- 
proaches 


AND    DROMEDARY.        141 

ting  feafon,  which  lafts  forty  days  *,  and  returns 
annually  in  the  fpring  t«  It  is  then  faid,  that 
they  foam  continually,  and  that  one  or  two  red 
veficles,  as  large  as  a  hog's  bladder,  iflue  from 
their  mouths  J.  In  this  feafon,  they  eat  little, 
attack  and  bite  animals,  and  even  their  own  ma- 
ilers, 

proaches  them,  and  for  that  reafon  they  are  muzzled  ;  Rela- 
tion de  Thevenot,  torn.  i.  p.  222. — When  the  camels  are  in  fea- 
fon, thofe  who  have  the  charge  of  them  are  obliged  to  muzzle 
them  and  to  be  much  on  their  guard  ;  for  the  animals  are 
mifchievous,  and  even  furious  ;  Voyage  de  Jean  Ovington,  torn* 
\.  p.  222. 

*  The  camels,  in  the  feafon  of  love,  are  dangerous.  This 
feafon  continues  forty  days,  and,  when  part,  they  refume 
their  ordinary  mildnefs  ;  L'Afrique  de  Marmol,  torn.  1.  p.  49. 

\  The  male  camels,  which,  in  all  other  feafons,  are  ex- 
tremely gentle  and  tradable,  become  furious  in  the  fpring, 
which  is  the  time  of  their  copulating.  Like  the  cats,  the 
camels  generally  perform  this  operation  during  the  night. 
The  fheath  of  their  penis  then  lengthens,  as  happens  to  all 
animals  which  lie  much  on  their  bellies.  At  all  other  times, 
it  is  more  contracted  and  inclined  backward,  that  they  may 
difcharge  their  urine  with  more  eafe  ;  Shaw's  travels. — In 
the  month  of  February,  the  camels  come  in  feafon,  and 
the  males  are  fo  furious,  that  they  foam  inceiiantly  at  the 
mouth  ;    Voyage  de  la  Boulaie  le-Gcuz,  p.  256. 

X  When  the  camel  is  in  feafon,  he  continues  forty  days 
without  eating  or  drinking  ;  and  he  is  then  fo  furious,  that, 
unlefs  prevented,  he  bites  every  perfon  who  comes  near  him- 
Wherever  he  bites,  he  carries  off  the  piece  ;  and  from  his 
mouth  there  ilfues  a  white  foam,  accompanied  with  two  blad- 
ders, which  are  large  and  blown  up  like  the  bladder  of  a  hog  ; 
Voyage  de  Tavernier,  torn.  1.  p.  j  61 . — The  camels,  when  in  fea- 
fon, live  forty-two  days  without  food  ;  Relat.  de  Thevenot.,  torn. 
2.  p.  222. — '  Veneris  furore  diebus  quadraginta  permanent 
«  famis  patientes ,-'  Leon.  Afric.  vol.  2.  p.  748. — In  the  rutting 
feafon,  which  lafts  five  or  fix  weeks,  the  camel  eats  much  lefs 
than  at  any  other  time  ;  Voyage  de  Chardlr^  torn.  2.  p.  28. 


H2  TH£    CAMEL 

fters,  to  whom,  at  all  other  times,  they  are  very- 
fubmiffive.  Their  mode  of  copulating  differs 
from  that  of  all  other  quadrupeds  ;  for  the  fe- 
male, inftead  of  (landing,  lies  down  on  her  knees, 
and  receives  the  male  in  the  fame  pofition  that 
me  repoles,  or  is  loaded  *.  This  pofiure,  to 
which  the  animals  are  early  accuftomed,  becomes 
natural,  lince  they  afTume  it  fpontaneoufly  in 
coition.  The  time  of  geftation  is  near  twelve 
months  f ,  and,  like  all  large  quadrupeds,  the  fe- 
males bring  forth  only  one  at  a  birth.  Her  milk 
is  copious  and  thick  ;  and,  when  mixed  with 
a  large  quantity  of  water,  affords  an  excellent 
nourifhment  to  men.  The  females  are  not  o- 
bliged  to  labour,  but  are  allowed  to  pafture  and 

produce 

*  When  the  camels  copulate,  the  female  lies  down  in  the 
fame  manner  as  when  fhe  is  about  to  be  loaded.  Some  of 
them  go  thirteen  months  with  young  ;  Relation  de  Thevetiot, 
torn.  2.  p.  23. — The  female  receives  the  male  lying  on  her 
belly  ;  Voyage  de  Jean  Ovington,  p.  223. — It  is  remarkable,  that, 
when  thefe  animals  copulate,  the  females  lie  on  their  bellies 
in  the  fame  manner  as  when  they  are  loading.  The  time  of 
their  geftation  is  from  eleven  to  twelve  months  ;  Voyage  de 
Chardin,  torn.  2,p*  28. — It  is  true,  that  the  females  go  with 
young  twelve  months :  But  thofe  who  aflert,  that,  during  the 
time  of  ccirien,  the  male  turns  his  crupper  to  the  female,  are 
■deceived.  This  error  proceeds  from  the  circumftance  of  his 
difcharging  his  urine  backward,  by  placing  the  penis  between' 
the  two  hind  legs.  But,  in  copulating,  the  female  lies  on  her 
belly,  and  receives  the  male  in  that  pofition  ;  Voyage  de  Olea- 
rhis,  torn.  1.  /.  5^3. 

\  The  females  go  with  young  near  twelve  months,  or  front 
one  fpting  to  the  following  j  Shaw's  travels. 


AND    DROMEDARY.     t  143 

produce  at  full  liberty*.  The  advantages  deri- 
ved from  their  produce  and  their  milkf,  are  per- 
haps luperior  to  what  could  be  drawn  from  their 
work.  In  fome  places,  however,  molt  of  the 
females  are  caftrated  J,  in  order  to  fit  them  for 
labour;  and  it  is  alledged,  that  this  operation, 
inftead  of  diminifhing,  augments  their  ilrength, 
vigour,  and  plumpnefs.  in  general,  the  fatter 
camels  are,  they  are  the  more  capable  of  endu- 
ring great  fatigue.  Their  bunches  feem  to  pro- 
ceed from  a  redundance  of  nourifhment ;  for, 
during  long  journeys,  in  which  their  conductor 
is  obliged  to  hufband  their  food,  and  where  they 
often  fufFer  much  hunger  and  thirft,  thefe  bunch- 
es gradually  diminim,  and  become  fo  flat,  that 
the  place  where  they  were  is  only  perceptible  bv 
the  length  of  the  hair,  which  is  always  longer 
on  thefe  parts  than  on  .the  reft  of  the  back.  The 
meagernefs  of  the  body  augments  in  proportion 
as  the  bunches  decreafe.  The  Moors,  who  tranf- 
port  all  articles  of  merchandifefrom  Barbary  and 
Numidia,  as  far  as  iEthiopa,  fet  out  with  their 
camels  well  laden,  and  when  they  are  very  fat 

and 

*  Camelos  foeminas  intactas  propter  earum  lac  fervant, 
eas  omni  labore  folutas  vagari  permittentes  per  loca  fylveftria 
pafcentes,  &c.  Profp.  Alpin.  hij}.  /Egypt,  part.  i.  p.  226. 

f  Of  the  camel's  milk,  fmall  cheefes  are  made,  which  are 
%rcry  dear,  and  highly  efteemed  among  the  Arabs ;  Voyage  da 
P.  Philippe,  p.  370. 

%  The  males  are  caftrated  ;  and  the  females  fometimes  un- 
dergo a  fimilar  operation,  which  renders  them  ftronger  and 
larger  ;  JVotton,  p.  8.2. 


i44         THE    CAMEL 

and  vigorous  *  ;  and  bring  back  the  fame  animals 
fo  meager,  that  they  commonly  fell  at  a  low  price 
to  the  Arabs  of  the  Defert,  to  be  again  fattened. 
We  arc  told  by  the  ancients,  that  camels  are 
in  a  condition  for  propagating  at  the  age  of  three 
years  f.  This  affertion  is  fufpicious  ;  for,  in 
three  years,  they  have  not  acquired  one  half  of 
their  growth  if.  The  penis  of  the  male,  like  that 
of  the  bull,  is  very  long,  and  very  (lender  |[. 
During  ere&ion,  it  ftretches  forward,  like  that 
of  all  other  quadrupeds;  but,  in  its  ordinary 
ftate,  the  fheath  is  drawn  backward,  and  the  urine 
is  difcharged  from  between  the  hind  legs  §  ;  fo 

that 

*  When  the  camels  begin  their  journey,  it  is  necelfary 
that  they  fnould  be  fat ;  for,  when  this  animal  has  travelled 
forty  or  fifty  days  without  having  barley  to  eat,  the  fat  of 
the  bunches  begins  to  diminifh,  then  that  of  the  belly,  and, 
laftly,  that  of  the  limbs  ;  after  which  he  is  no  longer  able  to 
carry  his  load.  .  .  .  The  caravans  of  Africa,  which  travel 
to  ./Ethiopia,  never  think  of  bringing  back  their  camels  ;  be- 
caufe  they  tranfport  no  heavy  goods  from  that  country  ;  and, 
when  they  arrive,  they  fell  their  meager  animals  ;  & Afrique 
de  Marmol,  torn.  i.  p.  49. — Camelos  macilentos,  dorfique  vul- 
neribus  faucios,  vili  pretio  Defertorum  incolis  faginandos  di- 
vendunt  ;   Leon.  Afric.  dejeript.  Africae,  vol.  2.  p.  479. 

f  Incipit  mas  et  foemina  coire  in  trimatu  ;  Arijl.  H'tfl. 
anim.  lib.  5.  cap.  14. 

1  In  the  year  1752,  we  faw  a  female  camel  of  three  years 
of  "age.  .  .  .  She  had  not  acquired  above  one  half  of  her 
itature ;  Hi/?.  Nat.  des  Animaux,  par  Mef.  Arnault  de  NMevitlc 
ct  Salerr.e,  tcm.  4.  p.  126.  et  130. 

||  Though  the  camel  is  a  large  animal,  his  penis,  which  is 
at  leafi  three  feet  long,  is  not  thicker  than  the  little  finger  of 
a  man  ;    Voyage  d'Olearius,  torn.  1.  p.  554. 

§  The  camels  difcharge  their  urine  backward.      Perfons 

unacquainted 


AND    DROMEDARY.         145 

that  both  males  and  females  urine  in  the  fame 
manner.  The  young  camel  fucks  his  mother 
twelve  months  *  ;  but,  when  defigned  to  be  train- 
ed, in  order  to  render  him  ftrong  and  robuft  in 
the  chafe,  he  is  allowed  to  fuck  and  pafture  at 
freedom  during  the  fir  ft  years,  and  is  not  loaded, 
or  made  to  perform  any  labour,  till  he  is  four 
years  of  age  ~\\  He  generally  lives  forty  and 
fometimes  fifty  years  J,  and  the  duration  of  his 
life  is  thus  proportioned  to  the  time  of  his 
growth.  Their  is  no  foundation  for  what  has 
been  advanced  by  fome  authors,  that  he  lives  one 
hundred  years. 

By  confidering,  under  one  point  of  view,  all 
the  qualities  of  this  animal,  and  all  the  advanta- 
ges derived  from  him,  it  muft  be  acknowledged 
that  he  is  the  raoft  ufeful  creature  which  waseyer 
fubjeded  to  the  fervice  of  man.  Gold  and  iilk 
conftitute  not  the  true  riches  of  the  halt.  1  lie 
camel    is   the  genuine  treafure  of  Afi  e  is 

more  valuable  than  the  elephant  ;  for  he  may  De 
faid  to  perform  an  equal  quarwity  of  labour  at  a 

Vol.  VI.  K  twentieth 

unacquainted  with  this  circumftance,   are  liable  to  have  their 
clothes  foiled  with  urine;  Cofmographte  die  Levant,  par 
p.  74.  — The  camel  difcharges  his  urine  backward  ;  Voyage  de 
Villamoni,  />.  688. 

*  Separant  prolem  a  parente  anniculam  ;  Arijl.  Hi/}.  anim% 
lib.  6.  cap.  26. 

+  The  camels  called  Heginby  the  Africans,  are  the  lar^eR  ; 
but  they  arc  never  loaded  till  they  are  four  years  old  ;  L'A- 
ftlque  de  Marmol,  torn.  I.  p.  48. 

X  Camelus  vivit  din,  plus  enim  quam  quadraginta  annos  ; 
/irift.  Hijl.  anim.  lib*  6.  cap.  26. 


146  THE     CAMEL 

twentieth  part  of  theexpence.  Befides,  the  whole 
fpccics  are  fubjected  to  man,  who  propagates  and 
multiplies  them  at  pleafure.  But  he  has  no  fuch 
dominion  over  the  elephants,  whom  he  cannot 
multiply,  and  the  individuals  of  which  he  con- 
quers wuh  great  labour  and  difficulty.  The  ca- 
mel is  not  only  more  valuable  than  the  elephant, 
but  he  is  perhaps  equal  inutility  to  thehorfe,  the 
ais,  and  the  ox,  when  their  powers  are  united. 
He  carries  as  much  as  two  mules,  though  he 
eats  as  little,  and  feeds  upon  herbs  equally  coarfe, 
as  the  afs.  The  female  furnifhes  milk  longer 
than  the  cow  *.  The  rlefh  of  young  camels  is 
as  good  and  wholefome  *(*  as  veal.  Their  hair  is 
finer  J  and  more  in  requeft  than  the  beft  wool. 
Even  their  excrements  are  ufeful  ;  for  fal  am- 
moniac is  made  of  their  urine,  and  their  dung 

ferves 

*  Park  in  vere,  et  lac  fuum  ufquc  eo  fervat  quo  jam  con- 
ceperit ;  Arifl  Hijl.  anim.  lib.  6.  cap.  26. — Foemina  pod  par- 
turn  interpolito  anno  coit ;  Id.  lib.  5.  cap.  14. 

f  The  Africans  and  Arabs  fill  their  pots  and  tubs  with  ca- 
mels flefh,  which  is  fried  with  greafe,  and  preferved  in  this 
manner  during  the  whole  year  for  their  ordinary  repails  ; 
& Afrique  de  Marmot,  torn.  1.  p.  5©. — Praeter  alia  animalia 
quorum  carnem  in  cibo  plurimi  faciunt,  cameli  in  magno  ho- 
nore  exidunt  ;  in  Arabum  principum  cailris  cameli  plures 
unius  anni  aut  biennes  maclantur,  quorum  carnes  avide  co- 
medunt,  eafque  odoratas,  iuaves,  atque  optimas  effe  fatentur ; 
Profp  Alpin.  Hijl.  JEgypt.  part.  I.  ...  226. 

%  Socks  are  made  of  the  camel's  hair  ;  and,  in  Perfia,  fine 
girdles  are  made  of  it,  fome  of  which,  efpecially  when  white, 
coft  two  tomans,  becaufe  camels  of  this  colour  are  rare  ;  i?^ 
lotion  ds  Thevenot,  torn.  2.  p.  223. 


AND   DROMEDARY.         147 

ferves  for  Jitter  *  to  themfelves,  as  well  as  to 
horfcs,  with  which  people  frequently  travel  t 
in  countries  where  no  hay  or  ftraw  can  be  had. 
In  fine,  their  dung  makes  excellent  fewel.  It 
burns  freely  J,  gives  as  clear  and  nearly  as 
hot  a  flame  as  dry  wood,  and  is  of  great  ufe 
in  the  deferts,  where  not  a  tree  is  to  be  found, 
and  where,  for  want  of  combuftible  materials, 
fire  is  as  fcarce  as  water  §. 


SUPPLEMENT. 

Having  little   to  add  to  what  has  been    faid 
with   regard  to  the   camel  and   dromedary,  we 

K  2  ihall 

*  Their  own  dung  ferves  them  for  litter.  For  this  purpofe 
it  is  expofed  to  the  fan  during  the  day,  which  dries  It  ib 
completely,  that  it  crumbles  down  into  a  kind  of  powder, 
which  is   carefully    fpread  for    litter ;   Relation   de   Thsvenoty 

A  73- 

f  The  ancients  tell  us,  without  any  foundation,  that  the 
camels  have  a  great  antipathy  to  horfes.  I  could  not  learn, 
fays  Oleariiis,  why  Pliny,  after  Xenophon,  fhould  advance, 
that  camels  have  an  averfion  to  horfes.  When  I  mentioned  it 
to  the  Perfians,  they  laughed  at  me.  .  .  .  There  is  hardly  a 
caravan  In  which  there  are  not  camels,  horfes,  and  affes,  all 
lodged  promifcuoufly  together,  without  difcovering  the  fmall- 
eft  averfion  or  animofity  againft  each  other  ;  Voyage  d,Olearius> 
torn.  1.  p.  553. 

\  The  camels  dung  left  by  fome  caravans,  which  had  gone 
before  us,  generally  ferved  us  for  fewel  ;  for,  after  being  ex- 
pofed a  day  or  two  to  the  fun,  it  is  eafily  inflamed,  and  burns 
as  clear  and  with  as  ftrong  a  heat  as  dried  wood  or  charcoal ; 
Shaw's  travels. 

§  Hift.  Nat.  des  animaux,  par  Men".  Arnault  de  Nobleville 
jpt  Sakrne,  torn.  4.  p.  313. 


148  THE     CAMEL 

fhall  content  ourfelves  with  quoting  a  pafTage 
from  M.  Niebuhr'sdefcription  of  Arabia,  p.  144. 
*  In  the  country  of  Iman,  moll  of  the  camels 
are  of  a  middle  ftature,  and  of  a  bright  brown 
colour  ;  fome  of  them,  however,  are  large, 
heavy,  and  of  a  deep  brown  colour.  When 
about  to  copulate,  the  female  lies  down  on  her 
legs  ;  and  her  fore  legs  are  tied,  to  pre- 
vent her  from  rifing.  The  male  fits  on  his 
pofteriors  like  a  dog,  with  his  two  fore  feet 
reding  on  the  ground.  He  feems  to  be  cold- 
er and  more  indifferent  than  any  other  animal; 
for  he  often  requires  to  be  teazed  a  long  time 
before  the  ardour  of  love  is  excited.  When 
the  operation  is  finimed,  the  female  is  ftidden- 
ly  railed  and  forced  to  walk.  The  fame  thing, 
it  is  faid,  takes  place  in  Mefopotamia,  Natolia, 
and  probably  every  where  elfe.' 
I  remarked,  that  camels  had  been  tranfported 
to  the  Canaries,  Antilles,  and  Peru  ;  but  thai  they 
had  not  fucceeded  in  any  part  of  the  New  World. 
Dr  Brown,  in  his  hiftory  of  Jamaica,  affirms,  that 
he  faw  dromedaries  there,  which  the  Englifh,  in 
former  times,  had  tranfported  thither  in  great 
numbers,  and  that,  though  they  ftill  fubiift,  they 
are  of  little  ufe  ;  becaufe  the  inhabitants  are  ig- 
norant of  the  proper  manner  of  feeding  and 
treating  thefe  animals.  They,  however,  multi- 
ply in  all  thefe  climates,  and  I  doubt  not  but 
they  might  produce  even  in  France.  We  fee 
from  the  Gazette  of  June  9.  1775,  thatM.  Brin- 

kenof 


AND     DROMEDARY.         149 

kenof  having  made  a  male  and  female  camel 
copulate  in  his  territories  near  Berlin,  obtained, 
on  the  24th  day  of  March  1775,  after  a  period 
of  twelve  months,  a  young  camel,  which  was 
healthy  and  vigorous.  This  fa£t  confirms  what 
I  faid  concerning  the  production  of  dromedaries 
and  camels  at  Drefden  ;  and  I  am  perfuaded, 
that,  if  we  had  Arabian  fervants,  who  know 
how  to  manage  thefe  animals,  we  might  foon 
render  this  fpecies  domed ic,  which  I  confider  as 
the  mod  ufeful  of  all  quadrupeds. 


K  3  The 


The  BUFFALO*,  the  BONASUS  f , 
theURUSJ,  the    BISON  ||,    and 
the  ZEBU  §. 

THE  Buffalo,  though  now  common  in  Greece, 
and    domeftic    in    Italy,   was     unknown 
both  to  the  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans  -}  for  he 

has 

*  This  animal  has  no  name  either  in  Greek  or  Latin.  In 
modern  Latin,  Bubalus,  Buffelus ;  in  Italian  Bufalo  ;  in  Ger- 
man, Buffel ;  at  Congo,  according  to  Dapper,  Empakaffa,  or 
Pakaffa  ;  and  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  according  to  Kolbe, 
Gu-Aroho. 

Bos  bubalus,  cornibu.s  refupinatis,  intortis,  antice  planis ; 
Lin?i.  fyjl.  nat.  p.  99. 

Buffelus  vel  Bubalus  vulgaris  ;  Johnjlon  de  quad.  p.  38.  tab. 
20. 

Buffle;  Kolbe  defer ipt.du  Cap  de  Bonne-Efperatice,  torn.  3./..  25. 
//.  at  p.  54.  fig.  3.  Note.  I  have  here  quoted  Johnfton  and 
Kolbe  folely  becaufe  the  figures  they  have  given  of  the  Buffalo 
are  not  fo  bad  as  thofe  of  ot  her  authors. 

f  Bonafus  quoque  e  fylveftribus  cornigeris  enumerandus 
eft;  Arifl.  hijl.  an'wi.  lib.  2.  cap.  I.  ...  Sunt  nonnulla  quae 
fimul  bifulca  funt,  et  jubam  habeant  et  cornua  bina,  orbem 
inflexu  mutuo  colligentia,  gerant,  ut  bonafus,  qui  in  Poeonia 
terra  et  Media  gignitur ;  Idem.  Ibid.  ....  Bonafus  etiam  in- 
teriora  omnia  bubus  fimilia  continet  ;  Idem.  lib.  2.  cap.  16.  .  . 
Bonafus  gignitur  in  terra  Poeonia,  monte  Meffapo,  qui  Poe- 
oniae  et  Mediae  terrae  collimitium  eft,  et  Monapios  a  Poeoni- 
bus  appellatur,  magnitudine  tauri,  fed  corpore  quam  bos  lati- 
ore  :  Brevior  enim  et  in  latera  auctior  eft.  Tergus  diftentum 
ejus  locum  feptem  accubantium  occupat ;  caetera,  forma  bovis 
fimilis  eft,  nifi  quod  cervix  jabata  armorum  tenus  ut  equi  eft, 

fed 


Plate  CLXVUL 


rktfe  ('LXK. 


T' //;,//,),«//>  / 


camj&Tj. 


THE    BUFFALO,  &c.         151 

has  iio  name  in  the  languages  of  thefe  people. 
Even  the  word  Buffalo  indicates  a  foreign  ori- 
gin ;  for  it  has  no  root  either  in  Greek  or  Latin, 
-In  a  word,  this  animal  is  a  native  of  the  warm 

regions 

fed  villo  molliore  quam  juba  equina  et  compcfitlore;  color 
pili  totius  corporis  Havus,  juba  prolixa  et  ad  oculos  ufque  de- 
Irnlla  et  frequenti  colori  inter  cinereum  et  rufum,  non  qualis 
equorum  quos  partos  vocant  eft,  fed  villo  fupra  fqualiuiore, 
fubter  lanario.  Nigri  aut  admodum  rufi  nulli  funt.  Vocem 
fimilem  bovi  emittunt ;  cornua  adunda  in  fe  flexa  et  pugnae 
inutilia  gerunt,  magnitudine  palmari,  aut  paulo  majora,  am- 
plitudine  non  multo  arctiore  quam  ut  fingula  femi-fextarium 
capiant  nigritie  proba.  Antiae  ad  oculos  ufque  demiflae,  ita 
ut  in  latus  potius  quam  ante  pendeant.  Caret  fuperiore  denti- 
um  ordine,  ut  bos  et  reliqua  cornigera  omnia.  Crura  hirfuta 
atque  bifulca  habet;  caudam  rninorem  quam  pro  fui  corporis 
magnitudine,  fimilem  bubulae.  Excitat  pulverem  et  fodit,  ut 
taurus.  Tergore  contra  ivftus  praevalido  eft.  Carnem  habet 
guftu  fuavem  :  Quamobrem  in  ufu  venandi  eft.  Cum  percuf- 
fus  eft,  fugit,  nifi  defatigatus  nufquam  confiftit.  Repugnat 
calcitrans  et  proluviem  alvi  vel  ad  quatuor  paftus  projiciens, 
quo  praefidio  facile  utitur,  et  plerumque  ita  admit,  ut  pili  in- 
feclantium  canum  abfumantur.  Sed  tunc  ea  vis  eft  in  fimo, 
cum  bellua  excitatur  et  metuit:  Nam  ft  quiefcit,  nihil  urere 
proteft.  Talis  natura  et  fpecies  hujus  animalis  eft.  Tempore 
pariendi  univerfi  in  montibus  enituntur  ;  fed  priufquam  foe- 
tum  edant,  excremento  alvi  circiter  eum  locum  in  quo  pari- 
unt,  fe  quafi  vallo  circumdant  et  muniunt,  largam  enim 
quandam  ejus  excrementi  copiam  haec  bellua  egeritj  Idem.lib. 
9.  cap.  45.      Tradiiclio7i  de  Theodore  Gaza. 

Bos  bonafus,  cornibus  in  fe   flexis,  juba  longiffima ;  Linn, 
0.  hat.  p.  99. 

\   Urus  ;   Caii  Jul.  Caef.  comment,  lib.  6.  c.  5.    The  aurochs  of 
the  Germans. 

||   Bifon  jubatus  Plinii  et  aliorum. 

Bos  bifon,  cornibus  divaricatis,  juba  longiffima,  dorfo  gib- 
bofoj  Linn.fyjl.  nat.  p.  99. 

§  Petit 


152         THE     BUFFALO,   &c. 

regions  of  Africa  and  the  Indies,  and  was  not 
Ufanfported  and  naturalized  in  Italy  till  about 
the  feventh  century.  The  moderns  have  im- 
properly applied  to  him  the  name  bubahis,  which, 
indeed,  denotes  an  African  animal,  but  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  buffalo,  as  might  be  mown  from 
many  pafTages  of  ancient  authors.  If  the  buba- 
lus  were  to  be  referred  to  a  particular  genus,  he 
mould  rather  belong  to  that  of  the  antilope  than 
to  that  of  the  ox.  Belon,  having  feen  at  Cairo 
a  final  1  ox  with  a  bunch  on  its  back,  which  dif- 
fered from  the  buffalo  and  common  ox,  imagined 
that  it  might  be  the  bubal  us  of  the  ancients. 
But,  if  he  had  carefully  compared  the  characters 
given  by  the  ancients  to  the  bubalus,  with  thofe 
of  this  fmall  ox,  he  would  have  difcovered  his 
error.  Befides,  we  are  enabled  to  fpeak  of  it 
with  certainty;  for  we  have  feen  it  alive;  and, 
after  comparing  the  defcription  we  have  given  of 
it  with  that-of  Belon,  we  cannot  hefitate  in  pro- 
nouncing it  to  be  the  fame  animal.  It  was  ex- 
hibited at  the  fair  of  Paris  in  the  year  1752, 
under  the  name  of  zehu,  which  we  have  adopt- 
ed to  denote  this  animal,  becaufe  it  is  a  parti- 
cular race  of  the  ox,  and  not  a  fpecies  of  the 
buffalo  or  bubalus. 

Ariltotle, 

§  Petit  boeuf  d'Afrique  ;  Obf.de  Belon,  p.  118.  where  there 
is  a  figure  of  it. 

Guabex  in  Barbary,  according  to  Marmol ;  Bekker  el  J¥afl?s 
r hat  i3  wild o.v,  among  the  Arabs;  Sha-v's  travels. 


THE  BUFFALO,   &c.         153 

Ariftotle,  when   treating   of  oxen,  'mentions 
not  the  common  ox,  but  only  remarks,  that,  a- 
mong  the   Arachotas  in   India,  there  are  wild 
oxen,  which  differ  from   the   domeftic   kind    as 
much  as  the  wild  boar  differs  from  the  common 
hog.     But,  in  another  place,  as   quoted   above 
in  the  notes,  he  gives  a  defcription  of  a  wild  ox 
in  Poeonia,  a  province  bordering  on  Macedonia, 
which  he  calls   bonafus.     Thus  the  common  ox 
and  the  bonafus  are  the  only  animals  of  this  kind 
mentioned   by  Ariftotle ;  and,  what  is  fingular, 
the  bonafus,  though  fully  defcribed  by  this  great 
phiiofopher,  was  unknown   to   the   Greek   and 
Latin  naturalifts  who  wrote  after  him  ;   for  they 
have  all  copied  him   verbatim    on  this   fuhject: 
So  that,  at  prefent,  we  only  know  the  name  bo- 
7iufus,  without  being  able  to  diftinguiih  the  ani- 
mal  to  which  it    ought   to   be   applied.     If  we 
coniider,  however,  that  Ariftotle,  when  fpeaking 
of  the  wild  oxen  of  temperate  climates,  mentions 
the  bonafus  only,  and  that,  on  the  contrary,  the 
Greeks  and  Latins  of  after  ages  take  no  notice  of 
the  bonafus,  but  point  out  thefe  wild  oxen  under 
the  appellations  of  urus  and  hfon,  we  will  be  in- 
duced  to  think  that  the  bonaius  mud  be  either 
the  one  or  the  other  of  thefe  animals;   and,  in- 
deed, by  comparing  what  Ariftotle  has   laid    of 
the  bonafus,  with  what  we  know  concerning  the 
bifon,  it  is  probable  that  thefe  two  names  denote 
the  fame  animal.     The  urus  is  firil   mentioned 
by  Julius  Caefarj  Pliny  and  Paufanias  are  alfo 

the 


i54      the  Buffalo,  &c. 

the  firft  who  announced  the  bifon.  From  the 
time  of  Pliny,  the  name  bubalus  has  been  indif- 
criminately  applied  to  the  urus  or  the  bifon. 
Confufion  always  augments  as  time  advances. 
To  the  bonafus,  bubalus,  urus,  and  bifon,  have 
been  added  the  catopleba,  the  thur,  the  bubalus 
of  Belon,  the  Scottifh  and  American  bifons;  and 
all  our  naturalifts  have  made  as  many  different 
fpecies  as  they  have  found  names.  Here  truth  is 
fo  environed  with  darknefs  and  error,  that  it  will 
be  difficult  to  elucidate  this  part  of  natural  hifto- 
ry,  which  the  contrariety  of  evidence,  the  varie- 
ty of  defcriptions,  the  multiplicity  of  denomina- 
tions, the  diverfity  of  places,  the  differences  of 
languages,  and  the  obfcurity  of  time,  feemed  to 
have  condemned  to  perpetual  darknefs. 

I  fhall  firft  give  my  opinion  on  this  fubjecl, 
and  afterwards  produce  the  proofs  of  it. 

1.  The  animal  we  call  buffalo  was  unknown 
to  the  ancients. 

2.  The  buffalo,  now  domeftic  in  Europe-,  is 
the  fame  as  the  domeftic  or  wild  buffalo  of  In- 
dia and  Africa. 

3.  The  bubalus  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans 
is  neither  the  buffalo  nor  the  fmall  ox  of  Belon, 
but  the  animal  defcribed  in  the  Memoires  of  the 
Barbary  coiv,  and  which  we  call  bubalus, 

4.  The  fmall  ox  of  Belon,  which  we  have 
feen,  and  diftinguifhed  by  the  name  zebu,  is  on- 
ly a  variety  of  the  common  ox, 

5.  The 


THE     BUFFALO,    &c.         155 

5.  The  bonafus  of  Ariftotle  is  the  fame  ani- 
mal with  the  bifon  of  the  Latins. 

6.  The  bifon  of  America  might  proceed  ori- 
ginally from  the  European  bifon. 

7.  The  tints  or  aurochs  is  the  fame  animal 
with  the  common  bull  in  its  natural  and  wild 
itate. 

8.  The  bifon  differs  from  the  aurochs  by 
accidental  varieties  only  ;  and,  confequently, 
it  is,  as  well  as  the  aurochs,  of  the  fame  fpecies 
with  the  domeflic  ox  ;  fo  that  I  think  I  {hall  be 
able  to  reduce  all  the  denominations,  and  all  the 
pretended  fpecies  both  of  ancient  and  modern 
naturalifts,  to  three,  namely,  the  ox,  the  buffalo, 
and  the  bubal  us. 

Some  of  the  propofitions  I  am  about  to  lay 
down,  will,  I  doubt  not,  appear  to  be  mere  af- 
fertions,  particularly  to  thofe  who  have  been  ac- 
cuflomed  to  ftudy  the  nomenclators  of  animals, 
or  have  attempted  to  give  lifts  of  them.  There 
are  none  of  thefe  affertions,  however,  which  I 
am  not  able  to  prove.  But,  before  entering  in- 
to critical  difcuffions,  each  of  which  requires 
particular  propofitions,  I  fhall  relate  the  facts  and 
remarks  which  led  me  into  this  refearch  ;  and, 
as  they  have  fatisfied  myfelf,  I  hope  they  will  be 
equally  fatisfa&ory  to  others. 

Domeflic  animals  differ,  in  many  refpects, 
from  wild  animals.  Their  nature,  their  fize, 
and  their  form  are  more  fluctuating,  and  fubjecl: 
to  greater  changes,   efpecially  in  the   external 

parts 


i56        THE     BUFFALO,    &c. 

parts  of  the  body.  The  influence  of  climate, 
which  acts  powerfully  upon  all  Nature,  exerts  it- 
felf  with  greater  efficacy  upon  captive  than  upon 
free  animals.  Food  prepared  by  the  hand  of 
man,  which  is  often  ill  chofen,  and  fparingly  ad- 
miniuered,  joined  to  the  inclemency  of  a  foreign 
fky,  produce,  in  the  progrefs  of  time,  alterations 
fo  deeply  engraven  that  they  become  conftant, 
and  are  tranfmitted  to  pofterity.  I  pretend  not 
to  maintain,  that  this  general  caufe  of  change  is 
fo  powerful  as  to  alter  eiTentially  the  nature  of 
beings,  whofeconftitution  is  fo  permanently  fix- 
ed as  that  of  animals.  But  it  transforms  and 
mafks  their  external  appearance  ;  it  annihilates 
fome  parts,  and  gives  rife  to  others  ;  it  paints 
them  with  various  colours  ;  and,  by  its  action  on 
the  temperament  of  the  body,  it  has  an  influence 
on  the  difpofitions,  inftincts,  and  other  internal 
qualities.  The  modification  of  a  fingle  part,  in 
a  machine  fo  perfect  as  that  of  an  animal  body, 
is  fufficient  to  make  the  whole  feel  the  effects  of 
the  alteration.  It  is  for  this  reafon  that  our  do- 
uieftic  animals  differ  nearly  as  much  in  difpofi- 
tions and  inftincts,  as  in  figure,  from  thofe  which 
enjoy  their  natural  ftate  of  freedom.  Of  this 
the  iheep  affords  a  ftriking  example.  This  fpe- 
cies,  in  its  prefent  condition^  could  not  exift 
without  the  care  and  defence  of  man  :  It  is  alfo 
much  changed,  and  very 'inferior  to  its  original 
fpecics.  But,  not  to  depart  from  our  chief  ob- 
ject, we  fee  how  many  alterations  the  ox  has 

undergone, 


THE     BUFFALO,    &c.     '    157 

undergone,  from  the  combined  effects  of  climate, 
food,  and  management,  in  a  wild,  and  in  a  do- 

meftic  ftate. 

The  bunch  which  fome  oxen  carry  between 
their  fhoulders,  both  in  a  domefticand  wild  ftate, 
is  the  mod  general  and  mod  remarkable  variety. 
This  race  of  oxen  are  denominated  bifons  ;  and, 
it  has  been  imagined,  till  now,  that  they  were  of 
a  different  fpecies  from  the  common  ox.  But, 
as  we  are  certain  that  thefe  animals  produce 
with  the  common  kind,  and  that  the  bunch 
diminifhes  from  the  firft  generation,  and  difap- 
pears  in  the  fecond  or  third,  it  is  evident,  that 
this  bunch  is  only  an  accidental  and  variable 
character,  which  prevents  not  the  bunched  ox 
from  belonging  to  the  fame  fpecies  with  our  ox. 
Now,  in  the  defert  parts  of  Europe,  there  were, 
in  ancient  times,  wild  oxen,  fome  of  them  with 
bunches,  and  others  without  bunches.  Hence 
this  variety  feems  to  be  natural,  and  to  proceed 
from  the  abundance  and  more  fubftantial  quality 
of  the  food  ;  for  we  remarked,  when  treating  of 
the  camels,  that,  when  meager  and  ill  fed,  they 
have  not  even  the  leaft  veftige  of  a  bunch.  The 
ox  without  a  bunch  was  called  <vrochs  and  tn- 
rochs  in  the  language  of  the  Germans,  and,  in 
the  fame  language,  the  bunched  ox  was  called 
<vifen.  The  Romans,  who  knew  neither  of  thefe 
wild  oxen  till  they  faw  them  in  Germany,  a- 
dopted  their  German  names.  From  vrochs  they 
made  vrus,  and  from  vifeny  bifon.    They  never 

imagined 


158        THE    BUFFALO,    &c. 

imagined  that  the  wild  ox  defcribed  by  Ariftotle, 
under  the  name  cf  bonafus^  could  be  one  or  o- 
ther  of  thefe  oxen  whofe  names  they  had  Lati- 
nized. 

The  length  of  the  hair  is  another  difference 
between  the  aurochs  and  bifon.  The  neck,  the 
fhoulders,  and  the  throat  of  the  bifon,  are  cover- 
ed with  very  long  hair.  But,  in  the  aurochs,  all 
thefe  parts  are  covered  with  fhort  hair,  fimilar  to 
that  on  the  reft  of  the  body,  except  the  front, 
which  is  covered  with  crifped  hair.  This  diffe- 
rence of  the  hair,  however,  is  ftill  more  acciden- 
tal than  that  of  the  bunch,  and  depends  likewife 
on  the  food  and  the  climate,  as  we  have  proved 
under  the  articles  Goat,  Sheep,  Dog,  Cat,  Rab- 
bit, &c.  Thus,  neither  the  bunch,  nor  the  dif- 
ference in  the  length  of  the  hair,  are  fpecific 
characters,  but  accidental  varieties  only. 

A  more  extenfive  variety  than  the  other  two 
arifes  from  the  figure  of  the  horns  ;  to  which 
character  naturalifts  have  afcribed  more  impor- 
tance than  it  deferves.  They  have  not  confider- 
ed,  that,  in  our  domeftic  cattle,  the  figure,  the 
fize,  the  pofition,  the  direction,  and  even  the 
number  of  the  horns,  vary  fo  greatly,  that  it  is 
impoffible  to  afcertain  what  is  the  real  model 
of  Nature.  In  fome  cows,  the  horns  are  much 
crooked,  and  hang  fo  low  as  to  be  almoft  pendu- 
lous ;  in  others,  they  are  more  erect:,  longer,  and 
more  elevated.  There  are  entire  races  of  ewes 
with  fometimes  two,  fometimes  four  horns }  and 

there 


THE  BUFFALO,  &c.  j5$ 

there  are  races  of  cows  without  horns.  Thefe 
external,  or,  as  they  may  be  called,  acceflbry 
parts  of  the  body,  are  as  fluctuating  as  the  co- 
lours of  the  hair,  which,  in  domeftic  animals, 
are  varied  and  combined  in  every  poflible  man- 
ner. This  difference  in  the  figure  and  direction 
of  the  horns,  which  is  fo  frequent,  ought  not, 
therefore,  to  be  regarded  as  a  diftinctive  character 
of  fpecies.  It  is,  however,  the  only  character 
which  our  naturalifts  have  adopted  in  their  fpe- 
cies ;  and,  as  Ariftotle,  in  his  defcription  of  the 
bonafus,  fays,  that  its  horns  bended  inwards, 
they  have,  from  this  consideration  alone,  and 
without  having  ever  feen  the  individual,  fepa- 
rated  it  from  the  reft,  and  made  it  a  diftinct 
fpecies.  In  this  variation  of  the  horns  of  do- 
meftic animals,  we  have  confined  our  remarks 
to  cows  and  ewes  ;  becaufe  the  females  are  al- 
ways more  numerous  than  the  males  ;  and  we 
every  where  fee  thirty  cows  or  ewes  for  one 
bull  or  ram. 

The  mutilation  of  animals  by  caftration  feems 
to  injure  the  individual  only,  and  to  have  no  in- 
fluence on  the  fpecies.  It  is  certain,  however, 
that  this  practice  reftrains  Nature  on  the  one 
hand,  and  weakens  her  on  the  other.  A  fingle 
male,  obliged  to  ferve  thirty  or  forty  females, 
rnuft  be  enfeebled  ;  befides,  the  ardour  of  love 
is  unequal.  It  is  cool  in  the  male,  who  exerts 
himfelf  beyond  the  bounds  of  Nature,  and  too 
ardent  in  the  female,  whofe  enjoyment  is  limit- 

e4 


i6o  THE    BUFFALO,    &c. 

ed  to  an  inftant.  Of  courfe,  the  offspring  muft 
be  chiefly  tinctured  with  the  feminine  qualities; 
more  females  will  be  produced  than  males  ;  and 
even  the  males  will  partake  more  of  the  mother 
than  the  father.  ■  This  is  unqueftionably  the 
reafon  why  more  girls  than  boys  are  brought 
forth  in  thofe  countries  where  the  men  have  a 
great  number  of  wives.  On  the  contrary,  in  all 
countries  where  the  men  are  allowed  but  one 
wife,  more  males  are  produced  than  females.  It 
is  true,  that,  in  domeftic  animals,  the  fineft  males 
are  felected  to  become  the  fathers  of  an  offspring 
fo  numerous.  The  fir  ft  productions  from  thefe 
males  will  be  ftrong  and  vigorous.  But,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  number  of  copies  taken  from  the 
fame  mould,  the  original  impreffion  of  Nature 
will  be  deformed,  or  at  leaft  rendered  lefs  per- 
fect. The  race  muft,  therefore,  degenerate,  and 
become  more  feeble.  This,  perhaps,  is  the  rea- 
fon why  more  monfters  are  produced  among 
domeftic  than  wild  animals,  where  the  number 
of  males  is  equal  to  that  of  the  females.  Belides, 
when  one  male  is  obliged  to  ferve  many  females, 
they  have  not  the  liberty  of  following  their  own 
tafte.  They  are  deprived  of  that  gaiety,  and 
thofe  foft  emotions  which  proceed  from  fponta- 
neous  pleafures.  The  fire  of  their  love  is  half 
extinguifhed  ;  and  they  languifh,  waiting  for 
the  cold  approaches  of  a  male  whom  they  have 
not  felected,  who  is  often  not  accommodated  to 
them,  and  who  always  flatters  lefs  than  one  thai 


IS 


THE    BUFFALO,    &c.  161 

is  obliged  to  carefs,   in  order  to  obtain  a  prefe- 
rence.    Thefe  melancholy  and   taftelefs  amours 
muft  give  rife  to  productions  equally  difmal  and 
infipid  ;   beings   who  never  have  that  courage, 
fpirit,  and  ftrength,  which  Nature  can  only  be- 
flow  on  each  fpecies,  by  leaving   all  the  indivir 
duals  in  full  pofTeiiion  of  their  powers,  and,  a- 
bove  all,    of  the  liberty   of  choice  in  the  inter- 
mixture  of  the  fexes.     We  learn  from  the  ex=. 
ample  of  horfes,  that  crofTed  races  are  always  the 
moft  beautiful.     We   ought   not,   therefore,  to 
confine  our  female  cattle  to   a  fingle   male  of 
their  own  country,  who   already  has  too  much 
refemblance   to   his    mother,   and   who,    confe- 
quently,  inftead  of  improving,  continues  to  de- 
gradethe  fpecies.     Man,  in  this  article,  prefers 
his  convenience  to  every  other  advantage.     We 
never' think    of  improving  or   of  embellishing 
Nature  ;  but  we  fubmit  to  her  operations,  thai 
we   may  enjoy  her  in  a  more  arbitrary  manner. 
The  males  conftitute  the  glory  of  each  fpecies. 
They  have  more  courage,  fire,  and  obftinacy.  A 
great  number  of  males  in  our  flocks  would  ren- 
der them  lefs  tradable,  and  more  difficult  to  ma- 
nage.    In  thole  Haves  of  the  moft  abject  kind, 
it   is  even   necelTary  to  deprefs  every  head  that 
offers  to  exalt  itfelf. 

To  thefe  caufes  of  degeneration  in  domefric 
animals,  we  muft  (till  add  another,  which  alone 
has  produced  more  changes  than  all  the  com- 
bined force  of  the  others  ;   I  mean,  the  conftant 

Vol.  VI,  L  tranfportatioa 


id  THE    BUFFALO,    &c. 

tranfportation  of  thofe  animals  from  climate  to 
climate.  The  ox,  the  fheep,  the  goat,  have  been 
carried  to  every  habitable  part  of  the  globe. 
Thefe  fpecies  have  been  fubje&ed  to  the  influ- 
ence of  every  climate,  and  have  received  impref- 
iions  from  every  foil  and  every  Iky  ;  fo  that  it 
has  become  extremely  difficult,  amidit  the  num- 
ber of  changes  they  have  undergone,  to  recog- 
nife  thofe  which  are  lead  removed  from  the  pro- 
totype of  Nature. 

Having  pointed  out  the  general  caufes  of  the 
varieties  among  domellic  animals,  1  mall  now 
exhibit  the  particular  proofs  or  what  I  advanced 
concerning  the  oxen  and  buffalos. 

1.  I  remarked,  That  the  animal  we  now  knoiv 
by  the  name  oj  buffalo,  was  unknown  to  the  an- 
cient Greeks  and  Romans.  This  pofition  is  evi- 
dent ;  for  in  none  cf  their  authors  is  there  any 
defcription,  or  even  name,  which  can  be  applied 
to  the  buffalo.  Befldes,  we  learn  from  the  an- 
nals of  Italy,  that  the  firft  buffalo  was  tfanfport- 
cd  thither  about  the  end  of  the  fixth  century  *. 

2.  The  buffalo,  noiv  domejtic  in  Europe,  is  the 
fame  with  the  wilct  or  domejtic  buffalo  of  India 

and  Africa,  Of  this  no  other  proof  is  neceiTary 
than  a  comparifon  of  our  defcription  of  the  buf- 
falo, which  was  made;  from  the  live  animal, 
with  the  notices  given  by  travellers  of  the 
buffalos    in    Perfia    f,     Mogul  %  ,     Bengal    ||  , 

Egypt, 

*  Ann.  595.  Voyage  de  Mi/Ton,  txm.  3.  p.  5 4.     f  Voyage 
de  Tavernier,  torn.  i.  pag.  41.  et  298.  %  Relation de  Thc- 

;  page  II.  |j   Voyage  de  1'  Hullier,  page  30. 


THE   BUFFALO,   &c.  163 

Egypt  *,  Guiney  t»  and  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  X •  It  is  eafy  to  perceive,  that,  in  all 
thefe  countries,  this  animal  is  the  fame,  and 
differs  from  our  buffalo  only  by  very  flight  va- 
rieties. 

3.  The  bubalus  of  the  Greeks  and  Latins  is 
neither  the  buffalo^  nor  the  /mall  ox  of  Belon,  but 
the  animal  defer ibed  in  the  Memoirs  of  the  Aca- 
demy of  Sciences ',  under  the  name  of  the  Barbary 
Coiv.  The  following  fads  will  prove  this  po- 
fition.  Ariflotle  ||  ranks  the  bubalus  with  the 
flag  and  fallow  deer,  and  not  with  the  ox  §.  In 
another  place,  he  mentions  the  bubalus  along 
with  the  roe  deer;  and  remarks,  that  he  makes 
a  bad  defence  with  his  horns,  and  that  he  flies 
from  all  ferocious  animals.  Pliny**,  fpeaking 
of  the  wild  oxen  of  Germany,  fays,  that  it  is 
only  from   ignorance   that    the  vulgar  give  the 

L  2  .    name 

*  Defcript.  de  TEgypte,   par    Maillet,  torn.   %>  pag.  121. 

f  Voyage  de  Eofman,  pag.  437. 

%  Defciiption  du  cap  de  Bonne-efperance,  par  Kolbe, 
torn.  3.  p.  25. 

|J  Genus  id  fibrarum  cervi,  daruae,  bubali  fanguini  deeft  ; 
Arifl.  Hijl.  Anim.  lib.  3.  cap.  6. 

§  Bnbalis  etiam  capreifque  internum  cornua  inutilia  lunt : 
Nam  etfi  contra  nonnulla  refiftani,  et  cornibus  fe  defendanr, 
tamen  feroces  pugnacefque  beiluas  fugiunt;  Id?}/.-,  depart,  an:- 
mal.  lib.  3 .  cap.  1 1 . 

**  Germania  gignit  infignia  bourn  ferorum  genera,  juba- 
tos  bifontes,  excellentique  vi  et  velccitate  urps,  quibus  imperi- 
tum  vulgus  bubahrum  nomen  impoiuir. ;  cum  id  gignat  Afri- 
ca ;  vituli  potius  cervive  quadam  fimilitudine;  Pi:?:.  HiJL  Na.% 
lib.  S.  cap.  \§. 


164        THE   BUFFALO,   &c. 

name  of  bubalus.  to  thefe  oxen  ;  for  the  bubalus 
is  an  African   animal,  which  refembies,  in  fome 
meafure,  a  calf  or  a  flag.     Hence  the  bubalus  is 
a  timid  creature,  his   horns   are  uielefs   to  him, 
and,  to  avoid  the  affaults   of  ferocious  animals, 
he  has  no  other  refource  but  flight ;    of  courfe, 
he  is  nimble,  and  is  related,  by  his  figure,  both 
to  the  cow  and  the   ltag.     All  thefe  chara&ers, 
none   of  which   apply  to  the  buffalo,  are  com- 
bined in  the  animal  whole  figure  was  fent  by  Ho- 
ratius-Fontana  to   Alclrovandus  *,  and  of  which 
the  Gentlemen  of  the  Academy  "f  have  likewife 
given  a  figure  and    defcription,  under  the  name 
of  the  Barbary  coiv  ;  and  they  agree  with  me  in 
thinking,  that  it  is  the  bubalus  of  the  ancients  J. 
The  zebu,  or  frnall  ox  of  Belon,  has  none  of  the 
characters  of  the  bubalus;  for  the  zebu  differs  as 
much  from  the  bubalus  as  the  ox  from  the  an- 
tilope;   and  Belon  is  the  only  naturalift  who  re- 
garded this  frnall  ox   as   the  bubalus  of  the  an- 
cients. 

4.  The  frnall  ox  of  Belon  is  only  a  "variety  of  the 
common  ox.  This  pofition  may  be  eafil'y  proved 
by  {imply  referring  to  the  figure  of  the  animal 
given  by  Belon,  Pi  ofoer  Alpinus,  and  Edwards, 
and  to  our  own  defcription  of  it.  We  have  feen 
it  alive:  Its  conductor  told  us,  that  it  came  from 

Africa, 

*   Aldrov.  de  quad,  bifalc.  p.  365. 

f  Mem.  pour  fervir  a  I'hift.  des  animaux,  part.  2.  p.  24. 
t  This  animal   ihould    rather  be  regarded  as  the  bubalus 
of  the  ancients,  than  the  fmall  Africafi  or.  defcribed  by  Belon  ; 
td.  ibid.  p.  z  0. 


THE    BUFFALO,^.  165 

Africa,  where  It  was  called  zebu  ;  that  it  was  do- 
meftic,  and  was  ufed  for  riding.  It  is,  indeed,  a 
very  mild  and  even  a  careffiag  animal.  Its  fi- 
gure, though  thick  and  fquat,  is  agreeable.  It 
has,  however,  lb  perfect  a  refemblance  to  the  ox, 
that  I  can  give  no  better  idea  of  it,  than  by  re- 
marking, that,  if  a  handfome  bull  were  viewed 
through  a  glafs  which  diminiihed  objects  one 
half,  this  contracted  figure  would  be  that  of  the 
zebu. 

The    defcription    I  made    of   this  animal,   in 
the  year  1752,   is  inferted   below  in  the  note*. 

L  3  It 

*  This  fmall  ox  has  a  perfect  refemblance  to  that  of  Belon. 
Its  crupper  is  round,  and  plumper  than  that  of  the  common 
ox.  It  is  fo  gentle  and  familiar,  that  it  licks  the  hand  like  a 
dog,  and  careffes  every  perfon  who  approaches.  It  is  a  very 
beautiful  animal  ;  and  its'  intelligence  fcems  to  be  equal  to  its 
docility.  We  were  informed  by  its  conductor,  that  it  was 
brought  from  Africa,  and  that  its  age  was  twenty.-one 
months.  Its  colour  was  white,  mixed  with  yellow  and  a  little 
red.  All  the  legs  were  white.  The  hair  on  the  fpine  of  the 
back,  for  about  a  foot  wide,  is  black,  and  the  tail  of  the  fame 
colour.  In  the  middle  of  this  black  band,  there  is  on  the 
crupper  a  fmall  white  ftfeak,  the  hairs  of  which  Rand  erect 
like  briftles.  It  had  no  mane,  and  there  was  very  little 
hair  on  the  tuft.  The  hair  of  the  body  is  very  fmooth 
and  ihort.  It  was  five  feet  feveh  inches  in  length,  from  the 
end  of  the  muzzle  to  the  origin  of  the  tail,  five  feet  one  inch 
in  circumference  behind  the  fore  legs,  five  feet  fix  inches  at' 
the  middle  of  the  body,  and  five  feet  one  inch  above  the' 
hind  legs.  The  circumference  of  the  head,  taken  before  the 
horns,  Was  two  feet  ten  inches,  and  that  of  the  muzzle,  taken 
behind  the  noltrils,  was  one  foot  three  inches.  The  fiflure 
of  the  mouth,  when  fhut,  was  eleven  inches.  T he  nofhils' 
were  two  inches  long  by  one  broad  j  and,  from  the  end  o£  the 

mu'zzl 


»66  THE   BUFF  A  LO,  &c. 

It  corrcfponds  very  well  with  the  figure  and  de- 
Jcription  *  given  by  Belon,  which   I  have    alfo 

inferted, 

muzzle  to  the  eye  meafured  ten  inches.  The  eyes  were  diftant 
from  each  other  about  fix  inches  ;  and  from  their  pofterior 
angle,  to  the  aperture  of  the  ears,  meafured  four  inches.  The 
ears  were  iituated  behind  and  a  little  to  one  fide  the  horns, 
and  were  near  feven  inches  long,  and  nine  inches  in  circum- 
ference at  the  bafe.  The  diftance  between  the  horns  was 
little  more  than  four  inches  ;  they  were  one  foot  two  inches 
in  length,  fix  inches  in  circumference  at  the  bafe,  and,  at  half 
an  inch  from  the  points,  only  an  inch  and  a  half.  They  were 
of  the  ordinary  colour  of  horn,  and  black  near  the  extremi- 
ties, which  were  dillant  from  each  other  one  foot  feven  inches. 
The  bunch,  which  confifted  entirely  of  flefli,  was  feven  inches 
in  perpendicular  height.  The  colour  of  the  hair  which  co- 
vered it  was  blackifh,  and  an  inch  and  a  half  long.  The  tail, 
to  the  end  of  the  vertebrae,  was  little  more  than  two  feet 
long  ;  but,  including  the  hair,  which  hangs  down  to  the 
ground,  it  was  two  feet  ten  inches  and  a  half.  The  longeft 
hairs  of  the  tail  meafured  one  foot  three  inches.  The  tef- 
ticles  were  a  foot  and  a  half  diftant  from  the  anus.  It  had 
four  paps,  fituated  like  thofe  of  the  bull. 

*  This  is  a  very  fmall  bull  ;  it  is  thick,  fat,  fmooth,  and 
well  fhaped  ....  It  was  already  old,  though  its  body  was 
not  fo  large  as  that  of  a  ftag;  but  it  was  more  fquat,  and 
thicker  than    a  roebuck,   and  fo   neat  and  compact  in    all  its 

members,  that  it  was  extremely  agreeable   to  behold 

Its  feet  refembled  thofe  of  the  ox  ;  and  its  legs  were  fhort  and 
fquat.  Its  neck  is  thick  and  fhort,  and  the  dewlap  very 
fmall.  It  has  the  head  of  an  ox  ;  -and  the  horns  rife  from  a 
bone  on  the  top  of  the  head.  They  are  black,  much  notched, 
like  thofe  of  the  Gazelle,  or  Barbary  antilope,  and  formed 
like  a  crefcent.  ...  It  has  the-  ears  of  a  cow;  its  fhoulders 
are  plump,  and  a  little  elevated  ;  its  tail  is  long,  and  covered 
with  bl  Lck  hair.  It  has  the  appearance  of  *n  ox,  only  it  is 
not  fo  tall.  .  .  We  have  here  given  a  figure  of  it. — Belon 
adds,  that  this  fmall  ox  was  brought  to  Cairo  from  Azamia, 
a  province  o£  Afia,  arid  that  it  is  alfo  found  in  Africa;  Obf- 
di  Belon,  foL  118. 


THE   BUFFALO,   See,  i6j 

inferted,  that  the  reader  may  have  an  opportuni- 
ty of  comparing  them.  Profper  Alpinus  *,  who 
defcribes  this  animal,  and  gives  a  figure  of  it? 
fays  that  it  is  found  in  Egypt.  His  defcription 
agrees  with  mine,  and  alfo  with  Belon's.  The 
only  differences  between  the  three  are  in  the  co- 
lour of  the  horns  and  hair.  The  zebu  of  Belon 
was  yellow  on  the  belly,  brown  on  the  back, 
and  had  black  horns.  That  of  Profper  Alpinus 
was  red,  marked  with  fmall  fpots,  with  horns  of 
the  ordinary  colour.  Ours  was  of  a  pale  yel- 
low, almoft  black  on  the  back,  with  horns  of 
the  fame  colour  as  thofe  of  a  common  ox.  In 
the  figures  of  Belon  and  Profper  Alpinus,  the 
bunch  on  the  back  is  not  fufHciently  marked. 
The  oppofite  error  takes  place  in  the  figure 
which  Mr  Edwards  f  has  lately  given  of  this 
animal,  from  a  drawing  communicated  to  him 
by  Sir  Hans  Sloane ;  for  the  bunch  is  too  large 
Befides,  the  figure  is  incomplete  ;  for  it  feems  to 
have  been  drawn  from  a  very  young  animal^ 
whole  horns  were  only  beginning  to  fhoot.  It 
came,  fays  Mr  Edwards,  from  the  Earl  Indies, 
where  thefe  fmall  oxen  are  ufed  as  we  do  horfes.< 
From  all  thefe  hints,  and  likewife  from  the  va- 
rieties in  the  colour,  and  the  natural  mildnefs  of 
this  animal,  it  is  apparent,  that  it  belongs  to  the 
bunched  race  of  oxen,,  and  has  derived  its  origin 
from  a  domeltic  ftate,  in  which  the  fmalleft  in- 

dividual* 

*  Profp.  Alpin.  Hift.  Nat.  Egypt,  p.-  233. 
f  Nat.  Hift.  of  Birds,  p.  2O0. 


i6S         THE  BUFFALO,   &c. 

dividuals  have  been  chofen  for  a  breed  ;  for,  In 
general,  we  find,  that  the  bunched  oxen  in  a 
domeftic  flate,  like  our  own  domeftic  kind,  are 
fmaller  than  thofe  in  a  wild  ftate.  Thefe  faOs 
ihall  afterwards  be  fully  confirmed  by  the  tefti- 
monies  of  travellers. 

5.  The  bonafus  of  Arifiotle  is  the  fame  animal 
ivith  the  bifon  of  the  Latins.  This  proportion 
cannot  be  proved,  without  a  critical  difcuf- 
iion,  with  which  I  fhall  not  fatigue  the  reader  *, 
Gefner,  who  was  a  man  of  literature  as  well 
as  a  naturalift,  and  who  thought,  as  I  do,  that 
the  bonafus  might  probably  be  the  bifon,  has 
examined  the  notices  given  of  the  bonafus  by 
Ariftotle  with  more  care  than  any  other  perfon  ; 
he  has,  at  the  fame  time,  corrected  feveral  er- 
roneous expreflions  in  Theodore  Gaza's  tran- 
flation ;  which  errors,  however,  have  been  fer- 
vilely  copied  by  all  the  fucceeding  naturalifts. 
From  thefe  affiftances,  and  by  rejecting  from 
the  remarks  of  Ariftotle  whatever  is  obfeure, 
contradictory,  or  fabulous,  the  following  feems 
to  be  the  refult.  The  bonafus  is  a  wild  ox  of 
Poeonia,  and  is  equally  large,  and  of  the  fame  fi- 
gure with  the  domeftic  ox.  But  his  neck,  from 
the  fhoulders  to  the  eyes,  is  covered  with  long 

hair, 

*  Here  it  is  neceiTary  to  compare  what  Arifiotle  lias  faid 
of  the  bonafus  (Hij}.  anhn.  lib.  9.  cap.  45.^  .with  what  he  clfe- 
where  remarks,  (lib.  de  Mirabilibus)  and  likewife  the  particu- 
lar pafTages  in  his  MJl.  anim.  lib.  2.  c.  1.  6"  16.  and  alfo  to  read 
Gefner  s  diflertaUiori  on  this  fubject ;  Ilijl.  quad.  />.  131. 


THE  BUFFALO,   &c.         169 

hair,  which  is  fofter  than  the  mane  of  a  horfe. 
He  has  the  voice  of  an  ox.  His  horns  are  fhort, 
and  bended  down  round  the  ears.  His  legs  are 
covered  with  long  hair,  as  foft  as  wool ;  and  his 
tail  is  fhort  in  proportion  to  his  fize,  though  in 
every  other  refpect  it  is  fimilar  to  that  of  , the 
ox.  Like  the  bull,  he  has  the  habit  of  raifing 
the  duft  with  his  feet.  His  fkin  is  hard,  and 
his  fiefh  tender  and  good.  From  thefe  charac- 
ters, which  are  all  that  can  be  collected  from 
the  writings  of  Ariftotle,  we  fee  how  nearly 
the  bonafus  approaches  to  the  bifon.  Every 
article,  indeed,  correfponds,  except  the  form 
of  the  horns,  which,  as  was  formerly  remarked, 
varies  confiderably  in  animals  that  belong  to 
the  fame  fpecies.  We  have  feen  horns  bend- 
ed in  the  fame  manner,  which  were  taken  from 
a  bunched  ox  of  Africa;  and  we  fhall  afterwards 
prove,  that  this  bunched  ox  is  nothing  bur  the 
bifon.  What  I  now  advance  may  likewife  be 
confirmed  by  the  testimonies  of  ancient  authors. 
Ariftotle  calls  the  bonafus  a  Poeonian  ox  : 
and  Paufanias  *,  fpeaking  of  the  Poeonian  bull, 
fays,  in  two  different  places,  that  thefe  bulls  are 
bifons.  He  likewife  tells  us,  that  the  Poeonian 
bulls,  which  he  faw  at  the  Roman  fhews,  had 
very  long  hair  on  the  breaft,  and  about  the 
jaws.  Laftly,  Julius  Caefar,  Pliny,  Paufanius, 
Solinus,  &c.  when  fpeaking  of  wild  oxen,  men- 
tion the  aurochs  and  the  bifon,  but  take  no  no- 
tice of  the  bonafus.     We  mud,  therefore,  fup- 

pofe 

*  Paufan.  in  Beoticis  et  Pfrocicis. 


170         THE   BUFF  AL  O,   &c. 

pofe  that,  in  the  courfe  of  four  or  five  centu- 
ries, the  fpecies  of  bonafus  has  been  loft,  unlefs 
we  allow  that  the  terms  bonafus  and  bifon  denote 
only  the  fame  animal. 

6.  The  bifon  of  America  might  proceed  ori- 
ginally from  the  European  bifon.  The  founda- 
tion of  this  opinion  has  already  been  laid  in 
our  differtation  on  the  animals  peculiar  to  the 
two  Continents  *.  It  was  from  the  experi- 
ments of  M.  de  la  Nux  that  we  derived  much 
information  on  this  fubject.  From  him  we 
learn,  that  the  bifons,  or  bunched  oxen  of  India 
and  Africa,  produce  with  the  European  bulls 
and  cows,  and  that  the  bunch  is  only  an  acci- 
dental character,  which  diminifhes  in  the  firft 
generation,  and  totally  difappears  in  the  fecond 
or  third.  Since  the  Indian  bifons  are  of  the 
fame  fpecies  with  our  oxen,  and,  of  courfe, 
have  the  fame  origin,  is  it  not  natural  to  extend 
this  origin  to  the  American  bifon  ?  In  fupport 
of  thisfuppofition,  everything  feems  to  concur. 
The  bifon  appears  to  be  a  native  of  cold  and 
temperate  regions.  His  name  is  derived  from 
the  German  language.  The  ancients  tell  us,  that 
he  was  found  iii  that  part  of  Germany  which 
borders  upon  Scythia  t ;  and  there  are  Mill  bi- 
fons in  the  northern  parts  of  Germany,  in  Poland, 

and 

*  See  vol.  5.  of  this  work. 

t  Pauciffima  Scythia  gignit  animalia,  inopia  fructus,  pauca 
contermina  illi  Germania,  infignia  tamen  bourn  ferorum  ge- 
nera, jubatos  bifontes;  Plin..  Hifi.  naU  lib.  8.  cap.  15. 


THE     BUFFALO,    &c.  17! 

and  in  Scotland.  Hence  they  might  pafs  to  A- 
merica,  or  come  from  that  country,  as  they  are 
animals  common  to  both  Continents.  The  on- 
ly difference  between  the  European  and  Ame- 
rican bifons  is,  that  the  latter  are  fmaller.  But 
even  this  difference  is  a  farther  proof  that  they 
belong  to  the  fame  fpecies ;  for  it  was  former- 
ly remarked,  that,  in  general,  both  the  domeftic 
and  wild  animals,  which  have  fpontaneoufly 
paffed,  or  been  tranfported  into  America,  have 
uniformly  diminifhed  in  fize.  Befides,  all  the 
characters,  not  excepting  the  bunch  and  the 
long  hair  on  the  anterior  parts  of  the  body,  are 
the  fame  in  the  American  and  European  bifons. 
Hence  thefe  animals  muft  be  regarded  as  not 
only  of  the  fame  fpecies,  but  as  proceeding  from 
the  fame  race  *. 

7.  The  urusy  or  aurochs,  is   the  fame  animal 
rwith   the   common   bull  in   its  natural  arid  zvild 
Jlate.     This  polition  is  evident  from   the   ligure 
of  the  aurochs,  and  its   whole   habit  of  body, 
which  are  perfectly  iimilar  to  thofe  of  our   do- 
meftic 

*  Several  perfons  of  note  have  reared  fmall  oxen  and  wild 
cows,  which  are  found  in  Carolina,  and  in  ether  countries 
as  far  fouth  as  Penfylvania.  Thefe  fmall  oxen  are  tamed ; 
but  they  ft  ill  retain  fo  much  of  their  natural  ferocity,  that 
they  pierce  through  every  hedge  which  oppofes  their  paffage. 
Their  heads  are  fo  flrong,  that  they  overturn  die  pallifades  of 
their  inclofures,  to  come  at  the  cultivated  fields,  where  they  do 
much  mifchief;  and,  as  foon  as  a  paffage  is  opened,  they  are 
followed  by  the  whole  flock  of  domeftic  cattle.  Thefe  two 
kinds  couple  together,  and  have  given  rife  to  an  intermediate 
kind ;   Voyage  de  Picrrs  Ka/m,  p.  350. 


172        THE     BUFFALO,  &c, 

meftic  bull.  The  aurochs,  like  every  other  a- 
nimal  that  enjoys  liberty,  is  only  larger  and 
ftronger.  The  aurochs  is  ftill  found  in  fome 
northern  provinces:  The  young  aurochs  have 
fometimes  been  carried  off  from  their  mothers, 
and,  after  being  reared  to  maturity,  they  pro- 
duced with  our  domeflic  bulls  and  cows  *. 
Hence  thefe  animals  muft  unqueftionably  be- 
long to  the  fame  fpecies. 

8.  Laftly,  the  bifon  differs  from  the  aurochs 
by  accidental  'varieties  only;  and,  confequently, 
it  is,  as  iv  ell  as  the  aurochs,  of  the  fame  fpecies 
"with  the  domeflic  ox.  The  bunch,  the  length 
and  quality  of  the  hair,  and  the  figure  of  the 
horns,  are  the  fole  characters  by  which  the  bi- 
fon can  be  diftinguifhed  from  the  aurochs.  But 
we  have  feen  the  bunched  oxen  produce  with 
the  common  domeflic  kind;  we  like  wife  know, 
that  the  length  and  quality  of  the  hair,  in  all 
animals,  depend  on  the  nature  of  the  climate; 
and,  we  have  remarked,  that,  in  the  ox,  iheep, 
and  goat,  the  form  of  the  horns  is  various  and 
fluctuating.  Thefe  differences,  therefore,  are 
by  no  means  fufficient  to  conftitute  two  diftincl: 
fpecies:  And,  fince  our  domeflic  cattle  produce 
with  the  bunched  Indian  oxen,  they  would  like- 
wife  undoubtedly  produce  with  the  bifon  or 
bunched  ox  of  Europe.  Among  the  aim  oft  in- 
numerable varieties  of  thefe  animals  in  different 

climates, 

• 

*  Epift,  ant.    Schmebergenis,   ad  Gefnerum,   Hift.    quad, 
p.  141. 


THE     BUFFALO,   &c.         173 

climates,  there  are  two  primitives  races,  both  of 
which  have  long  continued  in  a  natural  ftate, 
the  bifon  or  bunched  ox,  and  the  aurochs,  or 
ox  without  a  bunch.  Thefe  thefe  races  have 
fubfifted  either  in  a  wild  or  domeflic  ftate,  and 
have  been  diffufed,  or  rather  tranfported  by 
men  into  every  climate  of  the  globe.  All  the 
domeflic  oxen  without  bunches  have  proceeded 
originally  from  the  aurochs,  and  all  the  bunch- 
ed oxen  have  been  derived  from  the  bifon.  To 
obtain  a  juft  idea  of  thefe  varieties,  we  lhall 
give  an  enumeration  of  them  as  they  exift  in 
different  parts  of  the  world. 

To  begin  with  the  north  of  Europe ;  the  fmall 
bulls  and  cows  of  Iceland  *,  though  they  belong 
to  the  fame  race  with  our  oxen,  are  deprived  of 
horns.  ,  The  magnitude  of  thefe  animals  depends 
more  on  the  abundance  and  quality  of  their  paf- 
ture,  than  on  the  nature  of  the  climate.  The 
Dutch  f  bring  meager  cattle  from  Denmark, 
which  fatten  prodigioufly  in  their  rich  meadows, 
and  give  a  great  quantity  of  milk.  Thefe  Da- 
nifh  cattle  are  much  larger  than  ours.  The  cows 
and  bulls  of  the  Ukraine,  where  the  pafture  is 
excellent,  are  reckoned  to  be  the  largeft  in  Eu- 
rope, 

*  Iflandi  domeitica  animalia  liabent  vaccas,  fed  multae  funt 
rnutilae  cornibus;  Dithmar  Blcfken.  IJland.  p.  49. 

+  About  the  month  of  February,  vaft  numbers  of  meager 

cows  are  brought  from  Denmark,  which  the  Dutch   peafants 

turn  into  their  meadows.     They  are  much  larger   than  thofe 

of.  France  ;  and  each  of  them  yields  from  eighteen  to  twenty 

Paris  pints  of  milk  a- day ;   Voyage  biji,  del' Europe,  torn.  5./.  77. 


i74        THE    BUFFALO,  &c. 

rope  *,  and  arc  of  the  fame  race  with  the  com- 
mon kind.  In  Switzerland,  where  the  tops  of  the 
the  firft  mountains  are  covered  with  verdure  and 
flowers,  and  are  folely  deftined  for  the  feeding 
of  cattle,  the  oxen  are  nearly  double  the  fize  of 
thofe  in  France,  where  they  are  commonly 
fed  upon  grofs  herbage,  which  is  defpifed  by 
the  horfes.  During  winter,  bad  hay  and  leaves 
are  the  common  food  of  our  oxen ;  and,  in 
fpring,  when  they  ftand  in  need  of  being  re- 
cruited, they  are  excluded  from  the  meadows. 
Hence  they  fuller  more  in  fpring  than  in  win- 
ter; for  they  then  hardly  receive  any  thing  in 
the  liable,  but  are  conducted  into  the  highways, 
into  fallow  grounds,  or  into  the  woods,  and  are 
always  kept  at  a  diftance  from  fertile  land ;  fo 
that  they  are  more  fatigued  than  nourifhed. 
Laftly,  in  fummer,  they  are  permitted  to  go  in- 
to the  meadowsi  which  are  then  eat  up,  and 
parched  with  drought.  During  the  whole  year, 
therefore,  thefe  animals  are  never  fufficiently 
nourifhed,  nor  receive  food  agreeable  to  their 
nature.  This  is  the  fole  caufe  which  renders 
them  weak,  and  of  a  fmall  fize;  for,  in  Spain, 
and  in  fome  diftricts  of  our  provinces,  where 
the  pafture  is  good,  and  referved  for  oxen  alone, 
they  are  much  larger  and  ftronger. 

In 

*  In  the  Ukraine,  the  pafture  is  fo  excellent,  that  the  cattle 
are  much  larger  than  in  any  other  part  of  Europe.  It  re- 
quires a  man  above  the  common  ftature  to  be  able  to  lay  his 
hand  on  the  middle  of  an  ox's  back  ;  Relat.  de  la  Grande  Tar- 
tar ie,  p.  227. 


THE    BUFFALO,    &c.         175 

In  Barbary  *,  and  moft  parts  of  Africa,  where 
the  lands  are  dry,  and  the  pafture  poor,  the 
oxen  are  ftill  fmaller,  the  cows  give  much  lefs 
milk  than  ours,  and  moft  of  them  lofe  their 
milk  with  their  calves.  The  fame  remark  ap- 
plies to  fome  parts  of  Perfia  t>  of  Lower  ^Ethi- 
opia % ,  and  of  Great  Tartary  ||  ;  while,  in  the 
fame  countries,and  at  no  great  diftances,  as  in  Cai- 
rn uck 

*  In  the  kingdom  of  Tunis  and  Algiers,  the  oxen  and  cows, 
generally  fpeaking,  are  not  fo  large  as  thofe  of  England. 
After  being  well  fattened,  the  larger!  of  them  feldom  weigh 
above  five  or  fix  hundred  pounds.  The  cows  give  very  little 
milk,  and  it  commonly  dries  up  when  their  calves  are  taken 

from  them  ;    Skatvs  Travels Boves  domeftici,   quotquot 

in  Africae  montibus  nalcuntur,  adeo  funt  exigui,  ut  aliis 
collati,  vituli  biennes  appareant,  monticolae  tamen  illos  aratro 
exercentes  turn  robuftos,  turn  laboris  paticntes  alferunt  ;   Leon. 

Afric.  Africae  Defcript.  tarn.  2.  pag.  753. The  cows  ofGui- 

ney  are  dry  and  meager.  .  .  .  Their  milk  is  fo  poor  and 
fcanty,  that  twenty  or  thirty  of  them  are  hardly  fufficient  to 
ierve  the  General's  table.  Thefe  cows  are  very  fmall  and 
light  ;  one  of  the  belt  of  them,  when  full  grown,  weighs  not 
above  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  though,  in  proportion 
to  its  fize,  it  ought  to  weigh  one  half  more  ;  Voyage  de  Baf??ia*?t 
p.  236. 

f  The  people  of  Caramania,  at  a  little  diftance  from  the 
Perfic  gulph,  have  fome  goats  and  cows  ;  but  their  horned 
cattle  are  not  ftronger  than  calves,  or  Spanilh  bulls  of  a  year 
old  ;  and  their  hcyns  exceed  not  a  foot  in  length  ;  A??ibajfads 
de  Si  ha  Figueroa,  p.  62. 

X  In  the  province  of  Guber  in  ./Ethiopia,  a  number  of  large 
and  fmall  cattle  are. reared  ;  but  their  cows  are  not  larger 
than  our  heifers  5  U  Afrique  de  Manual,  iom.  3.  p.  66. 

|]  At  Krafnojarfk,  the  Tartars  have  a  number  of  cattle  ; 
but  a  Ruffian  cow  gives  twenty  times  as  much  milk  as  one  of 
theirs  ;   Voyage  du  Gnielin  a  Kamtfchqlka, 


176  THE    BUFFALO,    &c: 

muck  Tartary  *,  in  Upper  Ethiopia  f,  and,  in 
Abyflinia  J,  the  oxen  are  of  a  prodigious  fize. 
Hence  this  difference  depends  more  on  the  quan- 
tity of  food,  than  on  the  temperature  of  the 
climate.  In  the  northern  and  temperate,  as  well 
as  in  the  warm  regions,  we  find,  at  very  incon- 
fiderable  difiances,  large  or  fmall  oxen,  according 
to  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  pafture  they 
have  to  feed  upon. 

The  race  of  aurochs,  or  of  the  ox  without  a 
bunch,  occupies  the  frozen  and  temperate  zones, 
and  is  not  much  diffufed  over  the  fouthern  re- 
gions. The  race  of  the  bifon,  or  bunched  ox, 
on  the  contrary,  occupies  all  the  warm  climates. 
In  the  whole  continent  of  India  ||,  in  the  eaftern 

and 

■ 

*  The  oxen,  in  the  provinces  occupied  by  the  Calmuck 
Tartars,  are  ftill  larger  than  thofe  of  the  Ukraine,  and  taller 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world  ;  Re/at.  de  la  Grande  Tar- 
tar ie,  p.  228. 

f  In  Upper  ./Ethiopia,  the  cows  are  as  large  as  camels,  and 
without  horns  ;  U  Afrique  de  Marmot  torn.  3.  p.  157. 

\  The  riches  of  the  Abyflinians  confill  chiefly  in  cows.  .  . 
The  horns  of  the  oxen  are  fo  large,  that  they  hold  twenty 
pints.  They  are  ufed  by  the  Abyfilnians  for  pitchers  and 
bottles  ;    Voyage  de  Abyfjinie  du  P.  Lobo,  torn.  I.  p.  57. 

The  oxen  which  draw  coaches  in  Surat  are  white,  of  a 
•'ood  fize,  and  have  two  bunches  like  thofe  of  certain  camels. 
They  run  and  gallop  like  horfes,  and  are  garnifhed  with 
iplendid  houfing,  and  a  number  of  fmall  bells  fixed  to  then' 
necks.  When  the  animals  are  in  motion,  the  bells  are  heard 
at  a  confiderable  diftance,  and  their  noife  in  the  ftreets  is 
very  agreeable.  Thefe  coaches  are  ufed  not  only  in  the  cities 
'  of  India,  but  in  travelling  through  the  country;  Voyage  de 
Pletrs  delia  Valie,  tern.  6.  p.  273. — The  carriages  of  the  Mogul, 

arg 


THE    BUFFALO,    &c.  177 

and  fouthern   iilands  *j  throughout   all   the  re- 
gions of  Africa  "f,  from  Mount  Atlas  to  the  Cape 
Vol.  VI.  M  '  of 

are  a  kind  of  coaches  with  two  wheels.  They  are  drawn  by 
oxen,  which,  though  naturally  heavy  and  flow  in  their  move- 
ments, acquire,  by  long  habit,  fuch  a  dexterity  in  drawing 
thefe  carriages,  that  no  other  animal  can  outrun  them.  Moft 
of  thefe  oxen  are  very  huge,  and  have  a  bunch  between  their 
moulders,  which   rifes   to   the  height  of  fix  inches  ;    Voyage  de 

Jean  Ovingfen,  torn*  i.  p.  253 The  oxen  of  Perlia  are  like  our 

own,  except  on  the  frontiers  of  India,  where  they  have  a 
bunch  on  the  back.  Few  oxen  are  eaten  in  this  country  : 
They  are  reared  chiefly  for  labouring  the  ground,  or  for 
carrying  burdens.  Thofe  employed  in  carrying  loads  are 
I,  on  account  of  the  flony  mountains  they  have  to  pafs  ; 
Voyage  de  Chardin,  torn.  2.  p.  28. — The  oxen  of  Bengal  have  a 
kind  of  bunch  on  the  back.  We  found  them  as  fat  and  as 
well  tufted  as  in  any  other  country.  The  largeft  and  belt  fell 
at  two  rixdollars  only;  Voyage  de  la  Compagnie  des  Ir.J.  dt 
Hollande,  toiu.  3.  /.  270. — The  oxen  of  Guzarat  are  fliaped 
like  ours,  except  that  they  have  a  bunch  between  the  lhoul- 
ders;    Voyage  de  Mandcljlo,  torn.  2.  p.  234. 

*   In  the   ifland  of  Madagafcar,    an   immenfe  Cumber  of 
oxen  are  reared  :    They  are  very  different  from  thofe  of  Eu- 
rope, each  of  them  having  a  bunch  of  fat  on  their  backs,  in 
the   form  of  a  wen,  which  has  made  fome  authors  alledge 
that  they   are  fuckled  by   camels.      There  are   three  kinds, 
namely,  thofe  which  have  horns,  thole  which  have  pendulous 
horns  attached  to  the   fkin,  and  thofe  which  have  no  horns, 
but  only  a  fmall  offeous  eminence,  in  the  middle  of  their  front, 
covered  with  fkin.     The  laft  kind  fail  not,    however,  to  com- 
bat   other   bulls,    by   finking   their  bellies  with  their  heads. 
They  all  run  like  our  flags,   and  have  longer  legs  than  thofe 
of  Europe  ;    Voyage  de  Flacourt,  p.  3.     The  oxen  in  the  ifland 
of  Johanna,  near  the   Mofambique  coait,  differ  from   ours. 
They  have  a  flefhy  crefcent  between  the  neck  and  back.     This 
portion  of  flefli  is  preferred  to  the  tongue,  and  is  as  well  tafted 
as  the  marrow  ;   Groje's  Travels,  p.  42. 

f  The  oxen  of  Aguada  Sanbras  are  likewife  larger  than 

thofe 


i;S        THE    BUFFALO,    &c. 

of  Good  Hope  *,  there  are  almoft  no  oxen  with- 
out bunches.  It  even  appears  that  this  race, 
which  is  diirufed  over  all  the  warm  countries, 
has  ieveral  advantages  over  the  other  ;  for,  like 
the  biibn,  from  which  they  have  proceeded, 
thefe  bunched  oxen  have  fofter  and  more  glofTy 
hair  than  ours,  whofe  hair,  like  that  of  the  au- 
rochs, is  hard,  and  thinly  fpread  over  the  body. 
They  are  likewife  fwifter,  more  proper  for  fup- 
plying  the  place  of  the  horfef,  and,  at  the  fame 

time, 

thofe  of  Spain.  They  have  bunches,  but  no  horns  ;  Premier 
voyage  des  Holtandois  aux  Indes  Orientates^  torn.  J.  p.  218. — The 
Moors  have  numerous  flocks  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger.  .  .  . 
Their  oxen  are  much  thicker,  and  have  longer  legs  than  thofe 
of  Europe.  They  are  remarkable  for  a  large  fieihy  wen, 
which  rifes  between  their  fhoulders  more  than  a  foot  high. 
This  wen  is  a  delicious  morfel  ;  Voyage  au  Senegal,  par  M.  A- 
danfon,  p-  57' 

*  At  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  there  are  three  kinds  of  oxen, 
which  are  all  large,  and  very  fwift.  Some  of  them  have  a 
bunch  on  the  back  ;  others  have  pendulous  horns  ;  and  others 
have  horns  like  thofe  of  the  European  kind  j  Voyage  de  Fran- 
cois le  Gnat.,  torn.  2.  p.  I  47. 

f  As  the  oxen  in  India  are  perfectly  gentle,  many  people 
travel  on  them  as  we  do  on  horfes.  Their  common  pace  is 
foft.  Inftead  of  a  bit,  a  fmall  cord  is  pafled  through  the  car- 
tilage of  their  nollrils,  which  is  tied  to  a  larger  cord,  and 
ferves  as  a  bridle  ;  and  this  bridle  is  fixed  to  a  bunch  on  the 
fore  part  of  the  back,  which  is  wanting  in  our  oxen.  They 
are  faddled  like  horfes,  and,  when  pufhed,  move  as  brifldy. 
Thefe  animals  are  ufed  in  moll  parts  of  India  ;  and  no  other 
are  employed  in  drawing  carts  and  chariots.  They  are  fixed 
to  the  end  of  the  beam  by  a  long  yoke,  which  is  placed  on 
the  necks  of  the  two  oxen  ;  and  the  driver  holds  the  rope  to 
which  the  cord  that  paifes  through  the  noftrils  is  tied  ;  Rela- 
tion de  TLcv;noi\  torn.  3.  p.  15*. — This  Indian  Prince  was  feated 

oa 


THE    BUFFALO,    &c.         iyg 

time,  not  fo  flupid  and  indolent  as  our  oxen. 
They  are  more  tradable  and  intelligent  *,' 
and  have  more  of  thofe  relative  feelings  from 
which  advantage  may  be  derived.  They  are 
likewife  treated  with  more  care  than  our  beft 
horfes.     The  refpeel:  the   Indians   entertain  for 

M  2  thefe 

on  a  chariot  drawn  by  two  white  oxen,  with  fhort  necks,  and 
bunches  on  their  lhouiders  ;  but  they  were  as  fwift  and  alert 
as  our  horfes  ;  Voyage  d'Olearhis,  torn.  I.  p.  458.— The  two 
oxen  which  were  yoked  to  my  coach  coalt  near  600  rupees. 
This  price  need  not  aitonifh  the  reader  ;  for  fume  of  thefe 
oxen  are  very  ftrong,  and  perform  journeys  of  fixty  days,  at 
the  rate  of  from  twelve  to  fifteen  leagues  a  day,  and  always 
at  a  trot.  When  one  half  of  the  day's  journey  is  finifhed, 
each  of  them  is  fupplied  with  two  or  three  balls  of  the  ftze  of 
a  penny  loaf,  made  of  flour  knedded  with  butter  and  black 
fugar  ;  and,  at  night,  their  common  food  is  chick-peas  bruifed, 
and  fleeped  for  half  ail  hour  in  water ;  Voyage  de  Tavcrtiierl 
p.  36. — Some  of  thefe  oxen  follow  the  horfes  at  a  fmart  trot. 
The  fmallett  are  the  molt  nimble.  The  Gentoos,  and  parti- 
cularly the  Banians  and  merchants  of  Surat,  ufe  the 
for  drawing  their  carriages.  It  is  remarkable,  thrit,  notwith- 
standing their  veneration  for  thefe  animals,  the  people  fcruple 
not  to  employ  them  in  fuch  laborious  ferviccs  5  Grojpj  tra- 
vels, p.  253. 

*  In  the  country  of  Camandu  in  Perfia,  there  are  many 
oxen  entirely  white,  with  fuiall  blunt  horns,'  and  bundles 
on  their  backs.  They  are  very  Hrong,  and  carry  heavy 
burdens.  When  about  to  be  loaded,  they  lie  down  on  their 
knees  like  the  camels,  and  rife  again  when  the  goods  are 
properly  fattened.  To  this  practice  they  are  trained  by  the 
natives  ;  Defcripthn   de  l'1/ide,  par  Marc.  Paul,  liv.  1.  chap.  21. 

— The  European  labourers    prick  their    oxen    with  a  goad, 

in  order  to  make  them  advance  But,  in  Bengal,  their  tails' 
are  only  twilled.  Theft  animals  are  extremely  tractable. 
When  loading,  they  are  ir.ftructed  to  lie  down,  and  to  rile 
with  the  burdens  on  thehr  backs ;  Lett.  Edif.  rectieil  9.  />.  4  2 


xSo        THE     BUFFALO,    &c. 

tlicfe  animals  Is  fo  great  *,  that  it  has  degene- 
rated into  fuperftition,  which  is  the  ultimate 
ilep  of  blind  veneration.  The  ox,  being  the 
moft  ufeful  animal,  has  appeared  to  them  to 
merit  tlie  greateft  reverence.  This  venerable 
object  they  have  converted  into  an  idol,  a  kind 
of  beneficent  and  powerful  divinity  ;  for  every 
thing  we  refpect  muft  be  great,  and  have  the 
power  of  doing  much  good,  or  much  evil. 

Thefe  bunched  oxen  vary  perhaps  more  than 
ours  in  the  colour  of  the  hair  and  the  figure 
of  their  horns.  The  molt,  beautiful  are  white, 
like  thofe  of  Lombardy  t«  Some  of  them 
have  no  horns  ;  the  horns  of  others  are  very 
high,  and  in  others  they  are  almoft  pendulous. 
It  even  appears  that  this  fir  ft  race  of  bifons,  or 
bunched  oxen,  Iliould  be  divided  into  two  fe- 
condary  races,  the  one  large,  and  the  other 
fmall,  which  lair,  comprehends  the  zebu.     Both 

are 

*  The  Queen  is  attended  with  the  ladies  of  faftuon,  and 
the  pavement  or  roads  through  which  fhe  paiTes  are  ftrewed 
with  the  dung  of  the  cow*  formerly  mentioned.  Thefe  peo- 
ple have  fuch  a  veneration  for  their  cows,  that  they  are  al- 
lowed to  enter  the  King's  palace,  and  are  never  (lopped  on 
their  paffage,  wherever  they  choofe  to  go.  The  King  and  all 
the  nobles  give  place  to  thefe  cows,  as  well  as  to  the  bulls  and 
oxen,  with  every  poffible  mark  of  refpecl  and  veneration  ; 
Voyage  de  Francois  Pyrard,  torn.  I.  p.  449. 

f  All  the  cattle   of  Italy   are  gray  or  white  ;   Voyage  de 

Burnett  part.  2.  p.  12. The  oxen  of  India,'  and  efepecially 

thofe  of  Guzarat  and  of  Cambaya,  are  generally  white,  like 
thofe  of  Milan  ;  Graffe's  travels,  p.  253. 


THE     BUFFALO,    &c.         1S1 

are  found  nearly  in  the  fame  climates  %  and 
are  equally  gentle  and  eafily  managed.  Both 
have  fine  hair,  and  bunches  on  their  hacks. 
This  bunch  is  only  an  excrefcence,  a  flefhy 
wen,  which  is  equally  tender  and  good  as  th 
tongue  of  an  ox.  The  bunches  of  fome  oxen 
weigh  from  forty  to  fifty  pounds  t>  and  thote 
of  others  are  much  fmaller  J.  In  fome,  the 
horns  are  prodigiously  large.  In  the  royal  cabinet, 
there  are  fpecimens  of  them  of  three  feet  and 
a  half  in  length,  and  {even  inches  in  diame- 
ter at  the  bafe.     We  are  a  (lured  by  feveral   tra- 

M   3  vellers, 

*  The  oxen  of  India  are  of  different  fizes,  fome  large,  o- 
thers  fmall,  and  others  of  a  middle  fize.  But,  in  general, 
they  travel  well,  fome  of  them  making  journeys  of  fifteen 
leagues  a  day.  Some  of  them  are  near  fix  feet  high  ;  but  i 
are  rare.  There  is  another  kind  called  d<war/}t  becaufe  they 
exceed  not  three  feet  in  height.  The  latter,  like  the  otners, 
have  a  bunch  on  their  back>,  run  very  fait,  and  are  ufed  for 
drawing  lmall  carts.  The  white  oxen  are  extremely  dear. 
I  have  ieen  two,  which  belonged  to  the  Dutch,  each  of  which 
colt  two  hundred  crowns.  They  were  indeed  very  beautiful 
and  ftrong  ;  and  the  chariot  in  which  they  were  yoked  had 
a  magnificent  appearance.  When  the  people  of  faihion  have 
fine  oxen,  they  take  great  care  of  them.  The  tips  of  their 
horns  are  ornamented  with  copper  rings.  They  are  covered 
with  clothes,  in  the  fame  manner  as  horfes.  They  are  daily 
curried,  and  fed  with  great  attention  ;  Relat.  (Fun  voyage  par 
Ihevemt,  torn.  3.  p.  252. 

f  At  Madagafcar,  there  are  oxen  whofe  bunch  weighs 
thirty,  forty,  fifty,  and' even  fixty  pounds;  Voyage  a  Mada- 
gafcar,  par  de  V.  Pari',  p.  245. 

J  The  oxen  have  a  bunch  near  the  neck,  which  is  larger 
and  fmaller  in  different  individuals  ;  Relat.  dc  Tkevenoty  torn.  2«. 
A  223. 


i82         THE     BUFFALO,    &c. 

vellers,  that  they  have  feen  horns  which  could 
contain  fifteen  and  even  twenty  pints  of  water. 
Throughout  all  Africa  *,  the  large  cattle  are 
never  caftrated  ;  and  this  operation  is  not  much 
pracliied  in  India  f .  When  the  bulls  are  caftra- 
ted, the  tefticles  are  not  cut  off,  but  compreifed. 
Though  the  Indians  keep  a  great  number  of 
ihefe  animals  for  drawing  their  carriages  and 
plowing  the  ground,  they  do  not  rear  fo  many 
as  we  do.  As,  in  all  warm  countries,  the  cows 
give  little  milk,  as  the  natives  are  unacquainted 
with  butter  or  cheefe,  and,  as  the  flefh  of  the 
calves  is  not  fo  good  as  in  Europe,  the  inhabitants 
do  not  greatly  multiply  horned  cattle.  Befides, 
in  all  the  fouthern  provinces  of  Africa  and 
Aiia,  being  more  thinly  peopled  than  thofe  of 
Europe,  there  are  a  number  of  wild  oxen, 
which  are  taken  when  young.  They  tame 
ipontaneoufly,  and  fiibmit,  without  refinance,  to 
all  kinds  of  dpmeftic  labour.  They  become  fo 
tractable,  that  they  are  managed  with  as  mucheafe 
as  horfes  :  The  voice  of  their  matter  is  fufficient 
to  direct:  their  courfe,  and  to  make  them  obey. 
They  are  iho-.l  J,  curried,    carefled,    and   fup- 

plied 

*  Along  the  coal!  of  Guiney,  we  fee  bulls  and  cows  only  ; 
for  the  Negroes  underftand  not  the  pra&ice  of  caflration  ; 
Voyage  de  Brfmai:,  />.  230. 

■\  When  the  Indians  caftrate   their   pulls  i?  is  not   by  in- 
cllum,  but  by  the  cpmpreffion  of  ligatures,  which  prevents  the 
urjfhment  of  the  parts  ;   Groje's  travels^  />•  253. 

As  the  road-,  in  the  province  of  Afmer  are  very  ftony, 
•     {hod  before  they  f:t  out    on    long    journeys. 

They 


THE   BUFFALO,   &c.  183 

plied  abundantly  with  the  bed  food.  Thefe  a- 
nimals,  when  managed  in  this  manner,  appear  to 
be  different  creatures  from  our  oxen,  which  on- 
ly know  us  from  our  bad  treatment.  The  goad, 
blows,  and  hunger,  render  them  ftupid,  refrac- 
tory, and  feeble.  If  we  had  a  proper  know- 
ledge of  our  own  intereft,  we  would  treat  our 
dependents  with  greater  lenity.  Ivlen  of  inferior 
condition,  and  lefs  civilized,  feem  to  have  a 
better  notion  than  other  people  of  the  laws  of 
equality,  and  of  the  different  degrees  of  natu- 
ral equity.  The  farmer's  fervant  may  be  faid 
to  be  the  peer  of  his  matter.  The  hories  of  the 
Arab,  and  the  oxen  of  the  Hottentot,  are  fa- 
vourite domeftics,  companions  in  cxcrcifes,  af- 
fiffants  in  every  labour,  and  participate  the  ha- 
bitation, the  bed,  and  the  table  of  their  mailers. 
Man,  by  this  communication,  is  not  fo  much 
degraded  as  thefe  brutes  are  exalted  and  huma- 
nized. They  acquire  affeciionatenefs,  feniibili- 
ty,  and  intelligence.  There  they  perform  e- 
very  thing  from  love,  which  they  do  here  from 
fear.  They  do  more  ;  for,  as  their  nature  ;> 
improved  by  the  gentlenefs  of  their  education, 
and  the  perpetual    auention  bellowed  on  them, 

they 

They  are  thrown  on  the  ground  by  ropes  fixed  to  their  feet. 
When  in  this  fituation,  their  four  feet  are  placed  on  a  ma- 
chine made  of  two  crofs  fticks.  At  the  fame  time, 
•  thin,  light  pieces  of  iron  are  fixed  to  each  foot,  and  cover 
not  above  one  half  of  the  hoof.  They  are  fixed  by  three 
nail;,  above  an  inch  in  length,  which  are  rivetted  on 
.'.e  fide;    Re/at.  ds  Thevenpt,  torn.  3.  p.  150. 


184        THE    BUFFALO,   &c. 

they  become  capable  of  performing  actions 
which  approach  to  the  human  powers.  The 
Hottentots  *  train  their  oxen  to  war,  and  em- 
ploy them  nearly  in  the  fame  manner  as  the 
Indians  employ  the  elephants.  Thefe  oxen 
are  intruded  to  guard  the  flocks  f ,  which  they 

conduct 

*  The  Hottentots  have  oxen  which  they  employ  fu.ccefsfully 
in  their  combats.  Thefe  animals  arc  called  Backeleys,  from 
the  word  backeley,  which,  in  the    Hottentot    Iangaa  ni- 

iies  ivar.  In  all  their  armies  there  are  confiderabje  troops 
of  thofe  oxen,  which  are  eafily  governed,  and  which  are 
let  loofe  by  the  chief,  when  a  proper  opportunity  occurs. 
They  inftantly  dart  with  great  impetuo.'ity  on  the  enemy. 
They  ftrike  with  their  horns,  kick,  overturn,  and  trample 
under  their  feet  every  thing  that  oppofes  their  fury.  Hence, 
it  not  quickly  turned  back,  they  run  ferocioufly  into  the  ranks, 
which  they  foon  put  into  the  utmoft  diforder,  and  thus  pre- 
pare an  eafy  victory  for  their  matters.  The  manner  in  which 
thefe  animals  are  trained  and  difciplined,  reflects  much  ho- 
nour on  the  genius  and  ability. of  the  Hottentots  ;  Voyape  de 
Cap  de  Bonne-EJperance,  par  Kolbc,  torn.  i.  p.  1 60. 

■f  Thefe  backeleys  are  likewife  of  great  ufe  in  guarding 
the  flocks.  When  pasturing,  at  the  fmalleft  fignal  from  the 
keeper,  they  bring  back  and  collect  the  wandering  animals. 
They  alfo  run  with  fury  upon  Grangers,  which  makes  them 
a  great  fecurity  againft  the  attacks  of  the  bufchies,  or  robbers 
of  cattle.  Every  Kraal  has  at  leaft  fix  of  thefe  backeleys, 
which  are  chofen  from  among  the  fierce/!  oxen.  When 
one  of  them  dies,  or  becomes  unferviceable  by  age,  another 
is  felected  from  the  flock  to  fuccecd  him.  The  choice  is  made 
by  one  of  the  olden;  Kraals,  who  is  fuppofed  to  diftinguifh, 
the  animal  that  will  be  mod  eafily  inflructed.  This  noviciate 
is  aflbciated  with  one  of  the  moil  experienced  backeleys,  and 
he  is  taught  to  follow  his  companion,  either  by  blows,  or 
by  other  means.  In  the  night,  they  are  tied  together  by  the 
horns,  and  are  likewife  kept  in  the  fame  fituation  during 
part  of  the  day,  till  the  young  ox  is  completely  trained  to 
be  a  vigilant  defender  of   the  flock.      Thefe  backeleys,   or 

keepers* 


THE     BUFFALO,    &c.  1S5 

conduct  with  dexterity,  and  defend  them  from 
the  attacks  of  ftrangers  and  ferocious  animals. 
They  are  taught  to  diftinguifh  friends  from  e- 
nemies,  to  underftand  fignals,  and  to  obey  their 
mailer's  voice.  Thus  the  mod  ftupid  of  men 
are  the  beft  preceptors  to  brutes.  How  does  it 
happen,  that  the  mod  enlightened  man,  inftead 
of  managing  his  fellow  creatures,  has  fo  much 
difficulty  in  conducting  himfelf  ? 

Thus  the  bifons,  or  bunched  oxen,  are  dif- 
fufcd  over  all  the  fouthern  parts  of  Africa  and 
Afia.  They  vary  greatly  in  fize,  in  colour, 
in  the  figure  of  the  horns,  &c.  On  the  con- 
trary, in  all  the  northern  regions  of  thefe  two 
quarters  of  the  world,  and  in  the  whole  of 
Europe,  including  the  adjacent  iflands,  as  far  as 
the  Azores,  there  are  only  oxen  without 
bunches  *,     which    derive    their     origin    from 

the 

keepers   of  the  flocks,  know   every  ii..        tant   of  the  .,/, 

and  (how  the  fame  marks  of  refpect  for  all  the  men,  -women, 
and  children,  as  a  dog  does  for  thofe  who  live  in  his  matter's 
family.  Hence,  thefe  people  may  approach  their  cattle  with 
the  utraoft  fafcty ;  for  the  backeleys  never  do  them  the 
fmalleft  injury.  But,  ifaftranger,  and  particularly  an  Eu- 
ropean, mould  ufe  the  fame  freedom,  without  being  ac- 
companied with  a  Hottentot,  his  life  would  be  in  the 
greateft  danger.  Thefe  backeleys,  which  pasture  all  around, 
would  foon  run  upon  him  at  full  gallop,  and,  if  not  protected 
by  the  ihepherds,  by  fire  arms,  or  by  fuddenly  climbing  a 
tree,  his  destruction  is  inevitable.  In  vain  would  he  have  re- 
courfe  to  fticks  or  ftones  :  A  backeley  is  not  to  be  intimidated 
by  fuch  feeble  weapons  ;  Defcriptkn  da  Cap  de  Bonne- efperance, 
par  Kolbe,  part.  I.  chap.  20.  p.  307. 

*  The  oxen  of  Tercera  are  the   largeft  and  fineft  m   Eu- 
rope.    Their  horns  are  very  large.     They  are  fo  gentle  and 

ta\ 


i86         THE     BUFFALO,    &c. 

the  aurochs.  And,  as  the  aurochs,  which  is  our 
ox  in  a  wild  ftate,  is  larger  and  flronger  than 
the  domeftic  kind,  the  bifon,  or  wild  ox  with 
a  bunch,  is  likewife  Wronger  and  larger  than 
the  Indian  domeftic  ox.  He  is  alfo  fometimes 
fmaller  ;  but  the  fize  depends  folely  on  the  quan- 
tity of  food.  In  Malabar*,  Canara,  Abyflinia, 
and  Madagafcar,  where  the  meadows  are  fer- 
tile and  fpacious,  the  bifons  are  of  a  prodigious 
iize.  In  Africa,  and  in  Arabia  Petrea  f ,  where 
the  ground  is  dry  and  fterile,  the  zebus  or  bi- 
fons are  of  a  fmall  fize. 

Oxen  without  bunches  are  fpread  over  all  A- 
merica.    They  were  fucceffively  tranfported  thi- 
ther 

tame,  that,  from  a  flock  confiding  of  more  than  a  thoufand, 
a  fingle  animal,  upon  its  name  being  called  by  the  proprietor, 
(for  every  individual  has  its  peculiar  name,  like  our  dogs,) 
inftantly  runs  to  him  ;  Voyage  de  la  Compagnie  da  bides  de  Hol- 
lander torn.    I.  p.   490. See  alfo   Le  Voyage  de  Mandelflc, 

torn,  1.  )>.  578. 

*  In  the  mountains  of  Malabar  and  Canara,  there  are 
wild  oxen  fo  large,  that  they  approach  the  ftature  of  the 
elephant  ;  while  the  domeftic  oxen  of  the  fame  country  are 
fmall,  meager,  and  fhort  lived  ;   Voyage  du  P.  Vincent- Marie, 

■p.  12. 

•}•  I  faw  at  Mafcati,  a  town  of  Arabia  Petrea,  another 
fpecies  of  mountain  ox,  with  glolTy  hair,  as  white  as  that  of 
the  ermine.  It  was  fo  handft  mcly  made,  that  it  rather  re> 
fembled  a  flag  than  an  ox.  Its  legs,  indeed,  were  fhortcr  ;  but 
they  were  fine  and  nimble.  The  neck  was  fhort.  The  head 
and  tail  refcmb'.ed  thefe  of  the  common  ox,  but  were  bel 
fliaped.  The  horns  are  black,  hard,  ftraight,  beautiful,  about 
three  or  four  palms  in  length,  nnd  garnilhed  with  rings  which 

em  as  if  they  had  beer,  turned  in  a.  lathe  :  du  P    I 

■■/>.  1 1. 


THE     BUFF  ALO,  &c.  187 

ther  by  the  Spaniards  and  other  Europeans. 
Thefe  oxen  have  greatly  multiplied,  but  have 
become  (mailer  in  thefe  new  territories.  This  fpe- 
cies  was  abfolutely  unknown  in  South  America. 
But,  in  all  the  northern  regions,  as  far  as  Florida, 
Louiiiana,  and  even  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Mexico,the  bifons,  or  bunched  oxen,  were  found 
in  great  numbers.  Thefe  bifons,  which  former- 
ly inhabited  the  woods  of  Germany,  of  Scotland, 
and  other  northern  countries,  have  probably 
paffed  from  the  Old  to  the  New  Continent.  Like- 
all  the  other  animals,  their  iize  has  diminished 
in  America  ;  and,  and  according  as  they  lived  in 
climates  more  or  lefs  cold,  their  hair  became 
longer  or  {hotter.  In  Hudfon's  Bay,  their  beard 
and  hair  are  longer  and  more  bufliy  than  in 
Mexico;  and,  in  general,  their  hair  is  fofter  than 
the  fined  wool  *.  We  cannot  hefitate  in  pro- 
nouncing thefe  bifons  of  the  New  Continent  to 
be  the  fame  fpecies  with  thofe  of  the  Old.  They 
have  preferved  all    the   principal   characters,   as 

the 

*  The  wild  cxm  of  Louisiana, inftead  of  hair,  are  covered, 
with  wool  as  fine  as  filk,  and  all  curled.  It  is  longer  in  winter 
than  in  fummer,  and  is  much  ufed  by  the  inhabitants.  On 
their  fhoulders  they  have  a  pretty  high  bunch*  Their  horns 
are  very  fine,  and  are  ufed  by  the  hunters  for  carrying  their 
powder.  Between  the  horns,  and  toward  the  top  of  the  head, 
there  is  a  tuft  of  hair  fo  thick,  that  a  piilol  bullet,  though 
difcharged  ever  fo  near,  cannot  penetrate  it.  1  tried  the  ex- 
periment myfelf.  The  flefh  of  thefe  oxen  is  excellent,  as  well 
as  that  of  the  cow  and  calf;  its  flavour  and  juice  are  ex- , 
fite  ;  Mini,  fur  la  Lottifieme,  far  M.  Dttmonf,  t>.  "5. 


i88         THE     BUFFALO,  &c. 

the  bunch  on  the  fhoulders,  the  long  hair  under 
the  muzzle  and  on  the  anterior  parts  of  the  bo- 
dy, and  the  fhort  legs  and  tail  :  And,  upon  com- 
paring what  has  been  faid  of  them  by  Hernan- 
dez *,  Fernandez  f,  and  all  the  other  travellers 
and  hiftorians  of  the  New  World  J,  with  what 
has  been  delivered  concerning  the  European  bi- 
fon  by  ancient  and  modern  naturalifts  ||,  we 
will  be  convinced  that  they  are  not  animals  of 
different  fpecies. 

Thus  the  wild  and  domeftic  ox  of  Europe, 
Afia,  Africa,  and  America,  the  bonafus,  the  au- 
rochs, the  bifon,  and  the  zebu,  are  animals  of 
the  fame  fpecies,  which,  according  to  the  differ- 
ences of  climate,  of  food,  and  of  treatment,  have 
undergone  the  various  changes  above  defcribed. 
The  ox  is  not  only  the  mod  ufeful  animal,  but 
moft  generally  diffufed  ;  for  it  has  been  found 
every  where,    except   in  South  America  §.     Its 

conftitution 

*  Hernand.  hiftMex.  p.  587. 

■f  Fernand.  hift.  Nov.  Hiip.  p.  10. 

I  Singularities  de  la  France  Antarctique,  par  Thevet,  p.  148. 
— Memoir  fur  la  Louifiane,  par  Dumont,  p.  75. — Defcrip- 
tion  de  la  Nouvelle  France,  par  le  P.  Charlevoix,  torn.  3.  p. 
130. — Lettres  Edif.  11.  recueil,  p.  318.  et  23.  recueil,  p.  238. 

Voyage  de  Robert  Lade,   torn   2.  p.  315. — Dernieres   de- 

couvertes  dans  l'Amerique  feptentrionale,  par  M.  de  la  Salle, 
p.  104.  &c.  &c. 

|  Plin.  Hift.  Nat.  lib.  8.— Gefner.  Hift.  quad.  p.  128— 
Aldrov.  de  quad.  bif.  p.  253—  Rzacinfky,  Hiffc  Nat.  Polon. 
p.  214.  &c. 

§  The  bunched  ox,  or  wild  bifon,  appears  to  have  inha- 
bited the  northern  parts  of  America  only,  as  Virginia,    Flo- 

rida> 


THE     BUFF  ALO,  &c.         189 

conftitution  is  equally  adaped  to  the  ardours  of 
the  South,  and  the  rigours  of  the  North.  It 
appears  to  be  very  ancient  in  all  climates.  It  is 
domeftic  in  civilized  nations,  and  wild  in  defert 
countries,  or  among  unpolilhed  people.  From 
its  own  refources,  it  fupports  itfelf  in  a  ftate  of 
nature,  and  never  loles  thoie  qualities  which 
render  it  ferviceable  to  man.  The  young  wild 
calves  which  are  carried  off  from  their  mothers 
in  India  and  Africa,  foon  become  as  gentle  as 
thofe  of  the  domeftic  race.  This  conformity  in 
natural  difpofuions  is  a  ftill  farther  proof  of  the 
identity  of  the  fpecies.  Mildneis  of  character  in 
thefe  animals  indicates  a  phyfical  flexibility  in 
the  form  of  their  bodies  ;  for  in  every  fpecies, 
whofe  difpofrtions  are  gentle,  and  who  have 
been  fubje&ed  to  a  domeftic  ftate,  there  are  more 
varieties  than  in  thofe  who,  from  an  inflexibili- 
ty of  temper,  have  remained  favage. 

If 

rida,  the  country  of  the  Illionois,  Louifiana,  &c.  ;  for,  though 
Hernandez  calls  it  the  Mexican  bully  we  learn  from  a  paifage 
of  Antonio  de  Solis,  that  this  animal  was  a  flranger  in  Mexi- 
co, and  that  it  was  kept  in  the  menagery  of  Montezuma 
with  other  wild  beads  which  were  brought  from  New  Spain. 

*  In  a  fecond  court,  we  faw  all  the  wild  beads  of  New  Spain. 
<  They  were  kept  in  ltrong  wooden  cages.  But  nothing  fur- 
'■  prifed   us  fo  much  as    the  appearance   of  the  Mexican  ball, 

*  which  is  a  rare   animal,    and  has  the   camels  bunch  on  its 

*  moulders,  the  narrow  and  meager  flank  of  the  lion,  a  buihy 

*  tail  and  mane,  and  the  horns  and  cloven  foot  of  the  bull. 

*  .  .  .  .  This  kind  of  ampitheatre  appeared  to  the  Spa- 
«  niards  worthy  of  a  great  Prince;'  Hift.  de  la  a  du 
M&ique,  par  Antonio  de  Solis,  ^.519. 


igo        THE     BUFFALO,        &c. 

If  it  be  afked,  whether  the  aurochs  or  the 
bifon  be  the  primitive  race  of  oxen,  a  fatisfactory 
antwer  may  be  obtained  by  drawing  conclufions 
from  the  fads  already  related.  The  bunch  of 
the  bifon,  as  formerly  remarked,  is  an  acciden- 
tal character  only,  which  is  effaced  by  the  com- 
mixture of  the  two  races.  The  aurochs,  or  ox 
without  a  bunch,  is,  therefore,  the  moft  power- 
ful and  predominant  race.  Were  it  otherwife, 
the  bunch,  inllead  of  difappearing,  would  extend, 
andfubfrft  in  all  the  individuals  proceeding  from 
a  mixture  of  the  two  races.  Belides,  this  bunch 
of  the  bifon,  like  that  of  the  camel,  is  not  {o 
much  a  production  of  nature,  as  an  effect  of  la- 
bour, and  a  badge  of  flavery.  In  all  ages,  and 
in  every  country,  the  oxen  have  been  obliged  to 
carry  burdens.  Their  backs,  by  conftant  and 
often  exceffive  loads,  have  been  deformed  ;  and 
this  deformity  was  afterwards  tranfmitted  by  ge- 
neration. There  remained  no  oxen  without  this 
deformity,  except  in  thofe  countries  where 
they  were  not  employed  in  carrying  burdens. 
Throughout  all  Africa  and  the  Eaft,  the  oxen 
are  bunched  ;  becaufe,  at  all  periods,  they  have 
carried  loads  on  their  fhoulders.  In  Europe, 
where  they  are  employed  in  the  draught  only, 
they  have  not  undergone  this  deformed  change, 
which  is  probably  occafioned,  in  the  firft  place, 
by  the  compreflion  of  the  loads,  and,  in  the  fe- 
cond,  by  a  redundance  of  nourifhment  ;  for  it 
difappears  when   the    animal  is  meager  and   ill 

fed. 


THE    BUFFALO,   &c.         iqi 

fed.  Domeftic  oxen  with  bunches  might  efcape, 
or  be  abandoned  in  the  woods,  where  their  po- 
fterity  would  inherit  the  fame  deformity,  which, 
inftead  of  difappcaring,  would  augment  by  the 
abundance  of  food  peculiar  to  all  uncultivated 
countries ;  fo  that  this  fecondary  race  would 
fpread  over  all  the  defert  lands  of  the  North  and 
South,  and  pafs,  like  the  other  animals  which 
can  fupport  the  rigours  of  cold,  into  the  New 
Continent.  The  indentity  of  the  fpecies  of  the 
bifon  and  aurochs  is  ftill  farther  confirmed  from 
this  circumftance,  that  the  bifons  of  North  Ame- 
rica have  fo  ftrong  an  odour  of  mufk.,  that  they 
have  been  called  tnujk  oxen  by  mod  travellers  * ; 
and,  at  the  fame  time,  we  learn,  from  the  tefti- 
mony  of  fpeclators  '(*,  that  the  aurochs,  or  wild 

ox 

*  Fifteen  leagues  from  the  river  Danoife,  is  the  river  call- 
ed Sea-ivolf,  both  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Hndfon's  bay.  In 
this  country,  there  is  a  fpecies  of  ox  called  the  Mufk  ex,  from 

his  ttronK  odour  of  mufk,  which,  in  certain  feafons,  renders 

0  i 

his  flefh  uneatable.     Thefe  animals  have  very  fine  wool,  which 

is  longer  than  that  cf  the  Barbary  flieep.     I   had  fome  of  it 

fent  me  to  France  in  the  year  1708,  of  which    I   made  ftock- 

ings,  which  were  as   fine   as   thofe  of  filk Thefe  oxen, 

though    fmaller   than   ours,    have  larger   and   longer   horns. 

Their  roots  join  on  the  top  of  the  head,  and   defcend   on    the 

fide  of  the  eyes  as  low  as  the  throat;   then  the  tips  mount  up 

in  the  form  of  a  crefcent.     I  have  feen  two  of  them  which. 

weighed  together  fixty  pounds.     Their  legs  are  fo  fhort,  that 

the    wool    always    trails    on   the    ground    where   they   walk, 

which  renders  them  fo  unfhapely,  that  it  is   difficult,   at  a  di- 

ftance,  to  know  at  which  end  the  head  is   placed  ;  HtJ}.   de  la. 

Nonvslle  France,  par  le  P.  Charlevoix,  ton:.  3.  p.  J  32. — See  alfo 

Le  Voyage  de  Robert  Lade,  torn.  2.  p.  315. 

f  Ephem.  German,  decad.   2.  ana.  2.  obf.-rv.  7. 


i92         THE     BUFFALO,   fo. 

ox  of  Pruffia  and  Livonia,  has  the  fame  fcent  of 
muik. 

Of  all  the  names,  therefore,  prefixed  to  this 
article,  which,  both  by  ancient  and  modern  na- 
turaliils,  are  reprefented  as  fo  many  diftincT;  fpe- 
cies,  there  remain  only  the  buffalo  and  the  ox. 
Thefe  two  animals,  though  very  fimilar,  both 
domeftic,  often  living  under  the  fame  roof,  and 
fed  in  the  fame  paftures,  though  at  liberty  to  in- 
termix, and  frequently  ftimulated  to  it  by  their 
keepers,  have  uniformly  refufcd  to  unite.  They 
neither  copulate  nor  produce  together.  Their 
natures  are  more  remote  from  each  other  than 
that  of  the  afs  and  horfe :  They  even  feem  to 
have  a  mutual  antipathy ;  for  we  are  allured, 
that  cows  will  not  fuckle  young  buffaloes,  and 
that  female  buffaloes  refufe  to  fuckle  calves.  The 
difpofition  of  the  buffalo  is  more  obftinate  and 
untraceable  than  that  of  the  ox.  He  is  lefs  obe- 
dient, more  violent,  and  fubjecl  to  humours  more 
frequent  and  more  impetuous.  All  his  habits 
are  grofs  and  brutal.  Next  to  the  hog,  he  is  the 
dinieft  of  domeftic  animals;  for  nothing  is  more 
difficult  than  to  drefs  and  keep  him  clean.  His 
figure  is  grofs  and  forbidding.  His  afpect  is 
wild  and  ftupid.  He  ffretches  out  his  neck  in 
an  aukward,  ignoble  manner,  and  carries  his 
head  fo  ungracefully,  that  it  generally  hangs 
down  toward  the  ground.  He  bellows  hideouf- 
ly,  and  with  a  ftrong  and  deeper  tone  than 
that  of  the  bull.    He  has  meager  limbs,  a  naked 

tail, 


THE     BUFFALO,    &c,         193 

tail,  a  dark  countenance,  and  a  fkin  as  black  as 
his  hair.  He  differs  chiefly  from  the  ox  by  this 
black  colour  of  his  fkin  :  It  appears  under  the 
hair,  which  is  not  clofe.  His  body  is  thicker  and 
fhorter  than  that  of  the  ox,  his  legs  longer,  his 
head  proportionally  fmaller,  his  horns  lefs  round, 
being  black  and  comprefTed  ;  and  he  has  a  tuft 
of  curled  hair  on  his  front.  His  fkin  is  alio 
thicker  and  harder  than  that  of  the  ox.  His 
flefh  is  black  and  hard,  and  has  not  only  a  bad 
tafte,  but  a  mod  diiagreeable  odour*.  The  milk 
of  the  female  buffalo  is  not  fo  good  as  that  of 
the  cow  ;  but  fhe  yields  it  in  much  greater  quan- 
tity f-  In  warm  countries,  mod  checfcs  are 
made  of  the  buffalo's  milk.  The  flefh  of  young 
buffaloes,  though  ted  with  milk,  is  not  good. 
The  fkin  is  of  more  value  than  the  reit  of 
Vol.  VI.  N  the 

*  In  travelling  from  Rome  to  Naples,  we  are  fometirr.c:: 
regaled  with  crows  and  buffaloes,  and  are  happy  to  find  them. 
The  flefh  of  the  buffalo  is  black,  hard,  and  (linking,  and  none 
but  poor  people  and  the  Jews  cf  Rome  are  in  the  habit  o" 
eating  it  ;    Forage  de  M/J/bn,  torn.  3.  p.  54. 

f  In  entering  Perfia,  by  the  way  of  Armenia,  the  firfl  plai  e 
worthy  of  notice  is  called  the  Three  Churches,  at  the  diftance 
of  three  leagues  from  Erivan.  In  this  country,  there  are  vail 
numbers  of  buffaloes,  which  ferve  the  inhabitants  for  plough- 
ing their  lands.  The  females  yield  a  great  quantity  of  milk, 
of  which  butter  and  cheefe  are  made.  Some  females  give 
daily  twenty-two  pints  of  milk;  Voyage  de  Tavernier,  /.':■.  i. 
torn,  i.  p.  41. — The  female  buffaloes  go  with  young  twelve 
months,  and  often  give  twenty-two  pints  of  rniJk  a-day,  of 
which  io  great  quantities  of  butter  are  made,  that,  in  iome  of 
the  villages  on  the  Tigris,  we  faw  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
barks  loaded  with  butter,  to  be  fold  along  both  fideg  of  tj 
ffcrfic  Gulf  j  Id.  ib. 


194         THE     BUFFALO,    &c. 

the  animal,  the  tongue  of  which  alone  is  good 
for  eating.  The  fkin  is  iblid,  pretty  flexible, 
and  almoit  impenetrable.  As  thefe  animals  are 
larger  and  ftronger  than  oxen,  they  are  employ- 
ed with  advantage  in  different  kinds  of  labour. 
They  are  made  to  draw,  and  not  to  carry  bur- 
dens. They  are  directed  and  reftrained  by  means 
of  a  ring  pafTed  through  their  nofe.  Two  buf- 
faloes yoked,  or  rather  chained,  to  a  chariot, 
draw  as  much  as  four  ftrong  horfes.  As  they 
carry  their  neck  and  head  low,  the  whole  weight 
of  their  body  is  employed  in  drawing  ;  and  their 
mafs  much  furpaffes  that  of  a  labouring  horfe. 

The  height  and  thicknefs  of  the  buffalo  are 
fufficient  indications  that  he  originated  from 
warm  climates.  The  larger!  quadrupeds  are 
produced  in  the  Torrid  Zone  of  the  Old  Conti- 
nent ;  and  the  buffalo,  in  the  order  of  magnitude, 
mould  be  ranked  next  to  the  elephant,  the  rhi- 
noceros, and  the  hippopotamus.  The  camelo- 
pard  and  the  camel  are  taller,  but  thinner  ;  and 
the  whole  are  equally  natives  of  the  fouthern 
regions  of  Afia  and  Africa.  Buffaloes,  however, 
live  and  produce  in  Italy,  in  France,  and  in  o- 
ther  temperate  countries.  Thofe  kept  in  the 
royal  menagery  have  produced  twice  or  thrice. 
The  female  brings  forth  but  one  at  a  birth,  and 
goes  with  young  about  twelve  months;  which 
is  a  ftill  farther  proof  of  the  difference  of  this 
fpecies  from  that  of  the  cow,  whofe  time  of 
geftation  is  only  nine  months.     It  appears,  like- 

wife3 


THE    BUFFALO,    &c.  195 

wife,  that  thefe  animals  are  more  gentle  and  lefs 
brutal  in  their  native  country  ;  and  that,  the 
warmer  the  country,  their  difpofition  is  the  more 
docile.  In  Egypt  *,  they  are  more  tradable 
than  in  Italy,  and  in  India  f  than  in  Egypt; 
The  Italian  buffaloes  have  alfo  more  hair  than 
thole  of  Egypt,  and  the  Egyptian  than  thofe 
of  India  J.     Their  fur   is  by  no  means  clofe  ; 

N  2  becaufe 

*  The  buffaloes  are  numerous  in  Egypt.  Their  fiefh  is 
good  ;  and  they  are  not  io  ferocious  as  thofe  of  Europe. 
Their  milk  is  of  great  ufe,  and  produces  excellent  butter  ; 
Defcript.  I'  Egypte,  par  Mailkt,  p.  27. 

f  In  the  kingdom  of  Aunan  and  Tonquin,  the  buffaloes 
are  very  tall,  and  have  high  fhoulders.  They  are  alfo  robuft, 
and  fuch  excellent  labourers,  that  one  alone  is  fufricient  to 
draw  a  plough,  though  the  coulter  enters  very  deep  into  the 
ground.  Their  flelh  is  not  difagreeablc  ;  but  that  of  the  ox  is 
better,  and  more  commonly  ufed  ;  Hiji.  de  Tonquin,  par  le  P. 
de  Rhodes,  p.  5  1 . 

%  At  Malabar,  the  buffalo  is  larger  than  the  ox.  He  is 
fhaped  nearly  in  the  fame  manner.  His  head  is  longer  and 
hatter.  His  eyes  are  larger,  and  almolt  entirely  white.  His 
horns  are  flat,  and  often  two  feet  long.  His  legs  are  thick 
and  fnort.  He  is  ugly,  and  almolt.  without  hair.  He  walks 
flowly,  and  carries  heavy  burdens.  Like  the  cows,  they  go 
in  flocks  ;  and  their  milk  produces  butter  and  cheefe.  Their 
flelh  is  good,  though  lefs  delicate  than  that  of  the  ox.  They 
are  excellent  fwimmers,  and  traverfe  the  moft  rapid  'rivers. 
We  have  feen  them  tamed.  But  the  wild  buffaloes  are  ex- 
tremely dangerous  ;  for  they  tear  men  to  pieces,  or  crufn 
them  with  a  lingle  ftroke  of  their  heads.  They  are  lefs  to  be 
feared  in  the  woods  than  in  any  other  fituation  ;  for  their 
horns  often  entangle  among  the  branches,  which  gives  thofe 
time  to  fly  who  are  purfued.  The  fkin  of  thefe  animals  is  u- 
fed  for  a  number  of  purpofes  ;  and  even  pitchers  are  made  of 
it  to  keep  water  and  other  liquors.  Thofe  on  the  Malabar 
coaft  are  almoft  all  wild  ;  and  ftrangers  are  not  prohibited 
from  hunting  and  eating  them  ;   Voyage  de  Dellon,  p.  1  iq. 


J0         THE    BUFFALO,    &c. 

becaufe  they  belong  to  warm  climates  ;  and  the 
large  animals,  in  general,  of  thefe  countries,  have 
little  or  no  hair. 

In  Africa  and  India,  there  are  vail  quantities 
of  wild  buffaloes,  which  frequent  the  banks  of 
rivers  and  extenfive  meadows.  Thefe  wild  buf- 
faloes go  in  flocks  *,  and  make  great  havock 
in  the  cultivated  fields.  But  they  never  attack 
men,  nnlefs  when  they  are  wounded.  They 
are  then  extremely  dangerous  fj  f°r  they  run 
ftraight  upon  the  enemy,  overturn  him,  and 
trample  him  under  their  feet.  They  are,  how- 
ever, afraid  at  the  fight  of  fire  :f,  and  they  ab- 
hor 

*  There  are  fuch  numbers  of  wild  buffaloes  in  the  Philip- 
pine ides,  that  a  good  hunter,  with  a  horfe  and  a  fpear,  may 
kill  thirty  of  them  in  a  day.  The  Spaniards  kill  the  buffalo 
for  his  fktn,  and  the  Indians  for  his  fleih  ;  Voyage  de  GaneM 
Carcri,  torn.   5.  p.  162. 

f  We  are  told  by  the  Negroes,  that,  when  they  fhoot  a£ 
the  buffaloes, without  wounding  them  mortally,  they  dart  with 
fury  on  the  -hunters,  and  trample  them  to  death.  .  .  .  The 
Negroes  watch  where  the  buffaloes  aifemble  in  the  evening, 
climb  a  large  tree,  from  which  they  tire  upon  them,  and  de- 
scend not  till  the  animals  are  dead  ;    Voyage  de  Bo/man,  p.  437. 

%  At  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  buffaloes  are  larger  than 
thefe  of  Europe.  Inilead  of  being  black,  like  the  latier,  they 
are  of  a  dark  red  colour.  Upon  the  {'runt,  there  is  a  rude 
tuft  of  curled  hair.  Their  whole  body  is  well  proportioned  ; 
and  they  advance  their  head  very  much  forward.  Their  horns 
aie  very  fliort,  and  hang  down  on  the  fide  of  their  neck  ; 
the  tips'  bend  inward,  and  nearly  join.  Their  ilcin  is  fo 
hard  and  6rm,  that  it  is  difficult  to  kilt- them  without  a  good 
■  fle'fh  is  neither  fd  {'at  nor  lb  tender  as  that 
.....  The  buff  do,  at  the  C^spe,  turns  funmis 
it  il  !   <■'        ■    I    farmsnt,  or    upon  hearing  a  gtm  di£ 

char&cql 


THE     BUFFALO,  &.         197 

hor  a  red  colour.  We  are  aflured  by  Aldrovan- 
dus,  and  feveral  other  naturalifts  and  travellers, 
that  no  perfon  dare  clothe  himfelf  in  red,  in 
countries  frequented  by  the  buffalo.  I  know- 
not  whether  this  averfion  to  fire  and  a  red  colour 
be  general  among  the  buffaloes  ;  for  it  is  only 
fome  of  our  oxen  which  are  enraged  at  the 
fight  of  red  clothes. 

The  buffalo,  like  all  the  large  animals  of  warm 
climates,  is  fond  of  wallowing,  and  even  of  re- 
maining in  the  water.  He  fwims  well,  and 
boldly  croffes  the  moft  rapid  rivers.  As  his  legs 
are  longer  than  thofe  of  the  ox,  he  runs  more 
fwiftly.  The  Negroes  of  Guiney,  and  the  In- 
dians of  Malabar,  where  the  buffaloes  are  very 
numerous,  are  fond  of  hunting  them.  They 
never  attack  thefe  animals  openly,  but  watch 
for  them  on  the  tops  of  trees>  or  lie  hid  in  the 
thickets  through  which  the  buffaloes  cannot  pals 
on  account  of  their  horns.  Thefe  people  eftecnx 
the  fleffi  of  the  buffalo,  and  draw  great  profits* 
from  his  fldn  and  horns,  which  are  harder  and 
better  than  thofe  of  the  ox. 

The  animal  called  tnrpaio.Jfa  OfpaCaJfa  at  Con- 
go, though  very  imperfectly  deferibed  by  travel- 

N  3.  Jen* 

charged  over  him.  On  thefe  occauons,  he  cries  in  a  hideous 
manner,  Pcrikes  with  his  feet,  turns  up  the  earth,  and  runs 
with  fury  againft.  the  man  who  has  mot,  or  wears  a  red  gar- 
ment. Neither  fire  nor  water  can  flop  his  courfe.  Nothing- 
but  a  high  wall,  or  fome  fimilar  obitacle,  is  capable  of  re- 
training him  ;  Defcript.  de  Bsrjie-efperance,  par  Kolbe,  tonu  £,- 
chaf.  11.  p.  25.. 


198  THE    BUFFALO,    &c. 

lers,  appears  to  me  to  be  the  buffalo;  and  the  a- 
nimal  mentioned  under  the  name  of  empabunga 
or  impa! inicd,  in  the  fame  country,  is,  perhaps, 
the  bubalus,  whole  hiftory  mall  be  given  along 
with  that  of  the  gazelles  or  antilopes. 


SUPPLEMENT. 


The  ox  and  bifon  are  two  diftintl:  races  of  the 
fame  fpecies.  Though  the  bifon  uniformly  dif- 
fers from  the  ox  by  the  bunch  on  his  back,  and 
the  length  of  his  hair,  he  fucceeds  very  well  in 
the  Ifle  of  France  :  His  flefh  is  much  better  than 
that  of  the  European  oxen  ;  and,  after  fome  ge- 
nerations, his  bunch  vanifhes  entirely.  His  hair 
is  fmoother,  his  limbs  are  more  {lender,  and  his 
horns  longer  than  thofe  of  the  common  ox.  I 
faw,  fays  M.  de  Querhoent,  bifons  brought 
from  Madagafcar,  which  were  of  an  aftonifh- 
ing  11  ze  "\ 

The  bifon,  of  which  we  here  give  a  figure, 
and  wThich  we  faw  alive,  was  taken,  when  young, 
in  the  forefts  of  the  temperate  parts  of  North 
America.  It  was  brought  to  Holland,  and  pur- 
chafed  by  a  Swede,  who  tranfported  it  from 
town  to   town  in  a   large  cage,  where  it  was 

firmlv 


.■ 


Note  communicated  by  M.  le  Vicomte  de  Querhoent. 


THE   BUFFALO,    &c.  199 

firmly  fixed  by  the  head  with  four  ropes.  The 
enormous  mane  which  furrounds  its  head  is  not 
hair,  but  a  flowing  wool,  divided  into  locks,  like 
an  old  fleece.  This  wool  is  very  fine,  as  well  as 
that  which  covers  the  bunch,  and  the  anterior 
part  of  the  body.  The  parts  which  appear  naked 
in  the  engraving,  are  only  fo  at  a  certain  time 
of  the  year,  which  is  rather  in  furnmer  than  in 
winter  ;  for,  in  the  month  of  January,  all  parts 
of  the  body  were  almoft.  equally  covered  with 
a  fine,  clcfe,  frizled  wool,  under  which  the  fkin 
was  of  a  footy  colour  ;  but,  on  the  bunch,  and 
all  the  other  parts  which  are  covered  with  long- 
er wool,  the  fkin  is  tawi^.  This  bunch,  which 
oonfifts  entirely  of  rleifi,  varies  according  to  the 
plight  of  the  animal.  To  us  he  appeared  to  dif- 
fer from  the  European  by  the  bunch  and  the 
wool  only.  Though  under  much  reftraint,  he 
was  not  ferocious,  but  allowed  his  keepers  to 
touch  and  carefs  him. 

It  would  appear,  that  there  were  formerly  bi- 
fons  in  the  north  of  Europe.  Gefner  even  af- 
ferts,  that,  in  his  time,  they  exifted  in  Scotland. 
Having  inquired  into  this  fact,  I  was  informed, 
by  letters  both  from  Scotland  and  England,  that 
no  remembrance  or  veftige  of  them  could  be 
traced  in  that  country.  Mr  Bell,  in  his  travels 
from  Ruflia  to  China,  mentions  two  fpecies  of 
oxen  which  he  faw  in  the  northern  parts  of  Afia  ; 
one  of  which  was  the  aurochs,  or  wild  ox,  and  is 

the 


2oo        THE     BUFFALO,  &c, 

the  fame  race  with  our  oxen  ;  and  the  other, 
which  we  have  denominated,  after  Gmelin,  the 
Tartarian^  Grunting  Co<w,  appeared  to  be  the 
iame  fpecies  with  the  bifon.  After  comparing 
this  grunting  cow  with  the  bifon,  I  found  an 
exact  coincidence  in  all  the  characters,  except  the 
grunting,  inftead  of  bellowing.  But  I  appre- 
hend, that  this  grunting  is  not  conftant  and  ge- 
nera], but  contingent  and  particular,  fimilar  to 
the  deep  interrupted  voice  of  our  bulls,  which 
is  never  fully  exhibited  but  in  the  feafon  of  love. 
Befides,  I  was  informed,  that  the  voice  of  the 
bifon,  whofe  figure  I  have  reprefented,  was  never 
heard,  and  that,  though  coniiderably  hurt,  it  did 
not  complain,  which  induced  his  mafter  to  think 
that  it  was  mute  :  And  it  is  probable  that  its 
voice  would  be  developed  by  grunting  or  inter- 
rupted founds,  when  in  full  poffeffion  of  free- 
dom and  in  prefence  of  a  female,  the  animal's 
fpirits  were  excited  by  love. 

It  is  fingular,  that  the  bifons,  or  bunched  oxen, 
whofe  race  appears  to  be  extended,  in  the  Old 
Continent,  from  Madagafcar  and  the  point  of 
Africa,  and  from  the  extremity  of  the  Eaft  In- 
dies as  far  as  Siberia,  and  that,  in  the  New  Con- 
tinent, though  they  are  found  from  the  country 
of  the  Ilionois  to  Louifiana,  and  even  Mexico, 
they  fnould  never  have  paffed  the  ifthmus  of  Pa- 
nama ;  for  there  are  no  bifons  in  any  part  of 
South  America,  though  the  climate  is  perfectly 

agreeable 


THE    BUFFALO,    &c.         201 

agreeable  to  their  nature,  and  the  European  oxen 
have  multiplied  there  as  well  as  in  any  other 
part  of  the  globe. 

At  Madagafcar,  the  beft  kind  of  bulls  and  cows 
were  brought  thither  from  Africa,  and  have  a 
bunch  on  their  backs.  The  cows  yield  fo  little 
milk,  that  a  fingle  Dutch  cow  would  give  fix 
times  as  much.  In  this  ifland,  there  are  wild 
bifons  which  wander  in  the  forefts.  The  flefh, 
of  thefe  bifons  is  not  equal  to  that  of  our  oxen  *. 
In  the  fouthern  parts  of  Afia,  we  likewife  find 
wild  oxen.  The  natives  of  Agra  hunt  thefe 
animals  on  the  mountain  of  Nerwer,  which  is 
furrounded  with  wood.  This  mountain  is  fi- 
tuated  on  the  road  from  Surat  to  Golconda. 
Thefe  wild  cattle  are  generally  beautiful,  and  fell 
very  dear  j\ 

The  zebu  feems  to  be  a  miniature  of  the  bi- 
fon,  whofe  race,  as  well  as  that  of  the  ox,  has 
undergone  great  variations,  efpecially  in  hze. 
The  zebu,  though  an  original  native  of  very 
warm  regions,  is  capable  of  exiting  and  multi- 
plying in  temperate  climates.  '  I  law,'  fays  Mr 
Colinfon,  '  a  great  number  of  thefe  animals  in 
'  the  Duke  of  Richmond's,  and  alio  in  the  Duke 

*  of  Portland's   parks,    where  they   every  year 

*  bring  forth  calves,  which  are  extremely  beau- 
'  tiful.     The  fathers  and  mothers  were  brought 

4  from 

*  Voyage  de  Francois  le  Guat,  torn.  2.  p.  71. 
f  Voyage  de  Thevenot,  torn.  3.  p.  113. 


202         THE    BU  F  F  A  L  O,   &c. 

'  from   the  Eait   Indies.      The   bunch   on   the 

•  ihoulder  is  twice  as  large  In  the  male  as  in  the 
'  female,  whofe  ftature  exceeds  that  of  the  male. 

•  The  young  zebu  fucks  its   mother   like  other 

•  calves  ;  but,  in  our  climate,  the  milk  of  the 
'  mother  foon  dries  up,  and  the  fuckling  of  the 
'  young  is  completed  by  the  milk  of  another 
'  female.  The  Duke  of  Richmond  ordered  one 
4  of  thefe  animals  to  be  flain  ;  but  its  flelh  was 
'  not  fo  good  as  that  of  the  ox  *.' 

Among  the  oxen  without  bunches,  there  are 
alio  imall  individuals,  which,  like  the  zebu,  may 
conltitute  a  particular  race.  Gemelli  Careri,  in 
his  journey  from  Ifpahan  to  Schiras,  faw  two 
fmall  cows,  which  the  Bafhaw  of  the  province 
had  fent  to  the  King,  and  which  exceeded  not 
the  fize  of  calves.  Though  fed  folely  on  ftraw, 
they  were  very  fat '{.  In  general,  it  appears,  that 
the  zebus,  or  fmall  bifons,  as  well  as  our  little 
oxen,  are  more  flefliy  and  fatter  than  the  bifons 
and  oxen  of  the  common  fize. 

With  regard  to  the  buffaloes,  we  have  little  to 
add.  It  fhall  only  be  remarked,  that,  though 
they  cannot  ufe  their  horns,  they  are  made  to 
fight  lions  and  tigers  in  the  Mogul's  country. 
Thefe  animals  are  very  numerous  in  all  warm 
climates,  efpecially  in  marfhy  countries,  and  in 

the 

*  Letter  from  the  late  Mr  Colinfon  to  M.  de  Buffon,  dated 
at  London,  December  30.  1764. 

f  Voyage  de  Gemelli  Careri,  torn.  z.  p.  338. 


THE     BUFFALO,    &c.         203 

the  neighbourhood  of  rivers.  Water,  and  a 
moft  foil,  feem  to  be  itill  more  necefiary  to  them 
than  the  warmth  of  the  climate  *.  It  is  for  this 
reafon  that  none  of  them  are  found  in  Arabia, 
where  almoft  the  whole  country  is  dry.  The 
wild  buffaloes  are  hunted,  but  with  much  cau- 
tion ;  for  they  are  exceedingly  dangerous,  and, 
when  wounded,  run  againrt  men  with  great 
fury.  As  to  the  domeftic  buffaloes,  Niebuhr  re- 
marks, that,  in  fome  places,  as  at  Bafra,  it  is  the 
practice,  when  milking  the  female,  to  thruft  the 
hand,  as  far  as  the  elbow,  into  the  vagina,  be- 
caufe  this  operation  makes  her  yield  a  greater 
quantity  of  milk  f.  This  fact  appears  not  to  be 
probable  ;  but  the  female  buffalo,  like  fome  of 
our  cows,  may  forcibly  retain  her  milk  ;  and 
this  gentle  kind  of  titillation  may  relax  the  con- 
traction of  her  teats. 

At  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  body  of  the 
buffalo  is  of  the  fame  fize  with  our  ox  ;  but  he 
has  fhorter  legs,  and  a  larger  head.  He  is  a 
very  formidable  animal.  He  frequents  the  bor- 
ders of  the  woods,  and,  as  his  fight  is  not  good, 
he  remains  there  with  his  head  placed  near  the 
ground,  in  order  the  better  to  diftinguifh  objects 
among  the  roots  of  the  trees.  When  he  per- 
ceives 

*  I  formerly  remarked,  that  the  buffaloes  might  fucceed  in 
France.  Attempts  have  lately  been  made  to  propagate  them 
in  Brandenbourg,  near  Berlin  ;  Gazette  de  France,  June  9.  1775. 

I  Defcript.  de  l'Arabie,  par  M.  Niebuhr,  p.  145. 


204         THE   BUFFALO,^. 

ceives  any  difagreeable  objedfc  near  him,  he 
darts  fuddenly  upon  it,  making,  at  the  fame 
time,  a  moft  hideous  bellowing  ;  and  it  is  very 
difficult,  on  thefe  occafions,  to  efcape  his  fury. 
He  is  not  fo  much  to  be  dreaded  in  the  open 
fields.  His  hair  is  red,  and  black  in  fome  places. 
They  appear  often  in  numerous  flocks  *. 


The 


*  Note  communicated  by  the  Vicomte  de  Querhoent  to 
M.  de  Buffon. 


'-/./.{.'//tiraj,,.' 


BTTFALO. 


The   M  O  U  F  L  O  N  *,  and  other 
SHEEP. 

THE  weakeft  fpecies  of  ufeful  animals  were 
firft    reduced   to   a  domeftic    ftate.     The 
fheep  and  goat  were  fubjugated  before  the  horfe, 

the 

*  The  Siberian  goat  has  large  horns  bending  back,  clofe 
at  their  bafe,  dillant  at  their  points,  with  circular  rugae. 
Thefe  animals  vary  in  fize  and  colour.  The  fkin  of  the  one 
the  Britifh  mufeum  did  me  the  favour  of  accepting,  was  co- 
vered with  pale  ferruginous  hair,  on  the  fides  fhort,  on  the 
top  of  the  neck  longer,  and  a  little  erect.  Along  the  lower 
fide  of  the  neck,  and  on  the  fhoulders,  the  hair  was  fourteen 
inches  long.  Beneath  the  hair  was  a  fhort  wool.  On  the 
knees,  there  was  a  bare  fpot,  as  if  by  kneeling  to  lie  down. 
The  tail  was  very  fhort ;  and  the  horns  were  twenty-five 
inches  long,  eleven  in  girth  in  the  thickefl  place,  and  one  foot 
feven  inches  diftant  from  point  to  point. — The  horns  of  the 
females  are  much  lefs  than  thofe  of  the  males  ;  Pennant's 
Sy  nop f.  of  quad.  p.  1 8. 

Moufion  is  derived  from  the  Italian  word  Mujfcne,  the  name 
of  this  animal  in  the  iflands  of  Corfica  and  Sardinia ;  in 
Greek,  povrpw,  according  to  Strabo ;  in  Latin  Mufnion  or 
Mujivicn  ;  in  Siberia,  Stepnie-bardni,  that  is,  'wild  fneept  accor- 
ding to  Gmelin  ;  and,  among  the  Mogul  Tartars,  Argali. 

Mufmon  ;  Plin.  lib.  8.  c.  49.  Ophion  ;  I  J.  lib.  28.  c.  9.  lib. 
30.  c.   15. 

Tragelaphus  ;  Belon.  Obf.  p.  54.  Rati  Synopf.  quad.  p.  82. 
Klein,  quad.  p.  20.  The  coat  of  the  tragelaphus,  fays  Belon, 
is  fimilar  to  that  of  the  he -goat ;  but  he  has  no  beard.  His 
horns,  which  do  not  fhed,  fefemble  thefe  of  a  fhe-goat ;  but 
they  are  fometimes  twiited  like  thofe  cf  a  ram.  He  has  the 
muzzle,  front,  and  ears  of  a  fheep;  and  his  fcrotum  is  Kkewife 

pendu- 


206       THEMOUFLO  N,  &c. 

the  ox  or  the  camel.  They  werelikewife  more 
eafily  tranfportcd  from  one  climate  to  another. 
From  this  fource,  all  the  varieties  among  thefe 
fpecies,  as  well  as  the  difficulty  of  diftinguilhing 
the  genuine  ftock  of  each,  have  proceeded.  We 
formerly  proved,  that  our  domeftic  fheep,  in 
their  prefent  condition,  could  not  fubfift  with  - 
out  the  fupport  of  man  *  ;  from  which  it  is  ap- 
parent, that  Nature  never  produced  them  as 
ihey  exift  at  prefent,  but  that  they  have  dege- 
nerated under  our  care.  We  muft,  therefore, 
fearch  among  the  wild  animals  for  thofe  which 
make  the  neareft  approach  to  the  fheep.  We  muft 
compare  them  with  the  domeftic  fheep  of  foreign 
countries,    examine   the  different   caufes  which 

might 

pendulous  and  large.  His  thighs,  under  the  tail,  are  white, 
and  the  tail  is  black.  Upon  the  breaft  and  throat  the  hair 
is  fo  lono-  that  he  feems  to  have  a  beard.  The  hairs  upon 
the  fhoulders  and  breaft  are  long  and  black.  He  has  two 
gray  fpots,  one  on  each  fide  of  the  flanks.  His  noftrils  are 
black ;  and  his  muzzle,  as  well  as  the  under  part  of  his  belly, 
are  white. — Note.  This  defcription  of  the  tragelaphus  by 
Belon  agrees,  in  every  elTential  character,  with  that  we  have 
given  of  the  mouflon. 

Mufmon,  feumufimon;  Ge/her,  Hijl.  quad.  p.   823. 

Hircus  cornibus   fupra  rotundatis,  infra  planis,  femicircu- 

lum  referentibus Le  chamois  de  Siberic;  le  chevre 

du  Levant;  Brijfon,  quad.  p.  46. 

Rupicapra  cornibus  arietinis,  Argali  ;  Nov.  Com.  Petrop.  torn. 
4.  p.  49.   388.  tab.  8. 

Fifhtall,  Lerwee  ;  Shaw's  travels,  p.  243. 

Capra  Ammon,  cornibus  arcuatis,  femicircularibus,  fubtus 
planiufculis,  palearibus  laxis,  pilofis,  gula  imberbi  ;  Linn.  S-.jh 
Nat. p.  97. 

*  See  above,  article  Sheep,  vol.  III. 


THE     M  O  U  F  L  O  N,  &c.        207 

might  introduce  changes  into  the  fpecies,  or 
make  it  degenerate,  and  endeavour,  as  in  the 
cafe  of  the  ox,  to  recall  all  thefe  varieties, 
and  alTthefe  pretended  fpecies,  to  one  primitive 
race. 

Our  fheep,  in  itsprefcnt  ftate,  cxifts  nowhere 
but  in  Europe,  and  fome  of  the  temperate  pro- 
vinces of  Afia.  When  tranfported  into  warm 
countries,  as  Guiney  *,  it  lofes  its  wool,  and  is 
covered  with  hair  :  Its  fertility  is  diminifhed, 
and  the  tafte  of  its  fiefh  is  altered.  In  very  cold 
countries  it  cannot  fubfift.  But,  in  cold  cli- 
mates, and  particularly  in  Iceland,  we  find  a 
race  of  ihecp  with  feveral  horns,  a  fhort  tail,  and 
hard  thick  wool,  under  which,  as  in  mod  nor- 
thern 

*  Ovis  Africana  pro  vellere  lanofo  pilis  brevibus  hirtis  vef- 
tita  ;  hoc  genus  vidimus  in  vivario  regio,  VVeftmonafterienii, 
S.  Jacobi  dido  ;  quoad  formam  corporis  externam  ovibus  vul- 
garibus  perfimile,  ve rum  pro  lana  ei  pilus  fuit.  .  .  .  Specie  a 
noftratibus  differre  non  fidenter  affirmaverim  ;  fortaffe  quem- 
admodum  homines  in  Nigritarum  regionibus  pro  capiJJis  la- 
nam  quandam  obtinent,   ita  vice  verfa   pecudes  hae  pro  lana 

pilos  ;  Ray,  Syn.  quad.  p.    75. In  the  kingdom   of  Congo, 

in  Loango,  and  Cabinda,  the  fheep,  inllead  of  foft  wool,  are 
covered  with  coarfe  hair,  fimilar  to  that  of  dogs.  The  ex- 
treme heat  of  the  air,  which  dries  up  all  the  oily  humours, 
is  the  caufe  of  this  coarfenefs.  I  made  the  fame  obfervation 
with  regard  to  the  Indian  fheep  ;  Voyage  dej.  Ovington,  torn.   1. 

p.  60. The  fheep  are  pretty  numerous  along  the  coafl  of 

Guiney,  and  yet  they  are  very  dear.  They  have  the  fame 
figure  with  thofe  of  Europe,  except  that  they  are  one  half 
fmaller,  and,  inftead  of  wool,  are  covered  with  hair  of  an 
inch  long  .  .  .  The  rlefh  has  not  the  fmalleft  appearance 
of  that  of  the  European  fheep,  being  extremely  dry,  ^&c.  j 
Voyage  de  Bofman,  p.  237. 


-o8       THEMOUFLON,  &c, 

thern  animals,  there  is  a  layer  of  fofter,  finer, 
and  more  bufhy  wool.  In  warm  countries,  on 
the  contrary,  the  fheep  have  generally  fhort 
horns  and  a  long  tail,  fome  of  which  are  cover- 
ed with  wool,  others  with  hair,  and  others  with 
a  mixture  of  wool  and  hair.  The  firft  of  thefe 
warm  country  fheep,  which  is  commonly  called 
the  Barbary  jhcep  *,  or  the  Arabian  foeep  t»  re~ 
iembles  the  domeftic  kind  in  every  refpec~t,  ex- 
cept the    tail  J,  which    is  i'o    loaded    with   fat, 

that 

*  Perfia  abounds  in  fheep  and  goats.  Some  of  thefe  fheep, 
which  are  called  Barbary,  or  broad  tailed  Jheep,  have  a  tail  that 
weighs  above  30  pounds.  It  is  a  heavy  burden  to  the  poor 
animals,  and  ftill  more  fo,  as  it  is  narrow  at  the  origin,  and 
broad  at  the  extremity.  Some  of  them  are  fo  heavy,  that  the 
animals  areunable  to  trail  them  ;  and  the  fhepherds  are  obliged 
to  fix  boards  with  two  wheels  under  the  tail,  to  preferve  it 
from  galling,  &c.  ;  Chardin*  torn  2.  p.  28. 

f  Ovis  laticauda  Arabica;  Rati  Synopf.  quad.  p.  74.  Mod 
naturalifts  call  this  animal  the  Arabian  foeep.  It  is  not,  how- 
ever, an  original  native  of  Arabia,  nor  does  it  belong  to  the 
Arabian  race  of  fheep.  Rut  they  are  very  numerous  in  South 
Tartary,  Perfia,  Egypt,  Barbary,  and  ia  all  the  eaftern  coafts 
of  Africa. 

Aries  laniger,  cauda  latidima.  .  .  .  Ovis  laticauda.  La  bre- 
bis  a  large  queue;  Briffon.  quad.  p.  50.  Linn.  Syft.  Nat.  p.  97. 
Nov.  Corti.Petrap.  tru.  5.  p.  347.  tab.  S. 

t  Neque  his  ariatibus ullutlJ  ab  alnS  difcrirmm  praeterqu.im 
in  cauda  quam  latiffimam  circumferunt  .  .  .  Noniuillis  libras 
decern  aut  viginti  cauda  pendot,  cum  fua  fponte  Lmpinguaii- 
tur  ;  verum  in  iligypto  plurimi  farciendis  verveftbus  intenti, 
furfure  hordeoque  fagmant  ;  quibus  adso  craifcfcit  cauda  ut 
feipfos  dimovere  non  poffint  ;  verum  qui  eorum  cuiam  ge- 
rnnt  caudam  exiguis  vehiculis  alligantes  gradum  promovere 
faciunt  ;  vidi  hujufmodi  cs  a  Jim  libras  o/hiaginta  po;:  l^rr.  r;  j 
■{;}■::.    Defer  ipt.Afric.  vol.  2.  pag 


THE    M  O  U  F  L  O  N,  8cc.       209 

that  it  is  often  more  than  a  foot  broad,  and 
weighs  above  twenty  pounds.  Befides,  there  is 
nothing  remarkable  in  this  animal  but  its  tail, 
which  it  carries  as  if  a  cufhion  were  iixed  to  its 
thighs.  Among  this  race  of  fheep,  there  are 
ibme  whofe  tails  are  fo  long  *  and  heavy,  that 
they  are  obliged  to  be  fupported  by  a  fmall  wheel 
machine,  to  enable  the  animals  to  walk.  In 
the  Levant,  this  fheep  is  covered  with  very  fine 
wool ;  but,  in  warm  countries,  as  Madagascar, 
and  the  Indies  "|~»  it  is  covered  with  hair.  The 
redundance  of  fat,  which,  in  our  iheep,  fixes  a- 
bout  the  kidneys,  defcends,  in  thefe  animals,  u- 
pon  the  vertebrae  of  the  tail  :  The  other  parts 
of  their  bodies  are  lefs  loaded  with  fat  than  our 
fed  wedders.  This  variety  fhould  be  attributed 
to  the  food,  the  climate,  and  the  care  of  men; 
for  thofe  broad  or  long  tailed  iheep  are  domeftic 
like  ours,  and  even  require  more  care  and  ma- 
nagement. This  race  is  much  more  diffufed 
than  that  of  the  ordinary  kind.  It  is  common 
Vol.  VI.  6  in 

*   Ovis   Arabica   altera  ;   Rati,  fynopf.    quad.  />.    74.     Ari 

laniger  cauda  longiffima. Ovis  longicauda ;  Brijfon.  qt 

; .  76.  Note.   Raj  and  Briflbn  have   made  two   diftinct  fpeci-es 
of  thefe  broad  and  tailed  fneep.     But  Linnaeus  has  pro- 

perly reduced  them  to  on 

f  The  ifland  of  Madagascar  produces  fneep  with  tails  fo  hi 
that  they  weigh  twenty  pounds.     They  are   loaded   with   1     , 
which  does  not  melt,  and  their  flefh  is   very  delicate.     The 
wool  of  thefe  fheep  is  like  goat's  hair,    Voyage   dc   Flacourt,  p, 

3- The  flefh  of  the  wedders  and  young  females  has  an  •    - 

cellent  favour  ;    .   .        p.  tc  j. 


2io        THE    MOUFLON,  &c. 

in  Tartary  *  Tcrfia  f ,  Syria  J,  Egypt,  Bar- 
bary,  Ethiopia  §,  Mofambiqne  ||,  Madagafcar**, 
and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  "|"f. 

In 

*  The  flieep  of  Tartary,  like  thofe  of  Perfia,  have  large 
tails,  which  confift  entirely  of  fat,  and  weigh  from  twenty 
to  thirty  pounds.     Their  ears  are   pendulous,  and  their  nole 

flat;    Voyage  d'Olearius,  torn.    J.  />.    321 The  fheep   of 

Eaft  Tartary  have  tails  which  weigh  from  ten  to  twelve 
pounds.  Thefe  tails  confift  of  iolid  fat,  which  has  an  excel- 
lent relifh.  The  bones  of  the  vertebrae  are  not  larger  than 
thofe  of  our  flieep  ;   Relation  de  la   Grande   Tart  arte,  p.    187. 

The  flieep  of  Calmuck  Tartary  have  their  tails  concealed 

in  a  cufhion  of  many  pounds  weight ;  Id.  p.  267. 

\  A  fingle  tail  of  fome  of  the  Perfian  flieep  weighs  from 
ten  to  twelve  pounds,  and  yields  five  or  fix  pounds  of  fat. 
Its  figure  is  the  reverfe  of  that  of  our  flieep,  being  broad  at 
the  extremity,  and  fmall  at  the  origin ;  Voyage  de  Tavemier, 
torn.  2.  p.  379. 

I  In  Syria,  Judea,  and  Egypt,  the  tails  of  the  flieep  are  fa 

large,  that  I  have  fcttn  one  of  them  weigh  above  thirty-three 

pounds,  though  the  animals  were  not  larger    than    the    flieep 

of  Berri,  but  much  handfomer,  and  had   finer  wool  ;    Voyage 

Villamont,  p.  629. 

§  In   ^Ethiopia,  there   are  fheep  whofe  tails  weigh  more 

than  twenty. five  pounds. Others  have  tails  a  fathom  long, 

;>nd  twilled  like  a  vine  branch;    Drake's  voyage,  p.  85. 

||  Sunt  ibi  oves  quae  una  quanta  parte  abundant;  inte- 
gram  enim  pyem  i\  quadrifide  fecaveris  praecife  q  unique 
partibus  plenarie  conftabit;  cauda  fiquid-rn  qaam  habent  taru 
lata,  crafla,  et  pinguis  eft,  ut  ob  molem  reliqujs  par  fit;  Hug. 

•  'cot.  naylg.  part.  2.  p.  19. 

**  The  ifland  of  Madagafcar  abounds   in   cattle. The, 

■  of  the   ranis   and    ewes    are   fo   large,  that  we  fay.-  one. 
h  weigh-.:  twenty-eight  pounds;    V    age  de   Pyrard,  torn. 

-■/■•  37- 

■  ,    In  the  fheep  at  the  Cipe  of  Good  Hope  there  is  nothing 
except    the    length    and    thickn-f,    oi'   the    tail, 

which, 


THE    M  O  U  F  L  O  N,  &c.         211 

In  the  iflands  of  the  Archipelago,  and  parti- 
cularly in  Crete,  there  is  a  race  of  do  medic 
fheep,  of  which  Belon  has  given  a  figure  and 
defcription  under  the  name  of  Jirepficheros  *. 
This  fheep  is  of  the  fame  fize  with  the  common 
kind.  Like  the  latter,  it  is  covered  with  wool, 
and  differs  from  them  only  by  having  erect 
horns  chamfered  in  the  form  of  a  fcrew. 

In  fine,  we  find,  in  the  warmer  countries  of 
Africa  and  India,  a  race  of  large  fheep  whh 
coarfe  hair,  fhort  horns,  pendulous  ears,  with  a 
kind  of  dewlap  which  hangs  under  the  neck. 
This  fheep  is  called  by  Leo  Africanus  and  Mar- 
mol,  adimain~\  ;  and  it  is  known  to  the  natu- 
ralifts  under  the  name   of  the  Senegal  foeep  J, 

O  2  the 

which  commonly  weighs  from  fifteen  to  twenty  pounds.     The 
Perfian  fheep,  though  fmaller,  have  ftill  larger  tails.     I  1 
feen  fome   of  this  race   at  the   Cape,  whole  tails  weighed  at 
lead  thirty  pounds  ;  Defcript.   da   Cap  de  Bonne- Efpirunce,  par 
Kolbe,  torn.  2.  p.  97. 

*  In  Crete,  and  particularly  on  Mount  Ida,  there  is  a  race 
of  fheep,  which  go  in  large  flocks,  and  are  culled  J}?-iphocheri. 
They  refemble  the  common  kind  in  every  thing  but  their 
horns,  which,  inftead  of  being  twilled,  are  ftruight  and  cham- 
fered like  a  fcrew  ;   Qbferv.  de  Be/on.  p.  15. 

f   Adimain,  animal  domeflicum  arietem  forma  refert. 

Aures  habet   oblongas  et   pcadulas.     Lybici   his  animalihu- 

pecoris    vice    utuntur. . Ego    quondam   juvenili    fervore 

ductus  horum  animalium  dorfo  infiidens  ad  quartam  miliarii 
partem  delatus  fui  ;  Lea:.  Afric.  Defcript.  Afric.  vol.  2.  p.  752. 
See  alfo  /' '  Afrique  de  Mar'moly  torn.  1.  p.  59. 

t  The  wedders,  or  rather  the  rams  of  Senegal,  for  none  o; 
them  are  caftrated,  are  a  diftincl  and  ftrongly  marked  fpecic:-:. 
They  ha^-e  nothing  of  the   common  kind   but  the  head  and 

tail, 


212       THE     MOUFLON,&c, 

the  Guiney  JJyeep  %  the  Jloeep  of  Angola,  &ca 
It  is  domeftic,  like  the  other  kind,  and  fubjedfc 
to  the  lame  varieties.  We  have  given  figures 
of  two  of  thefe  fheep,  which,  though  they  dif- 
fer in  particular  charaders,  have  fo   many  re- 

femblances, 

tail.  From  the  coarfenefs  of  tl^eir  hair,  they  feem  to  be  al- 
lied to  the  goat. It  appears  that  wool  would  be  incom- 
modious to  the  fheep  in  very  warm  climates ;  and  that  Na- 
ture has  changed  it  into  hair  of  a  moderate  length,  and 
pretty  thin ;   Voyage  au  Senega/,  par  M.  Adanfon,  p.  36. 

African  fheep. ■ — It  is  meager,  very  long  legged,  and 

tall,  with  fhort  horns  and  pendant  ears.  It  is  covered  with 
ihort  hair,  inftead  of  wool,  and  has  wattles  on  its  neck.  Per- 
haps it  is  the  adimain  of  Leo  Africanus,  p.  341.  which  he 
fays  furnifhes  the  Lybians  with  milk  and  cheefe.  It  is 
of  the  fize  of  an  afs,  and  fhaped  like  a  ram;  Pennant's  fynopf. 
of  quad.  />■  12. 

*  Aries  Guineenfis,  five  Angolenfisj  Marcgrav.  p.  234.  Rait 
fynopf-  quad,  p.  75. 

Aries  Pilofus,  piiis  brevibus  veflitus,  juba  longiffima,  auri- 

culis  longis   pendulis. Ovis  Guineenfis.     La  brebis  de 

Gunee  ;   Brijfon,  Regn.  atym.  p.  77. 

Ovis  Guineenfis,  auribus  pendulis,  palearibus  laxis,  pilofis, 
occipite  prorninente  $  Linn.fyjl.  nat.  p.  98. 

Sheep  of  Sahara;  Shaw's  travels,  p.  241. 

Carnero,  or  Bell  wedder ;   Dalla  valle,  trav.  p.  91. 

The  Guiney  fheep  differ  from  the  European  kind.  They 
are  generally  longer  legged,  and  have  no  wool,  but  Ihort,  foft 
hair,  like  that  of  a  dog.  The  rams  have  long  manes,  which 
fometimes  hang  down  to  the  ground,  and  cover  their  necks 
from  the  fhoulders  to  their  ears,  which  are  pendulous.  Their 
horns  are  knobbed,  pretty  fhort,  fharp,  and  bended  forward. 
Thefe  animals  are  fat;  their  flefh  is  good,  and  well  flavour- 
ed, efpecially  when  they  feed  on  the  mountains  or  along  the 
fea    coafls ;    but  it  fmells   of  tallow  when  they    pafture    on 

marfhy  grounds.      The -ewes  are  exceedingly   prolific 

They  always  bring  forth  two  lambs  at  a  time  ;  Voyage  de 
Dffftnarcbah)  torn   1./.  141. 


THE    MOUFLON,&c.       213 

fcmblances,  that  we  mlift  pronounce  them  to 
belong  to  the  fame  race.  Of  all  the  domeftic 
kinds,  this  race  appears  to  approach  neareft  to  a 
Irate  of  nature.  It  is  larger,  ftronger,  nimbler, 
and,  confequently,  more  capable  of  fubfifting  as 
a  wild  animal.  But,  as  it  is  only  found  in  very 
warra  climates,  and  cannot  endure  cold,  and 
as,  even  in  its  native  climate,  it  fubfifts  not  in  a 
wild  ftate,  but  is  domeftic,  and  requires  the  aid 
of  man,  it  cannot  be  regarded  as  the  primitive 
Hock  from  which  all  other  fheen  have  derived 
their  origin. 

In  conlidering  domeftic  fheep,  therefore,  re- 
lative to  the  order  of  climate,  we  have,  1.  The 
northern  fheep  with  feveral  horns,  and  whofe 
wool  is  extremely  coarfe.  The  fheep  of  Iceland, 
Gothland,  Mufcovy  *,  and  other  parts  of  the 
north  of  Europe,  have  all  coarfe  hair,  and  feem. 
to  belong  to  the  fame  race. 

2.  Our  fheep,  whofe  wool  is  very  fine  and 
beautiful  in  the  mild  climates  of  Spain  and  Per- 
fia,  but  which,  in  very  warm  countries,  turns 
coarfe.  We  have  already  remarked  the  con- 
formity between  the  influence  of  the  climates 
of  Spain  and  of  Chorazan,  a  province  of  Perfia, 

O  3  upon. 

*  Twenty-   Silefian   fhepherds   arrived   at   Petersburg,   and 
were  afterwards   fent  to  Cazan   to   (hear  the  fheep,   and  to 

teach   the  Mufcovites  the  mode   of  preparing   wool. 

But  this  did  not  fucceed  ;  and  the  chief  cauie  of  its  failure 
was  faid  to  be  owing  to  the  coarfenefs  of  the  wool,  the  iheep 
and  goats  having  always  intermixed  and  produced  together  ; 
Nouv.  Mem.  fur  fetat  de  la  Mofcsvie,  torn.  I.  /.  290. 


2i4      TH  E    MOUFLON,    &c. 

upon  the  hair  of  goats,  cats,  and  rabbits:  It 
adts  in  the  fame  manner  upon  the  wool  of  fheep, 
which  is  very  fine  in  Spain,  and  ftill  finer  in 
that  part  of  Perfia  *. 

3.  The  large  tailed  fheep,  whofe  wool  is  very 
fine  in  temperate  countries,  fiich  as  Perfia,  Syria, 
and  Egypt;  but,  in  warmer  climates,  it  is  con- 
verted into  hair  more  or  lefs  coarfe. 

4.  The 

*  At  Mefchet  in  the  country  of  Chorazan,  on  the  fron- 
tiers of  Perfia,  lamb  fkins  formerly  conftituted  a  great  article 
of  commerce.  The  fleeces  were  of  a  beautiful  filver  gray 
colour,  all  curled,  and  Hner  than  filk  :  Thofe  fheep  which 
come  from  the  mountains  to  the  fouth  of  this  city,  and  from 
the  province  of  Kerman,  afford  the  fined  wool  in  Perfia  ;  Re- 
lation de  la  Grande  Tartar ie,  p.  187. — The  greateft  part  of  this 
line  wool  is  furnifhed  by  the  province  of  Kerman,  which  is 
the  ancient  Caramania ;  and  the  bed  kind  comes  from  the 
mountains  adjacent  to  the  town,  which  has  the  fame  name 
with  the  province.  It  is  fmgular,  that,  when  the  fheep  of 
thefe  places  have  eat  the  new  herbage  from.  January  to 
May,  the  fleeces  fall  entirely  off,  and  leave  the  animals  as 
bare  as  fcalded  pigs  ;  fo  that  there  is  no  occafion  for  fheaiing 
them,  as  in  France.  When  the  fleeces  are  collected,  they  are 
beat  or  threfhed ;  by  which  operation  the  coarfer  part  fe pa- 
lates, and  leaves  nothing  but  the  fine. This  wool  is  ne- 
ver dyed  :  It  is  naturally  of  a  bright  brown  or  a  gray  afli-co- 
lour,  <md  very  little  of  it  is  white  ;  Voyage  de  Taverr/ier,  tjm. 
x.  p.  1  30. The  wedders  of  the  Uibeck  and  Bcfchac  Tar- 
tars have  long,  grayilh  wool,  curled  at  the  ends  into  fmall 
white  rings,  which  have  the  appearance  of  pearls.  Thefe 
fleeces  are  more  eiteemed  than  the  fleih  ;  becaufe,  next  to  the 
fable,  they  are  the  mod  valuable  furs  ufed  in  Perfia.  The 
animals  are  fed  with  great  care,  and  generally  in  the  made, 
When  obliged  to  be  expofed  to  the  open  air,  they  are  covered 
like  our  horfes.  The  tail  of  thefe  wedders  is  fmall,  like  that 
:  the  common  kin  J  ;    Voyage  d'Okarius,  torn.  I.  p.  547. 


THE    M  O  U  F  L  O  N,    &ce      £*J 

4.  The  Strepficheros  or  Cretan  fheep.  They 
refemble  ours  in  every  article  but  the  horns, 
which  are  erect  and  chamfered  in  a  fpiral  form. 

5.  The  adimain,  or  large  fheep  of  Senegal 
and  India,  which  are  covered  with  hair  more  or 
lefsfhort  and  coarfe,  in  proportion  to  the  heat  of 
the  climate.  All  thefe  fheep  are  only  varieties 
of  the  fame  fpecies,  and  would  unqueftionably 
produce  with  each  other  ;  fince  we  know  from 
experience  that  the  he- goat,  whofe  fpecies  is 
more  remote,  produces  with  our  ewes.  But, 
though  thefe  five  or  fix  races  of  domcllic  fheepr 
are  all  varieties  of  the  fame  fpecies,  entirely 
produced  by  difference  of  climate,  food,  and 
management ;  yet  none  of  them  appears  to  be 
the  primitive  flock  cr  fource  of  all  the  reft; 
None  of  them  is  fufficiently  ftrong  or  nimble  to' 
refift  the  carnivorus  animals,  or  to  efcape  from 
them  by  flight.  All  of  them  equally  require  care 
and  protection.  Hence  the  whole  ihoirld  be  re- 
garded as  degenerate  races,  formed  by  the  hand 
of  man,  and  multiplied  for  his  u'et  While  he 
nourimed,  cultivated,  and  increafed  thefe  denne- 
itic  races,  he  would  neglect,  injure,  and  deftroy 
the  wild  race,  which,  being  ftroffgj  and  lels  trac- 
table,  would,  of  conrfe,  be  more  incommodious? 
and  lefs  ufeful  to  him.  The  individuals  of  this 
race,  therefore,  would  be  fmall,  and  limited  to 
fuch  defert  cr  thinly  inhabited  places  as  could 
afford  them  fubfidence.  Now,  in  the  motrntains 
of  Greece,  in  the  ifiand  of  Cyprus,  Sardinia,  and 
Corfica,  and  in  the  deferts  of  Tartary,  we  find! 

the> 


2i6      THEMOUFLON,    &c. 

the  animal  called  moiijlon,  which  Teems  to  be  the 
primitive  (lock  of  all  the  different  varieties  of 
iheep.  It  lives  in  a  ftate  of  nature,  and  fubfifts 
and  multiplies  without  the  aid  of  man.  It  re- 
fembles,  more  than  any  other  wild  animal,  all 
the  domeftic  kinds,  and  it  is  ftronger,  fwifter, 
and  more  vivacious  than  any  of  them.  It  has 
the  head,  front,  eyes,  and  face  of  the  ram.  It 
likewife  refembies  him  in  the  figure  of  the  horns, 
and  in  the  whole  habit  of  the  body.  In  fine, 
it  produces  with  the  domeftic  fheep  *,  which  a- 
lone  is  fufficient  to  prove  that  it  belongs  to  the 
fame  fpecies,  and  is  the  primitive  flock  from 
which  all  the  other  varieties  have  originated. 
The  only  difference  between  the  moufion  and 
our  fheep  is,  that  the  former  is  covered  with 
hair,  inftead  of  wool.  Now,  we  have  already 
feen,  that,  in  domeftic  fheep,  wool  is  not  an  ef- 
fential  character,  but  only  a  production  of  tem- 
perate .climates  ;  fmce,  in  warm  countries,  thefe 
fame  fheep  lofe  their  wool,  and  are  covered  with 
hair;  and,  in  very  cold  regions,  their  wool  is  as 
coarfe  as  hair.  Hence  it  is  by  no  means  fur- 
prifing,  that  the  primitive  wild  fheep,  which 
inuft   have   been   expofed  to  heat  and  cold,  and 

mud 

*  Eft  et  in  Hifpania,  fed  maxime  Corfica,  non  maxime  ab- 
fmile  pccori  (fcilicet  ovili)  genus  muimonum,  caprino  villo, 
cjuam  pecoris  vclleri  propius  :  Quorum  e  genere  et  ovibus 
natos  prifci  urnbros  vocarunt ;  Plin.  Hiji.  nat.  lib.  8.  cap.  49* 
From  this  paiTage  ve  learn,  that  the  mouflon  has  at  all 
times  produced  with  the  flieep.  The  ancients  called  all  the 
mongrels  animals  of  thvs  race,  wubri,  imbrit  or  ibri. 


THE    M  O  U  F  L  O  N,    &c.      217 

muft  have  multipled  without  fhelter  in  the 
woods  and  deferts,  fhould  not  be  covered  with 
wool,  which  it  would  foon  lofe  among  the  thick- 
ets, and  its  nature  would  be  changed  by  the 
continual  action  of  the  air  and  temperance  of 
the  feafons.  Befides,  when  the  he- goat  copulates 
with  the  domeftic  ewe,  the  produce  is  a  kind  of 
mouflon  ;  for  the  lamb  is  covered  with  hair,  and 
is  not  an  unfertile  mule,  but  a  mongrel,  which 
rifes  up  toward  the  primitive  fpecies,  and  feems 
to  indicate  that  the  goat  and  our  domeftic  fheep 
have  fomething  common  in  their  origin  :  And, 
as  we  know  from  experience,  that  the  he-goat 
eafily  produces  with  the  ewe,  but  that  the  ram 
is  incapable  of  impregnating  the  fhe-goat,  it  is 
evident,  that,  among  thefe  animals,  while  in  a 
domeftic  ftate,  the  goat  is  the  predominant  fpe- 
cies. Thus,  our  fheep  is  a  fpecies  much  more 
degenerated  than  that  of  the  goat  ;  and  it  is  ex- 
tremely probable,  that,  if  the  fhe-goat  were  fer- 
ved  with  a  mouflon,  inftead  of  a  domeftic  ram, 
fhe  would  produce  kids  which  would  approach 
to  the  fpecies  of  the  goat,  as  the  lambs  produced 
by  the  he- goat  and  ewe  rife  toward  the  original 
fpecies  of  the  ram. 

I  am  aware  of  objections  to  this  doctrine  from 
thofe  fyftematic  naturalifts,  who  found  all  their 
knowledge  of  natural  hiftory  upon  fome  particular 
characters ;  and,  therefore,  fhall  endeavour  to  pre- 
vent them.  The  firft  character,  they  will  fay,  of 
the  ram,  is  to  carry  wool,  and  the  firft  character  of 

the 


2i8      THEMOUFLON,  &c. 

the  goat  is  to  be  covered  with  hair.  The  fecond 
character  of  the  ram  is  to  have  horns  bended  in 
a  circular  form,  and  turned  backward,  and  that 
of  the  he-goat  is  to  have  them  ftraight  and  e- 
rect.  Thefe,  they  will  affirm,  are  the  eflential 
and  infallible  marks  by  which  fheep  and  goats 
will  alwavs  be  diftinguiihed  ;  for  they  rauft  ac- 
knowledge, that  every  other  article  is  common 
to  both.  None  of  them  have  cutting  teeth  in  the 
upper  jaw;  but  each  of  them  has  eight  in  the 
under  jaw.  In  both,  the  canine  teeth  are  wanting; 
their  hoofs  are  equally  divided,  and  their  horns 
are  fimple  and  permanent.  Both  have  their  paps 
fituated  in  the  region  of  the  belly  ;  and  both 
feed  upon  herbage.  Their  internal  ftructure  is 
ftill  more  fimilar  ;  for  it  appears  to  be  the  very 
fame.  The  number  and  form  of  their  ftornachs, 
the  ftructure  and  difpofition  of  their  inteftines, 
the  fubftance  of  the  fiefh,  the  qualities  of  the  fat 
and  feminal  liquor,  the  times  of  geftation  and 
growth,  and  the  duration  of  their  lives,  are  ex- 
actly the  fame.  There  remain,  therefore,  only  the 
wool  and  the  horns  by  which  thefe  two  fpecies 
can  be  diflinguifned.  But,  it  has  already  been 
fhown,  from  fads,  that  wool  is  not  fo  much  a 
natural  fubftance,  as  a  production  of  climate, 
aided  by  the  care  of  man.  The  fheep  of  warm 
and  of  cold  countries,  and  wild  iheep,  have  no 
wool.  Befides,  in  very  mild  climates,  the  goats 
may  be  faid  to  have  wool  inftead  of  hair ; 
for  that   of  the   Angora  goat  is  finer  than  the 

wool 


T  H  E    M  O  U  F  L  O  N,    &c.      219 

wool  of  our  wedders.  This  character,  there- 
fore, is  not  eflential,  but  purely  accidental,  and 
even  equivocal  ;  for  it  may  equally  belong  to 
thefe  two  fpecies,  or  be  wanting  altogether,  ac- 
cording to  the  difference  of  the  climates.  That 
of  the  horns  appears  to  be  ftill  lefs  certain  ;  for 
they  vary  in  number,  fize,  figure,  and  direction. 
In  our  domeftic  fheep,  the  rams  have  generally 
horns,  and  the  ewes  have  none.  I  have  feea 
fheep  not  only  with  two,  but  with  four  horns. 
Thole  of  the  North  and  of  Iceland  have  fometimes 
eight.  In  warm  countries,  the  rams  have  only 
two  fhort  horns,  and  often  want  them,  like  the 
ewes.  In  fome,  the  horns  are  fmooth  and  round  ; 
in  others,  they  are  flat  and  chamfered.  The 
points,  inftead  of  being  bended  backward,  are 
fometimes  turned  outward,  forward,  &c.  This 
character,  therefore,  is  not  more  conftant  than 
the  former  ;  and,  confequently,  it  is  not  fuffietent 
to  coniVitute  different   fpecies  *,      Neither  can 

the 

*  Linnaeus,  with  great  propriety,  inftead  of  fix  fpecies, 
has  made  fix  varieties  only  of  domeftic  iheep.  i.  Ovis  ruflica 
cor  nut  a.  2.  Anglic  a  tmctica,  cauda  Jcrotoque  ad  genua  pendulis. 
3.  Hifpanlca  cornuta,fpira  extrorfeun  tratla.  4.  Polyarata  e  Goth? 
landia.  5.  Africana  pro  lana  pilis  brevibus  hirta.  6.  Laticauda. 
platyura  Arabica;  Linn.Jyfi.nat.p.Q'].  All  thefe  fneep  are  only 
varieties,  to  which  this  author  ihould  have  added  the  adimain- 
or  Guiney  fheep,  and  the  jlrepfuheros  of  Crete,  inftead  of 
making  them  two  different  fpecies.  In  the  fame  manner,  if 
he  had  feen  the  mouflon,  and  had  known  that  it  produced 
with  the  fheep,  or  had  only  confulted  the  paflage  of  Pliny  con- 
cerning the  mouflon,  he  would  never  have  ranked  it  with  the 

goat, 


220      THE    MOUFLON,    &ce 

the  thicknefs  or  length  of  the  tail,  anfwer  this 
purpofe  ;  iince  it  may  be  confidered  as  an  arti- 
ficial member,  which,  by  great  care  and  abundance 
of  good  nourifhment,  may  be  enlarged  at  plea- 
fure.  Befides,  among  our  domeftic  races,  as  in 
certain  Britifh  fheep,  there  are  fome  which  have 
tails  longer  than  the  common  kind.  Our  mo- 
dern  naturalifts,  however,  trufting  folely  to  the 
differences  in  the  horns,  the  wool,  and  the  large- 
nefs  of  the  tail,  have  made  feven  or  eight  di- 
ftinct  fpecies  out  of  the  fheep-kind  The  whole 
of  thefe  we  have  reduced  to  one.  And  this  re- 
duction feerns  to  be  ib  well  founded,  that  the:*?' 
is  little  profpect  of  its  being  overturned  by  fu- 
ture obfervations. 

In  compoling  the  hiftory  of  wild  animals,  wc 
found  it  convenient  to  examine  them  one  by  one, 
without  any  regard  to  genus,  but,  in  the  do- 
meftic  animals,  on  the  contrary,  it  was  necelTa- 
ry  not  only  to  adopt,  but  to  increafe  the  number 
of  genera ;  becaule  in  Nature  there  exift  only 
individuals,  and  fucceiiions  of  individuals,  that 
is,  fpecies.  Men  have  had  no  influence  on  inde- 
pendent animals  ;  but  they  have  greatly  altered 
"and  modified  the  domeilic  kinds.  We  have, 
therefore,  eftablifhed  phyfical   and  real  genera, 

very 

goat,  but  with  the  fhepp.  Brifibn  has  not  only  placed  the 
moufion  and  (Irepficheros,  which  he  calls  bircus  Ia?iiger,  among 
the  goats,  but  he  has  made  lour  diftinct  fpecies  of  domeilic 
fheep  covered  with  wool,  befide  the  domeilic  fheep  of  warm 
countries  covered  with  hair,  and  the  broad  and  long  tailed 
fheep.     All  thefe  feven  we  have  reduced  to  a  fmgle  fpecies. 


THE    MOUFLON,    &c       221 

very  different  from  thofe  metaphyfical  and  arbi- 
trary ones,  which  have  no  exiftence  but  in  idea. 
Thefe  phyfical  genera  are,  in  reality,   compofed 
of  all  the  fpecies,  which,   by  our  management, 
have  been  greatly  vaiiegated  and  changed  ;  and, 
as  all  thofe  fpecies,  fo  differently  modified  by  the 
hand  of  man,  have  but  one  common  origin  in 
Nature,  the  whole  genus  ought  to  conftitute  but 
a  fingle  fpecies.     In  writing,   for  example,   the  , 
hiflory  of  tigers,  we  have  admitted  as  many  fpe- 
cies as  are  really  found  in  different  parts  of  the 
earth  ;  becaufe  we  are  certain  thut  man  has  ne- 
ver introduced  any  changes  among  thefe  untrac- 
eable and  ferocious  animals,  who  fubfift  at  pre- 
fent  in  the  fame  manner  as  they  were  originally 
produced  by  Nature.     The  fame  remark  applies 
to   all   free   and  independent  animals.     But,  in 
eompofing  the  hiftory   of  oxen  and  fheep,  we 
have  reduced  all  the  varieties  of  the  oxen  to  ene 
ox,  and  all  the  varieties  of  the  fheep  to  one  fheep ; 
becaufe  it  is  equally  certain  that  Man,   and  not 
Nature,   has  produced  the  different  kinds  which 
we   have  enumerated,     livery  thing  concurs  in 
fupporting  this  idea,    which,  though  clear  in  it» 
felf,  may  not,  perhaps,  be  fulEciently  underftood. 
That  all  the  oxen  produce  together,   we  are  af- 
fured  by  the  experiments  of  IYl.de  laNux,  Ment- 
zelius,    and  Kalm  :    That  all  the  fheep  produce 
with  one  another,   with  the  mouflon,   and  even 
with  the  goat,  I  know  from  my  own  experience. 
All  the  varieties  of  oxen,  therefore,  form  but  one 

fpecies  j 


222       THE    MOUFLO  N,    &<* 

fpecies  ;  and  all  the  fheep,  however  numerous 
their  varieties,  conftitute  only  another  fpecies. 

I  am  obliged,  by  the  importance  of  the  fub- 
jec~t,  to  repeat,  that  Nature  is  not  to  be  judged 
of  by  particular  minute  chara&ers,  and  that  by 
thefe  the  differences  of  fpecies  are  not  to  be  .de- 
termined ;  that  methodical  diftributions,  inftead 
of  throwing  light  on  the  hiftory  of  animals,  ren- 
der it  ftill  more  obfcure,  by  a  fruitlefs  multipli- 
cation of  denominations,  and  of  fpecies;  by  form- 
ing arbitrary  genera,  which  Nature  never  knew  ; 
by  confounding  real  beings  with  creatures  of 
imagination  ;  by  giving  falfe  ideas  of  the  effential 
characteristics  of  fpecies  ;  and  by  mixing  or  fe- 
parating  them  in  an  arbitrary  manner,  without 
fkill,  and  often  without  having  examined  or  even 
feen  the  individuals.  It  is  for  this  reafon  that 
our  nomenclators  perpetually  deceive  themfelves 
and  publifTi  nearly  as  many  errors  as  lines.  Of 
this  we  have  already  given  fo  many  examples, 
that  nothing  but  the  blindeft  and  moft  obftinate 
prejudice  can  poffibly  refift  the  evidence  they  af- 
ford. On  this  fubjecT:  M.  Gmelin  talks  very 
fenfibiy,  when  treating  of  the  animal  under  con- 
federation *, 

We 

*  «  The  argati,' or  Jlepnie-barani,  which  occupy,'  fays  he, 
'  the  fouthern  mountains  of  Siberia,  from  the  river  Irtis,  as 
far  as  Kamtfchatka,  are  extremely  vivacious  animals ;  and 
this  vivacity  feems  to  exclude  them  from  the  clafs  of  fheep, 
and  to  rank  them  with  that  of  the  flags.  I  fhall  here  give  a 
ihort  description  of  them,  from  which  it  will   appear,  that 

neii 


THE    MOUFLON,    &c,      223 

We  are   convinced,  as   M.  Gmelin  remarks, 
that  we  can  never  acquire  a  knowledge  of  Na- 
ture, 

neither  fprightlinefs,  nor  inactivity,  neither  the  wool  nor  hair 
with  which  an  animal  is  covered,  neither  crooked  nor  ftraight 
horns,  neither  permanent  horns,  nor  thofe  which  fall  off  an- 
nually, are  marks  fufficiently  characleriftic  to  diftinguifh 
clalfes.  Nature  loves  variety  ;  and  I  am  perfuaded,  that,  if 
we  knew  better  how  to  manage  our  fenfes,  they  would  often 
lead  us  to  more  effential  characters,  with  regard  to  the  differ- 
ences of  animals,  than  we  generally  derive  Irom  reafon, 
which  feldom  apprehends  thofe  marks  but  in  a  fuperficial 
manner.  In  this  animal,  the  external  form  of  the  head, 
neck,  and  tail,  correfponds  with  that  of  the  flag.  His  vi- 
vacity, alio,  as  formerly  remarked,  is  fo  great,  that  he 
feems  to  be  (till  more  wild  than  the  flag.  The  individual  I 
faw,  though  reputed  to  be  only  three  years  old,  ten  men 
durft  not  attack.  The  largeft  of  this  fpecies  are  about  the 
lize  of  a  fallow  deer.  The  one  I  examined  meafured,  from 
the  ground  to  the  top  of  the  head,  a  Rufiian  ell  and  a  half 
in  height.  His  length,  from  the  root  of  the  horns,  was 
an  ell  and  three  quarters.  The  horns  rile  above  and  very 
near  the  eyes,  and  juil  before  the  ears.  They  firft  bend 
backward  and  then  forward  in  a  circular  form.  The  tips 
turn  upward  and  owtward.  The  horns,  from  the  root  to  the 
middle,  are  furrowed,  but  afterward  become  fomewhat 
fmoother.  It  is  probably  from  the  figure  of  the  horns  that 
the  Ruffians  have  called  this  animal  the  ivildj7?cep.  If  we  can 
trull  the  natives  of  thefe  provinces,  his  whole  ftrength  lies  in 
his  horns.  They  fay  that  the  rams  of  this  fpecies  fight  by 
linking  each  other  with  their  horns  ;  and,  when  any  of  them 
are  knocked  off,  the  aperture  of  the  bafe  is  {o  large,  that  the 
voung  foxes  frequently  take  ihelter  in  the  cavity.  It  is  not 
difficult  to  eftimate  the  force  neceffary  to  break  off  one  of 
thefe  horns,  fince  they,  as  long  as  the  animal  lives,  continue 
to  augment  both  in  thicknefs  and  in  length  ;  and  the  part  of  the 
head  alio  from  which  they  fpring  becomes  always  harder.  Ic 
is  laid,  that  a  well  grown  horn,  comprehending  the  curvatures, 
pie^fures  two  ells  in  length:  that  it  weighs  between  thirty 

and 


224     T  H  £     MOUFLO  N,    &fe, 

ture,but  by  a  judicious  ufe  of  our  fenfes,  by  fee-, 
ing,  examining,  comparing,   and,   at   the  fame 

time, 

and  forty  Ruffian  pounds;  and  that,  at  the  bafe,  it  is  feven  or 
eight  inches  in  diameter.  The  horns  of  the  one  I  faw  were 
ofawhitilh  yellow  colour;  but  they  turn  browner  and  black- 
er as  the  animal  advances  in  years.  He  carries  his  ears,  which 
are  pointed  and  tolerably  large,  very  erect.  The  hoofs  are 
divided,  and  the  fore  legs  are  three  quarters  of  an  ell  long, 
and  the  hind  legs  ftill  longer.  When  the  animal  Hands 
erect  on  a  plain,  his  fore  legs  are  always  fully  extended  and 
ftraight,  and  thofe  behind  are  crooked ;  and  this  curvature  feems 
to  diminifh  in  proportion  to  the  inequality  of  the  ground  over 
which  he  paffes.  On  the  neck  there  are  fome  pendulous  folds. 
The  colour  of  the  body  is  grayifh  mixed  with  brown.  Along 
the  back,  there  is  a  yellowifh  or  rather  reddifh  line ;  and  the 
lame  colour  appears  behind,  on  the  infide  of  the  legs,  and  on 
the  belly,  where  it  is  a  little  paler.  This  colour  continues 
from  the  beginning  of  Auguft  till  the  fpring,  at  the  approach 
of  which  thefe  animals  call  their  hair,  and  become  every 
where  more  red.  They  caft  their  hair  a  fecond  time  about 
the  end  of  July.  This  defcription  applies  to  the  males.  The 
females  are  always  fmaller;  and  though  they  have  fimilar 
horns,  they  are  fmaller  and  thinner,  and  even  acquire  not 
thicknefs  with  age.  The  horns  are  nearly  ftraight,  have  no 
furrows,  and  much  refemble  thofe  of  our  caftrated  he-goats. 

In  the  internal  parts,  they  refemble  other  ruminating  ani- 
mals. The  ftomach  is  compofed  of  four  different  cavities, 
and  the  gall-bladder  is  confiderably  large.  Their  flefh  is 
good,  and  has  nearly  the  fame  tafte  with  that  of  the  roebuck. 
The  fat  is  delicious,  according  the  teftimony  of  the  Kamt- 
ichatkan  nations.  They  feed  upon  herbage.  They  couple 
in  autumn,  and  bring  forth  one  or  two  lambs  in  the  fpring. 

By  the  hair,  the  tafte  of  the  flefh,  the  figure  and  vivacity 
of  this  animal,  it  belongs  to  the  clafs  of  the  flag.  By  the 
permanent  horns,  it  is  excluded  from  this  clafs.  The  circular 
horns  give  it  fome  refemblance  to  the  iheep.  It  is  diftingniih- 
ed  from  that  animal  by  its  vivacity  and  want  of  wool.  Its 
hair,  its  abode  upon  high  rocks,  and  its  frequent  combats, 

make 


THE     M  O  U  F  L  O  N,  &c.       22; 

time  by  denying  ourfelves  the  liberty  of  fabrica- 
ting methodical  diftributions,  contemptible  fy- 
ftems,  in  which  animals  are  clafled  which  the  au- 
thors never  faw,  and  knew  nothing  more  of  them 
than  their  names,  wrhich  are  often  ambiguous, 
obfcure,  and  mifapplied.  The  falfe  employment 
of  thefe  names  confounds  ideas  in  a  farrago  of 
words,  and  drowns  truth  in  a  torrent  of  error. 
We  are  likewife  convinced,  after  examining  the 
mouflonalive,  and  comparinghim  with  Gmelin's 
defcription,  that  the  argali  is  the  fame  animal. 
We  formerly  remarked,  that  this  animal  was 
found  in  Europe,  and  in  pretty  warm  countries, 
fuch  as  Greece  *,  the  ifland  of  Cyprus  t,  Sardi- 
Vol.  VI.  P  nia, 

make  it  approach  to  the  goats.  But  the  crooked  horns,  and 
the  want -of  a  beard,  exclude  it  from  this  clafs.  Should  we 
not  rather  regard  this  animal  as  conftituting  a  particular  clafs, 
and  recognife  it  as  the  mufivwn  of  the  ancients  ?  In  a  word, 
it  has  a  ftong  refemblance  to  Pliny's  defcription  of  the  mu- 
fimon,  and  ft  ill  more  to  that  given  by  the  learned  Gefner ;" 
Relation  d'un  voyage  par  terre  a  Kamtfchatka^  par  Gmeliti.  This 
curious  relation  is  written  by  a  man  of  good  fenfe,  and  much 
verfed  in  natural  hiftory. 

*  Thetragelaphus  of  Belon  is  unqueflionably  our  mouflon  ; 
and  we  perceive,  from  his  remarks,  that  he  fliw,  defcribed, 
and  drew  a  figure  of  this  animal  in  Greece,  and  that  it  is 
found  in  the  mountains  between  Macedonia  and  Servia. 

f  In  the  Ifland  of  Cyprus,  there  are  rams  denominated  by 
the  ancient  Greeks,  according  to  Strabo,  viufmottes,  and 
called  by  the  prefent  Italians  mufione.  Inftead  of  wool,  they 
are  covered  with  hair,  like  that  of  goats;  or  rather  their  (kin 
and  hair  diiier  little  from  thofe  of  the  flag.  Their  horns  re- 
ferable thofe  of  rams  ;  but  they  are  bent  backward.  They 
ire  as  tall  and  as  large  as  a  middle  lized  flag.  They  run  with 

great 


2:6       THEMOUFLO  N,  &c. 

nia,  and  Corfi.r.i^.  But  it  is  ftill  more  nume- 
rous in  thefouthern  mountains  of  Siberia,  under 
a  climate  rather  cold  than  temperate,  where  it 
even  appears  to  be  larger,  ftronger,  and  more 
vigorous.  Hence  it  might  equally  iupply  the 
north  and  the  fouth  :  Its  offspring  mi emt  be  ren- 

I  o  D 

clered  dotrieftic.  After  fuffering  long  the  hard- 
ihips  ef  this  (late,  it  would  degenerate;  and, 
according  to  the  differences  of  climate  and  treat- 
ment, would  affume  relative  characters,  and  new 
habits  of  body,  which,  being  afterward  trans- 
mitted by  generation,  gave  rife  to  our  domeftic 
fheep,  and  all  the  other  races  formerly  enume- 
rated. 

SUPPLEMENT. 

We  have  given  the  figure  of  a  ram  which  was 
mown  at    the  fair  of  St  Germain,   in  the  year 

»774i 

great  fwiftnefs  ;   but   tliey  never  quit  the   highelt  and  molt 

rugged  mountains.  Their  fkih  is  good  and    favoury 

The  fkir.s  of  thefe  animals  are  drefied,  and  fent  to  Italy,  -where 
they  go  by  the  name  of  cordoani  or  corduani ;  Defcript.  d:s 
JJles  de  I'Archipel,  par  Dapper,  p.  CO. 

*  His  in  infulis  (Sardinia  et  Corfica)  nafcuntur  arietes  qui 
pro  lana  pilum  caprinum  producunt,  quos  mufmones  voci- 
tant  ',_Straboi  lib.  5 — Nuper  apud  nos  Sardus  quidam  vir  non 
illiteratus  Sardinian!  affirmavitabundare  cervis,  apris,  acdamis, 
et  infuper  animali  quod  vulgo  muflonem  vocant,  pelle  et  pilis 
(pilis  capreae,  ut  ab  alio  quodam  accepi,  caetera  fere  ovi  fimi- 
le)  cervo  fimile  ;  cornibus  arieti,  non  longis  led  retro  circa  au- 
res  refiexis,  magnitudine  cervi  mediocris,  herbis  tantum  vivere, 
in  montibus  afperioribus  verfari,  curfu  velociffimo,  carne  ve- 
Bationibus  expedita  j  Gejner,  Hijl.  quad.  p.  823. 


THE     M  O  U  F  L  O  N,    &c.      227 

1774,  under  the  name  of  the  nam  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope.     This  lame  ram  was   exhibited,  the 
vear  preceding,  under  the  denomination   of    the 
Mogul  ram  ivith  a  thick  tail.     But   we   learned 
that  it  was  purchaled   at  Tunis;   and   we  think 
it  is   the  fame   with   the   Barbary  fheep  former- 
ly reprefented,  from  which  it  differs  only  by  the 
ihortnefs  of  its  tail,    which    is   alio  flatter,   and 
broader  in  the  upper  part.    The  head  is  I 
proportionally  thicker,  and  refembles  that  of  the 
Indian    ram.     The  body  is  well  covered  with 
wool,  and  the  legs  are   £hort,   even  when  com- 
pared   with  thole    of  our ,  flieep.     The    figure 
and  fize  of   the  horns  differ  little    from  thofe  of 
the  Barbary  ihcep.     We   have  called  it  the  ram 
of  Tunis,   to   diflinguifh    it  from  the  other;    but 
we  are  perfuaded   that  they  both  belong    to  tl 
fame  country  of  Barbary,  and  that  they  arc  very 
nearly  of  the  fame  race. 

We  have  likewife  given  the  figure  of  a  ram, 
which  was  exhibited  at  the  fair  of  Saint -Ger- 
main, in  the  year  1774,  under  the  name  of  the 
morvant  of  China.  This  ram  is  remarkable  for  a 
kind  of  mane  on  his  neck,  and  for  long  hai 
which  hang  down  from  his  throat,  and  form  a 
kind  of  cravat.  Thefe  hairs  are  a  mixture  of 
red  and  gray,  hard  to  the  touch,  and  about  ten 
inches  long.  'The  hairs  of  the  main  are  red,  not 
very  thick,  extend  as  far  as  the  middle  ot  the 
back,  and  are  of  the  fame  colour  and  confidence 
with  thofe  onthe  throat;  but  they  urefhcrter, and 

P  2     .  ixed 


223       THE     MOUFLON.&c. 

mixed  with  fome  brown  and  black  hairs.  The 
wool  which  covers  the  body  is  a  little  curled,  and 
foft  at  the  extremity  ;  but  near  the  fid n  of  the 
animal  it  is  ftraight  and  hard  :  In  general,  it  is 
about  three  inches  long,  and  of  a  bright  yellow 
colour.  The  legs  are  of  a  deep  red,  and  the 
head  is  fpotted  with  different  fhades  of  yellow. 
The  greatefl  part  of  the  tail  is  yellow  and  white, 
and  in  figure  refembles  that  of  a  cow,  being  well 
furnifhed  with  hair  toward  the  extremity.  This 
ram  (lands  lower  on  his  legs  than  the  common 
kinds,  and  he  refembles  the  Indian  ram  morethau 
any  other.  His  belly  is  very  large,  and  not  a- 
bove  fourteen  inches  nine  lines  railed  from  the 
ground.  M.  de  Seve,  who  defcribed  this  animal, 
adds,  that,  from  the  groffnefs  of  the  belly,  this 
ram  had  the  appearance  of  a  pregnant  ewe.  The 
horns  are  nearly  the  fame  with  thofe  of  our 
rams.  Butthe  hoofs  are  not  prominent,  and  they 
are  longer  than  thofe  of  the  Indian  ram. 

We  formerly  remarked,  and  now  repeat,  that 
the  mouflon  is  the  primaeval  flock  of  all  the  o- 
ther  fheep,  and  that  his  conftitution  is  fufficient- 
ly  robuft  to  enable  him  to  fubiifl  *in  cold,  tem- 
perate, and  warm  climates.  The  wild  rams  of 
Kamtfchatka,  fays  M.  Steller,  have  the  air  of  a 
goat  and  the  hair  of  a  rain  deer.  Their  horns 
are  fo  large,  that  fome  of  them  weigh  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  pounds.  Spoons  and  other 
utenfils  are  made  of  them.  Thefe  rams  are  as 
active  and  nimble  as  roebucks.     They   inhabit 

the 


Plate  rLXXIL 


<!#&*//*.'<•« ft. 


iirrFLon. 


Plate  CKXX1I1. 


m 


Ic'Ei^ANn  ham. 


SV&^t/cufa* 


T'lafe  CT^XW: 


IOEXiAND  EWE . 


///h7/\  i, -<<//,  / 


'S./,i,/A  /<■„//, 


^ARBJBT  AVlCUDEK . 


Tlate  CUXXVI. 


r '///,//,  K, '</,,/ 


TNTJ1AX  P.  AM. 


9&i^^cu#t  r 


Txdixx  Ram:. 


riate  t  LXWilL 


<^J£r/7Jc«//t  / 


Indi&n  Ewe. 


Tlat'e    CJiXXK. 


/.&'//,>.•<,//,  * 


EA¥  of  TFXIg. 


Tlafe  CXXXX. 


f'/./J,-//rh„//>f 


MOEYANT 


THE    M  O  U  F  L  O  N,   &c.      229 

the  precipices  of  the  moft  rugged  mountains. 
Their  flefh  is  exceedingly  delicate  ;  but  they  are 
hunted  chiefly  for  the  fake  of  their  furs. 

I  believe  that  few  of  the  genuine  mouflons 
now  exift  in  Corfica.  The  frequent  Wars  which 
happened  in  that  ifland  have  probably  accom- 
plished their  deftruction.  But,  in  the  figure  of 
their  prefent  races  of  fheep,  we  ftill  find  marks 
of  the  former  exiflence  of  the  mouflon.  In  the 
month  of  Auguft  1774,  we  faw  a  Corfican  ram, 
which  belonged  to  the  Due  de  Vrilliere.  Ic 
exceeded  not  the  fize  of  a  French  fheep.  It  was 
white,  low  on  its  legs,  and  had  long  hair  difpofed 
in  locks.  It  had  four  large  horns,  the  upper 
two  being  more  bulky  than  the  under,  and  they 
had  rugofities  like  thofe  of  the  mouflon. 


P  3  THE 


THE         AXIS  *. 


r 


;HIS  animal  being  known  only  under  the 
vague  names  of  Sardinian  hind  and  Stag 
of  the  Ganges,  we  have  preferved  the  appellation 
given  to  it  by  Belonf,  which  he  borrowed  from 

Pliny, 

*  Deer  with  flender  trifurcated  horns ;  the  fir  ft  branch 
near  the  bafc,  and  the  fecond  near  the  top,  each  pointing' 
upwards.  It  is  of  the  fi/e  of  the  fallow  deer,  of  a  light  gray 
colour,  and  the  body  is  beautifully  marked  with  white  fpots. 
Along  the  lower  part  of  the  fides  next  the  belly,  is  a  line'  of 
te.  The  tail,  which  is  as  long  as  that  of  a  fallow  deer, 
is  red  above,  and  white   beneath;  Pennant's   Synopf.   of  quad, 

t '  5 l ' 

Axis;    Plinii  lib.  S.  cap.  21.    Belon.  Qbf.  p.  119.    Rail  Synq 

'.  p.  88. 
Speckled  deer;  Nieuhoff.  voy. p.  262. 

Biche  de  Sardaigne  ;  Mem.  pour  fervir  a  Phift.   des  animaux, 

'.  2.  p.  73.  tab.  45. 
•j-   "  In   the   court  of  this   caflle,  there  were  a  male  and  a 
female  oi:  a  Kind  of  flag  or  fallow  deer,  which  we  fhoulu  never 
have  recognifed,  if  we  had  not  fufpected  that  it  was   the   axis 
mentioned  by  Pliny,  [lib.  8.  cap.  21.)  in  the  following  Words; 
In  India  ....  et  feram  nomine  A<hn,  'binnuli  p'elley   pluribus  candi- 
es, facratn  Libero  Patri.     Both  of  them  wanted 
ns,  and,  The  the  fallow  deer,  had  a  long  tail  that  han?  as 
low  as  the  hocks,  by  which  we  knew  that  they  were  not  (lags; 
and  in  fact,  at  firft   fight,  we  thought  they  were  fallow  deer. 
But,  upon  a   clofer   examination,    we  rejected  this   opinion. 
The  female  is  fraaller  than  the  male;  and  their  fkin  was  va- 
riegated with  round,  white  fpots.     The  ground  colour  of  | 
bock.  wifh,  and  white   on   the   belly.      In  this  article 

the}  from  the, fcamelopard;  fcr  the  ground  colour  of  the 

camelopard  is  white,  and  the  fpots  are  reddifh.     Their  voice 

h 


THE        AXIS.  231 

Pliny,  both  becaufe  the  characters  cofrefpend 
with  Pliny's  axis,  and  the  name  has  never  been 
applied  to  any  other  quadruped;  and,  therefore, 
we  are  in  no  danger  of  falling  into  error  or  con- 
fufion;  for  a  generic  denomination,  accompanied 
with  an  epithet  derived  from  the  climate,  is  not 
a  name,  but  a  phrafe  by  which  an  animal  may 
be  confounded  with  others  of  its  own  genus,  as 
the  prefent  animal  with  the  (tag,  though,  per- 
haps, it  is  different  both  in  fpecies  and  in  cli- 
mate. The  axis  is  one  of  the  fmall  number  of 
ruminating  animals  which  carry  horns,  like  thofe 
of  the  flag.  He  has  the  if  ature  and  fwiftnefs  of 
the  fallow-deer.  But,  what  diitinguiihcs  him 
from  both,  he  has  the  horns  of  the  ltag,  and  the 
figure  of  the  fallow  deer;  his  whole  body  is 
marked  with  white  fpots,  elegantly  difpofed,  and 
feparate  from  each  other;  and,  hilly,  he  is  a 
native  of  warm  climates  *.     But  the  hair  of  the 

ftao- 

o 

is  clearer  than  that  of  the  flag;  for,  having  heard  them  bray, 
we  were  certain  that  they  could  neither  be  fallow  deer  nor 
flags,  and,  therefore,  believed  them  to  be  the  axis  of  the  an- 
cients ;   Be'on,  obferv.  p.  119. 

*  This  animal  was  in  the  royal  menagery,  under  the  name 
oi  the  Ganges  /tag.  From  this  denomination,  as  well  as  from 
the  puil.igcs  of  Pliny  and  13don,  it  appears  that  he  is  a  native 
of  warm  countries.  The  tellimonies  of  travelki ;,  which 
arc  about  to  quote,  confirm  this  fact,  and  at  the  fame  time 
p:ove,  that  the  common  fpecies  of  the  flag  is  not  much 
diffufed  beyond  the  temperate  climates.  '  I  never  law,'  fays 
le  Maire,  '  flags  at  Senegal  with  horns  like  thofe  of  France  ;' 
Voyage  de  le  Maire,  p.  190. — «  In  the  peninfula  of  India,  on  this 
«  fide    the  Ganges,  there  are  flags  whofe  bodies  are  ail  irifer- 

<  fpcrfed 


tt*a         THE        AXIS. 


flag  and  fallow  deer  is  generally  of  a  uniform 
colour,  and  they  are  very  numerous  in  cold  and 
temperate  regions,  as  well  as  in  warm  climates. 
The  gentlemen  of  the  academy  of  Sciences 
have  given  a  figure  and  a  dcfcription  of  the  in- 
ternal parts  of  this  animal*;  but  they  have  laid 
little  concerning  its  external  form,  and  nothing 
relative  to  its  hiftory.  They  have  limply  called 
it  the  Sardinian  hind,  probably  becaufe  it  was 
brought  to  the  royal  menagery  under  that  name. 
But  we  have  no  evidence  of  this  animal's  being 
a  native  of  Sardinia.  It  is  mentioned  by  no  au- 
thor as  exifting  wild  in  this  ifland:  On  the  con- 
trary, we  fee,  from. the  pafTages  already  quoted, 
that  it  is  found  in  the  warmed  countries  of  Aha. 
Hence  the  denomination  of  Sardinian  hind  has 
been  falfely  applied  :  That  of  Ganges  Jtag  would 
have  been  more  proper,  if  it  had  belonged  to  the 

flag 

*  fperfed  with  white  fpots/  Voyage  de  la  Compagnie  des  hides  de 
Hollande,  tom.\.  p.  423. — '  At  Bengal,  we  find  (lags  which 
'  are  fpotted  like  tigers;'   Voyage  de  Lulllier,  p.  54. 

*  The  height  of  thefe  hinds,  from  the  top  of  the  back  to 
the  tail,  was  two  feet  eight  inches.  The  neck  was  a  foot  long, 
and  the  hind  legs  three  feet.  Their  hair  was  of  four  colours, 
namely,  yellow,  white,  black,  and  gray.  It  was  white  on  the 
belly  and  on  the  inlide  of  the  thighs  and  legs.  The  back  was 
a  yeilowifh  brown,  and  the  flanks  were  of  a  dun  yellow,  or 
ifabella  colour.  Thefe  ground  colours  were  variegated  with 
white  fpots,  of  different  figures.  Along  the  back  were  two 
rows  of  fpots  in  a  ftraight  line  ;  the  other  fpots  were  fcatter- 
ed  without  any  order.  On  each  fide  of  the  flanks  there  was 
a  white  line.  The  neck  and  head  were  gray ;  the  tail  was  all 
white  below,  black  above,  and  the  hair  of  it  was  fix  inches 
long  ;   Mem.  peurfenir  a  Pbift.  des  animaux,  part.  2.  p.  73. 


THE        AXIS.  si* 

flag  fpecics,  becaufe  that  part  of  India,  through 
which  the  Ganges  runs,  appears  to  be  its  native 
country.  It  feems,  however,  to  be  like  wife 
found  in  Barbary  *,  and  it  is  probable  that  the 
fpotted  fallow  deer  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
is  the  fame  animal  f . 

We  formerly  remarked,  that  no  fpecics  J  made 
io  near  an  approach  to  another,  as  the  fallow 
deer  to  the  flag.  The  axis,  however,  feems  to 
form  an  intermediate  made  between  the  two. 
It  refembles  the  fallow  deer  in  the  fize  of  the 
body,  the  length  of  the  tail,  and  in  a  kind  of  li- 
very which  it  perpetually  wears  :  There  is  no 
eifential  difference  but  in  the  horns,  which  want 
brow  antlers,  and  refemble  thofe  of  the  flag. 
The  axis,  therefore,  may  be  a  variety  only,  and 
not  a  different  fpecies  from  that  of  the  fallow 
deer  ;  for,  though  it  is  a  native  of  the  warmefl 
countries  of  Aiia,  it  eafily  lubfifls  and  multiplies 
in  Europe.  There  are  flocks  of  them  in  the  me- 
nagery  of  Paris.  They  produce  among  them- 
felves   with   equal   facility  as  the   fallow   deer. 

They 

*  The  Arabs  call  a  fpecics  of  fallow  deer  Bekker-eJ-WaJh, 
Which  has  the  horns  of  a  flag,  but  is  not  fo  large.  Thofe 
which  I  faw  had  been  taken  in  the  mountains  near  Sgigata, 
and  appeared  to  be  of  a  mild  and  tractable  difpofition.  The 
female  had  no  horns,  5:c.  ;  Shaw's  Travels. 

f  We  faw,  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  a  kind  of  fpotted 
fallow  deer,  which  were  fomewhat  fmaller  than  thofe  of  Eu- 
rope. .  .  .  Their  fpots  were  white  and  yellow.  They  al- 
ways go  in  flocks  ;  Defcrtpt.  chi  Cap  de  Bonm-efperance.t  pjr 
Kotbe,  toni.  l.  p.  1 20. 

t  See  the  article  Falfaw  deer,  Vol.  IV.  of  this  work. 


-34  THE        AXIS. 

They  have  never  been  obferved,  however,  to 
intermix  with  the  fallow  deer,  nor  with  the  flags, 
which  lias  led  us  to  prefume  that  they  are  not  a 
variety  either  of  the  one  or  of  the  other,  but  a 
diilinct  intermediate  fpecies.  But,  as  no  deci- 
experiments  have  been  made  on  this  iubjcdt, 
as  no  neceflfary  means  have  been  ufed  to  oblige 
theft  animals  to  join,  we  do  not  affert  pofitively 
that  they  belong  to  different  fpecies. 

We  have  already  feen,  under  the  articles  flag 
and  fallow  deer,  how  liable  thefe  animals  arc  to 
varieties,  efpeciallv  in  the  colour  of  their  hair. 
The  fpecies  of  the  fallow  deer  and  flag,  without 
being  numerous  in  individuals,  are  very  much 
diflufed.  Both  are  found  in  either  Continent, 
and  both  are  fubjecl:  to  a  great  number  of  varie- 
ties, which  feem  to  form  permanent  races.  The 
white  flags,  whofe  race  is  very  ancient,  fince 
they  are  mentioned  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans, 
and  the  fmall  brown  flags,  which  we  have  called 
Cor fican  flags,  are  not  the  only  varieties  of  this 
fpecies.  In  Germany,  there  is  another  race, 
known  in  that  country  under  the  name  of  Brand- 
hirtz  *,  and  by  our  hunters  under  that  of  the 
flag  of  Ardennes.  This  Mag  is  larger  than  the 
common   kind,  and   differs  from  the  others  not 

only 

*  Alterum  cervl  genus,  ignotius,  priore  majus,  pinguius, 
turn  pilo  denfius  et  colore  nigrius  ;  uncle  Germanis  a  femiufu 
ligni  colore  Brandhirtz  nominator  :  Hoc  in  Mifenae  faltibus 
Eoemiae  vicinis  reperitur  ;  Fahricius,  a  pad  Gcfw,  Hijl.  quad, 
p.  297. 


THE         AXIS.         235 

cnly  by  its  deeper  and  aimoft  black  colour,  but 
by  long  hair  between  the  moulders  and  on  the 
throat.  This  kind  of  mane  and  heard  give  hkfc 
fome  relation,  the  firft  to  the  horfe,  and  the  fe- 
ccrod  to  the  he-goat.  The  ancients  beftowed  on 
this  fta'g  the  compound  names  of  hippelcpbr  ■ 
and  traiichiphus.  As  thefe  denominations  have 
occafioned  many  critical  difcuflions,  in  which 
the  moil  learned  natural ifts  bv  no  means  acrcc, 
and  as  Gefner  *,  Caius,  and  others,  tell  us  that 
the  hippelaphus  was  the  rain  deer,  we  thought  it 
proper  here  to  give  the  reafons  which  induce  us 
to  think  differently,  and  lead  us  to  helieve,  that 
the  hippelaphus  of  Ariflotle  is  the  fame  animal 
with  the  tra^elaphusof  Pliny,  and  that  both  thcie 
names  equally  denote  the  (tag  of  Ardennes. 

Ariflotle  t  gives  to  his  hippelaphus  a  kind  of 
mane  upon  the  neck  and  top  of  the  moulders,  a 

beard 

*  Gefner,  Hift.  quad,  p.  491.  et  49^ 

f  Quinetiam  hippelaphus  fatis  jubae  Hammis  cbhtinet  ar- 

-,  qui  a  forma  equi  et  cervi,  quain  habet  compofitam, 
nomen  acccpit,  qua.fi  equicervu.s  dici  meruiiTet.  .  .  .  Tenu- 
iflimo  jubae  ordinc  a  capite  ad  fummos  armos  crinefcit.  Pro- 
pnum  equicervo  villus  qui  ejus  gutturi,  modo  barbae,  depen- 
ded. Gerit  coniua  utrinque,  eXcepta  foemina,  .  .  .  .  et  pe- 
des habet  bifculcos.  Magnitude)  equicervi  non  diffidct  a  cervo. 
G'ignilur  apud  Araehotas,  ubi  etiam  boves  fylvefrres  ftirit,  qui 
dioerunt  ab  urbanis,    quantum  inter  fues  urbanns  et  fylveflres 

itereft.  Sunt  colore  atro,  corpore  robufto,  ricifu  leviter  ad- 
r.nco  ;  cornua  gerunt  rcfupinatiora.  Equicervo  borriua  funfc 
Gafrae  proxinra.  ;  Ariji.  Hijl.  Ahh>u  Tiv.  2.  cap.  1.  Notat.  The- 
odore Gaza,  Whofe  La'.in  veifinn  we  have  quoted,  has  falfely 
tranfiated   At^xu?  cap:\-.,  inftead   of  b#pfea.     Hence  the  word 

•/  :.e  ihould  be  fubftituted  for  caprcre,  that  is,  the  rye'deef,  in 

plac'e 


236  THE        A     X     I 


beard  under  the  throat,  horns  to  the  male  fimi- 
lar  to  thofe  of  the  roebuck,  and  no  horns  to  the 
iemale.  He  fays,  that  the  hippelaphus  is  as  large 
as  the  ftag,  and  is  produced  among  the  Arachotas, 
a  people  of  India,  where  there  are  alfo  wild  oxen, 
whole  bodies  are  very  robuft,  their  fkin  black, 
their  muzzle  elevated,  and  their  horns  bended 
more  backward  than  thofe  of  the  domeftic  ox. 
It  muft  be  acknowledged,  that  Ariftotle's  cha- 
racters of  the  hippelaphus  will  apply  alrnoft  e- 
qually  well  to  the  rain  deer  and  to  the  ftag  of 
Ardennes.  They  have  both  long  hair  upon  the 
neck  and  moulders,  and  likewife  on  the  throat, 
which  forms  a  kind  of  beard  upon  the  gullet, 
and  not  on  the  chin.  But  the  hippelaphus,  which 
is  of  the  fize  of  the  ftag  only,  differs  in  this  par- 
ticular from  the  rain  deer,  which  is  much  larger  ; 
but,  what  appears  to  decide  this  queftion,  the  rain 
deer,  being  an  animal  peculiar  to  cold  countries, 
never  exifted  among  the  Arachotas.  This  coun- 
try of  the  Arachotas  is  one  of  the  provinces 
which  Alexander  over-ran  in  his  expedition  into 
India.     It  is   fituated  beyond  Mount  Caucafus, 

between 

place  of  iheJJje-goat.  The  wild  oxen,  here  mentioned  by  A- 
r.iftotle,  appear  to  be  buffaloes.  The  fhort  defcription  he  has 
given  of  them,  the  climate,  their  refemblance  to  the  ox,  and 
their  black  colour,  have  made  this  philofopher  believe  that 
they  differed  not  more  from  the  domeftic  oxen,  than  the  wild 
boar  from  the  common  hog.  But,  as  we  formerly  remarked> 
the  buffalo  and  ox  are  two  diftind  fpecies.  If  the  ancients 
have  beftowed  no  particular  name  on  the  buffalo,  it  is  becaufe 
this  animal  was  a  ftranger  to  them,  becaufe  their  knowledge 
of  him  was  imperfect,  and  they  regarded  him  as  a  wild  ox, 
which  diifered  from  the  domeftic  ox  by  fome  flight  varieties 
only. 


THE        AXIS.  237 

between  Perfia  and  India.  This  warm  country 
never  produced  rain  deer  ;  for  they  cannot  fub- 
fift  in  temperate  countries,  and  are  found  only 
in  the  northern  regions  of  both  Continents.  The 
ftags,  on  the  contrary,  have  no  particular  attach- 
ment to  the  north  ;  for  they  are  very  numerous 
both  in  temperate  and  warm  climates.  Hence 
the  hippelaphus  of  Ariftotle,  which  is  found  a- 
mong  the  Arachotas,  and  in  the  fame  countries 
with  the  buffalo,  is  unqueftionably  the  flag  of 
Ardennes,  and  not  the  rain  deer. 

Now,  if  we  compare  what  Pliny  has  faid  of 
the  tragelaphus,  with  what  Ariftotle  has  advan- 
ced concerning  the  hippelaphus,  and  both  with 
nature,  we  will  perceive  that  the  tragelaphus  is 
the  fame  animal  with  the  hippelaphus,  and  con- 
fequently  the  fame  with  our  flag  of  Ardennes. 
Pliny  remarks  *,  that  the  tragelaphus  belongs  to 
the  fpecies  of  flag,  and  differs  from  him  only  by 
the  beard  and  the  hair  on  its  fhoulders.  Thefe 
characters  are  pofitive,  and  can  apply  only  to  the 
ftag  of  Ardennes  ;  for  Pliny,  in  another  place, 
mentions  the  rain  deer  under  the  name  of  Alva. 
He  adds,  that  the  tragelaphus  is  found  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Phafis,  which  ftill  farther  a- 
grees  with  the  ftag,  and  not  with  the  rain  deer. 
We  may,  therefore,  fafely  pronounce,  that  the 
tragelaphus  of  Pliny,  and  the  hippelaphus  of  A- 
liftotle,   both   denote  the  animal  which  we  call 

the 

*  Eadem  eft  Ipecie  (cervi  videlicet)  barbs  tantum,  et  ar- 
morum  villo  diftans  quern  tragelaphon  vocant,  non  alibi  quam 
Suxta  Phafin  amnern,  nafcens  ;  Plin.  Hi/?.  Nat.  lib.  8.  cap.  33. 


333  THE         A     X     I     S. 

the  flag  of  Ardennes--,  and  that  the  axis  of  Pliny 
is  the  animal  commonly  denominated  the  Ganges 
flag.  Though  names  have  no  influence  upon 
nature,  the  explication  of  them  is  of  great  ufe  to 
thofe  who  Andy  her  productions. 


SUPPLEMENT. 

In  the  year  1765,  the  Duke  of  Richmond  had 
in  his  parks  a  number  of  that  fpecies  of  the  fal- 
low deer,  commonly  known  by  the  name  of 
Ganges  flags,  and  which  I  have  called  axis.  Mr 
Colinion  a  flu  res  me,  that  they  propagated  with 
the  ordinary  kind  of  fallow  deer. 

'  They  live  fpontaneoufly,'  he  remarks,  '  with 
the  fallow  deer,  and  form  not  feparate  flocks. 
It  is  more  than  iixty  years  imce  this  fpecies 
exided  in  England,  where  they  had  been  tranf- 
ported  before  the  white  and  black  fallow  deer, 
and  even  beiore  the  flag,  which  laft,  I  fuppofe, 
was  brought  from  France  ;  becaufe,  previous 
to  that  period,  there  were  in  England  only  the 
common  fallow  deery  and  the  Scottifh  roebuck. 
But,  befide  this  firit  fpecies,  we  have  now  the 
axis,  the  black,  the  yellow,  and  the  white  fal- 
low deer.  The  mixture  of  all  thefc -colours 
has  produced  moft  beautiful  varieties  *.' 
-  In  the  year  1764,  we  had  a  male  and  female 
Chinefe  fallow  deer  at  the  raenaccrv  of  Verfailles. 

In 

*  Lettre  de  M.  Colinfon  a  M.  de  Ballon. 


Plate  CLXXXL 


,*://£//.  f.uS/i^ 


Axis 


Tlafe  CliXXXIL 


r//AVA/,w^ 


Temalt3  Axis 


THE        AXIS.  239. 

In  height,  they  exceeded  not  two  feet  four  inch- 
es. The  body  and  tail  were  of  a  dark  brown  co- 
lour, and  the  belly  and  limbs  of  a  bright  yellow. 
The  legs  were  fhort,  the  horns  large  and  gar- 
niihed  with  antlers.  This  fpecies,  though  fmallcr 
than  the  common  fallow  deer,  and  even  than 
the  axis,  is  perhaps  a  variety  only  of  the  latter, 
though  it  has  no  white  fpots  ;  but,  inftead  of 
thefe  white  fpots,  it  had,  in  fome  places,  large 
yellow  hairs,  which  had  a  confiderable  effect  up- 
on the  brown  colour  of  the  body.  In  fine,  the 
colour  of  the  female  was  the  fame  as  that  of  the 
male  ;  and,  it  is  probable,  that  the  race  might  not 
only  be  perpetuated  in  France,  but  that  it  might 
even  intermix  with  the  axis,  efpecially  as  both 
thefe  animals  are  natives  of  the  eaftern  regions 
of  Africa. 


The 


* 


The  ZEBU,  or  DWARF  OX 


THIS  fmall  ox  was  mentioned  above,  un- 
der the  article  buffalo,  p.  164.  But  as,  lince 
that  article  was  printed,  a  zebu  has  been  brought 
to  the  royal  menagery,  we  are  now  in  a  condi- 
tion to  fpeak  of  it  with  more  certainty,  and  to 
give  a  figure  of  it  drawn  from  the  life,  with 
a    more    perfect    defcription   than   the  former 

one. 

*  The  zebu  from  which,  the  following  defcription  was  ta*- 
ken,  was  not  larger  than  a  calf  of  five  weeks  old.  We  knew 
it,  however,  to  be  an  adult,  and  at  lead  feven  or  eight  years 
of  age,  by  infpedtion  of  its  teeth.  It  arrived  at  the  menagei  y 
of  Verfailles  in  the  month  of  Auguft  1761,  and  its  horns  were 
then  as  large  as  they  are  now  in  the  year  1763.  They  are 
five  inches  three  lines  long,  and  four  inches  three  lines  in  cir- 
cumference at  the  bafe.  They  are  black  at  the  points,  and  in 
every  other  refoecl  refemble  thofe  of  the  common  ox.  It  ha? 
a  bunch  or;  r  thers  four  inches  and   a  half  high,  and  its 

circumference  at  die  bafe  is  fixteen  inches.  In  other  articles, 
it  differs  not  in  figure  from  our  ox,  except  that  its  legs  and 
feet  are  proportionally  fmaller,  and  its  ears  longer. 

The  tuft  of  hair  above  the  coronet  is  black.  The  legs  and 
upper  part  of  the  tail  are  yellowith.  The  under  part,  and  the 
long  hairs  at  the  point  of  the  tail,  are  white,  and  a  foot  in 
length.  The  reft  of  the  body  is  variegated  with  black  and 
brown  fpots,  of  different  dimenfions,  and  (lightly  tinged  with 
a  reddiih  colour. 

"  Dwarf  ox,  with  horns  almoft  clofe  at  their  bafe,  broad 
and  flat  at  the  beginning,  receding  in  the  middle,  and  (land- 
ing erect.  It  is  larger  than  a  roebuck,  lefs  than  a  Hag,  and 
compact,  and  well  made  in  all  its  limbs.  Its  hair  is  lhining, 
and  of  a  tawny  colour,     Its  legs  are  fhort,  neck  thick,  and 

fhouldcrs 


THE         ZEBU,         241 

one.  I  have  alfo  learned,  from  frefii  inquiries, 
that  the  zebu  is  probably  the  fame  animal  which 
is  called  the  Lant  *,  or  Dant  f,  in  Numidia, 
and  feveral  other  northern  provinces  of  Africa, 
where  it  is  very  common;  and  that  the  name 
Dant,  which  folely  pertains  to  the  animal  un- 
der confideration,  has  been  tranfported  from  A- 
frica  to  America,  and  given  to  an  animal  which 
has  no  refemblance  to  the  former  but  in  the  frze 
Vol.  VI.  Q^  of 

fhoulders  a  little  elevated.  The  tail  is  terminated  with  loner 
hairs,  twice  as  coarfe  as  thofe  of  a  horfe. — It  is  only  a  vari  tjr 
of  the  Indian  ox  ;"    Pennant's  Synopf.  of  quad.  p.  9. 

Un  moult  beau  petit  boeuf  d'Afrique  ;  Be/on,  p.  119. 

Bos  cornibus    aurei  brevioribus,   dorfo  gibbo,  juba  nulla ; 
Linn.  S)ft.  Nat.  p.  99. 

*  Lant  bovem  fimiiitudine  refert,  minor  tamen  crurib 
et  cornibus  elegantius  ;  colorem  album  gerit,  unguibus  ni- 
gerrimis  ;  tantaeque  velocitatis  ut  a  reliquis  animalibus, 
praeterquam  ab  equo  Barbarico,  fnperari  nequeat.  Facijiiis 
aeftate  capitur  quod  arenae  aeftu  curfus  velocitate  ungues 
dimoveantur,  quo  dolore  affe&us  curium  remittit,  &c. ;  1. 
dfric.  Africae  dejeript.  vol.  2.  p.  75  1 . 

\  The   Dant,   which  the   Africans   cali   Lampt,   is  of  the 

figure  of  a  fmall  ox,  but  its  legs  are  (hort. It  lias  black 

horns,    which    bend   round,     and    are    flnooth.       Its   hair  is 
whitifh,  and  its   hoofs  are  black    and   cloven.      It    is  fo  fwift 
that   no  animal,  unlefs   the   Barbary  horfe,  can  overtake  it. 
Thefe  animals  are  faid  to  be    more   eaiily  taken   in  fummer  ; 
becaufe,  by  the   force  of  running,  their  hoofs  are  worn   a- 
raong  the  burning   fands,    and   the  pain  occafioned   by  this 
circumftance    makes  them   Mop  Ihort,  like  the  flags  and   faf 
low  deer  of  thefe  deferts.     There  are  numbers  of  thefe  dan 
in  the  deferts  of  Numidia  and   Lybia,  and  particularly  in  the 
country    of  the    Morabitains.       Of    their  ikins    the    nal 
make    excellent   fhields,  the  beft  of  which  are  proof  ; 
arrows. 


242         OR     DWARF     OX. 

of  its  body,  and  belongs  to  a  very  different  fpe- 
cies.  This  American  dant  is  the  tapir  or  the  mai- 
pouri ;  and,  to  prevent  the  African  dant,  which 
is  our  zebu,  from  being  confounded  with  the 
tapir,  we  fhall  give  the  hiftory  of  the  latter  in  the 
fubiequent  article. 


THE 


Time  cxixxxm 


ZjErfru 


THE       TAPIR*. 


TH  I  S  is  the   largeft  animal  of    the   New 
World,  where,  as  formerly  remarked,  a- 
nimated    Nature    feems    to    be    contracted,    or 

Q_2  rather 

*  The  tapir  has  the  fore  hoofs  divided  into  four,  and  the 
hind-hoofs  into  three  parts.  The  nofe  extends  far  beyond 
the  under  jaw,  is  flender,  and  forms  a  fort  of  probofcis  ;  it  is 
capable  of  being  contracted  or  extended  at  pleafure,  and  its 
fides  are  fulcated.  The  extremities  of  both  jaws  end  in  a 
point,  and  there  are  ten  cutting  teeth  in  each.  Between 
them  and  the  grinders,  there  is  a  vacant  fpace,  and  there  are 
ten  grinders  in  each  jaw.  The  ears  are  erect,  the  eyes  fmali, 
and  the  body  fhaped  like  a  hog.  The  back  is  arched,  the 
legs  fhort,  and  the  hoofs  fmali,  black,  and  hollow.  The 
tail  is  very  fmali.  The  animal  grows  to  the  fize  of  a  heifer 
of  half  a  year  old.  The  hair  is  lhort ;  when  young,  it  is 
ipotted  with  white,  when  old,  it  is  of  a  dufky  colour  ;  Pen- 
nant's Jynopf.  of  quad.  p.  82. 

Tapir  is  the  Brafilian  name  of  this  animal. 

Tapira ;  Voyage  de  la  riviere  dis  Amazones>  par  Condav:ine, 
p.  163. 

Tapierette  Brafilienfibus  ;  Marcgr.  ct  Pifo. 

Tapirouifou  ;    Voyage  au  Brafil,  par  Lay,  p.  154. 

This  animal,  which  is  not  only  found  in  Brafil,  but  in 
Guiana  and  Peru,  is  called  Alaipouri'm  the  Galibi  language  upr 
on  the  Guiana  coalt,  and  Vagrn  at  Peru  ;    Condan/i/ie,  ibid. 

Maipouri  or  Manipoure  ;  Hijl.  de  la  France  Equin.  par  Bar- 
rere,  p.  1 60. 

Anta  ;  Marcgrave,  Brajil.  p.  229.  Pifo,  Brajil.p.  10 1.  Nieu- 
hijf's  voy.  p.  23.   Rati  Synopf.  quad.  p.  1 26.     Klein,  quad.  p.  36. 

Panta  i 


HI        THE         TAPIR. 

rather  not  to  have  had  time  fufficient  to  ac- 
quire her  full  dimenfions.  Inftead  of  the  huge 
maflfcs  produced  by  the  ancient  lands  of  Afia, 
inftead  of  the  elephant,  rhinoceros,  hippopota- 
mus, camelopard,  and  camel,  all  the  creatures 
of  thefe  new  lands  are  modelled  upon  a  fmall 
fcale.  The  tapirs,  the  lamas,  the  pacos,  and  the 
cabiais,  are  twenty  times  fmaller  than  the  ani- 
mals of  the  Old  World  to  which  they  mould 
refpeclively  be  compared.  Here  matter  is  not 
only  ufed  with  a  niggardly  hand,  but  even  forms 
are  imperfect,  and  feem  to  have  failed,  or  been 
neglected.  Almoft  the  whole  animals  of  South 
America,  which  alone  can  be  regarded  as  pecu- 
liar to  the  New  World,  have  neither  tufks, 
horns,  nor  tails.  Their  figure  is  aukward;  their 
bodies  and  members  are  ill  proportioned  ;  and 
iome  of  them,  as  the  ant-eaters,  the  floth,  &c.  are 
fo  miferably  formed,  that  they  have  hardly  the 
powers  of  moving,  or  of  eating  their  food.   With 

much 

Danta  ;    Condamine,   J  63.    Relat.de  la  riviere  des  Amazon$it 
Chriji.  Acuna,  torn.  2.  p.  157.    Hiji.  de  Par a guar,  par  Char- 
(evoix,   torn.  Up.  32.      ffifl.   X..:.   des   J-,^:j,  p.ir  Jofepk  Ac 
■  p.  204. 

Ante  ;    ffeerera,   Dcfsripi.  des  Indcs:  Occidentals,  p.  25.  Hifl, 
da  Indes,  par  Ma  fee,  p.  69. 

Beori ;    H(fl.  gen.  des  voyages,  par  M.  PAbb?  Prevot,  torn.  z. 
p.  636. 

•     ;phant  hog  ;    Wafer's  :■•'•  'n  Datttpter,  to!.  3.  p.  4.00. 
untain  cow;  Dampier,  vqI.  2.  p.  102. 
iquaticus  nmklfulcus  ;    Darrere,  Hifl.  Fr.  Equ\n.  />.  16c. 
.    ■  ■  •  tamus,  or  river  horfe  ;  Bancroft**  Gt. 


THE        T    A     P    I     R.         24  j 

much  difficulty  they  drag  out  a  painful  and  Ian- 
guifhing  life  in  the  folitudes  of  the  defert,  and 
cannot  fubfift  in  inhabited  regions,  where  man 
and  the  ftronger  animals  would  foon  deftroy 
them. 

The  tapir  is  of  the  lize  of  a  fmall  cow,  or 
zebu  ;  but  has  neither  horns  nor  tail;  His  legs 
are  fhoft,  and  his  body  arched.  When  young* 
he  is  fpotted  like  the  (tag  ;  and  afterwards  his 
hair  becomes  of  a  uniform  deep  brown  colour. 
His  head  is  large,  and  terminates,  like  that  of  the 
rhinoceros,  in  a  long  trunk.  He  has  ten  cut- 
ting teeth  and  an  equal  number  of  grinders  in 
each  jaw,  a  character  which  feparateshim  entire- 
ly from  the  ox  kind,  and  from  all  other  rumina- 
ting animals.  As  we  have  only  forne  fkiris  of 
this  animal,  and  a  drawing  lent  us  by  M.  Con- 
damine,  we  cannot  do  better  than  trarifcrib'e  the? 
defcriptions  of  him  made  from  the  life  by  Maro- 
grave  *  and   Barrere,   fubjoiningj    at    the    iamc 

O  time^ 

*  Tefjiereie  Brafilienfikus,   Lufitan  \  .  An  a- 

drupes,   maghitltdine  juvenei    femeftri  arporis  quo- 

dammodo  ad  porcum  accedens,  .capite  etiarn  tali,  verum  craf- 
fiori,  oblongo,  fuperius  in  acumen  defnaente  ;  promufcide 
juper  os  prcminente,  quam  validiffimo  nervo  centrahere  en 
extendere  poteil ;  in  promufcide  autem  funt  iiilbrae  oblongaej 
inferior  oris  pars  eft  brevier  fuperiore.  Maxillae  ambae  an- 
terius  faftigiatae,  et  in  quaiibet  decern  dentes  i'naifores  faperue 
fctinfeme;  hinc  per  ccrtum  fpatiirm  utraque  m'axiMa  caret 
dentitms,  fequuntur  dein  moiares  grandes  omnes,  in  quolibet- 
latere  quinque,  ita  v.t  haberet  viginti  molares  et  viginti  inci- 
fores.    Oeulos  ha-bet  parvos  porcinos,   uures  obrotundas,  ri 


I  1.6      T    I-I     E        TAPIR. 

time,  what  has  been  faid  concerning  him  by  tra- 
vellers, and  hiftorians.  The  tapir  ieems  to  be 
a  gloomy,  melancholy  animal  *,     He   comes  a- 

broad 

jufculas,  quas  verfus  anteriora  furrigit.  Crura  vix  longiora 
porcinis,  et  cralliufcula  ;  in  anterioribus  pedibus  quatuor  un- 
gulas,  in  pofterioribus  trcs  ;  media  inter  eas  major  eft  in 
omnibus  pedibus ;  in  prioribus  pedibus  tribus,  quarta  par- 
vula  exterius  eft  adjuncla  :  Sunt  autem  ungulae  nigricantes, 
non  folidae  fed  cavae,  et  quae  detrahi  poffunt.  Caret  cauda,  et 
ejus  loco  proceirum  habet  nudum  pilis,  conicum,  parvum 
more  Cutian  (Agouti.)  Mas  membrum  genitale  longe  exfe- 
rere  poteft,  inftar  cercopitheci :  Incedit  dorfo  incurvato  ut 
Capybara  (Cabiai.)  Cutem  folidam  habet  inftar  alcis,  pilos  bre- 
ves. Color  pilorum  in  junioribus  eft  umbrae  lucidae,  macu- 
lis  variegatus  alhicantibus  ut  capreolus  ;  in  adultis  fufcus  five 
nigricans  fine  maculis.  Animal  interdiu  dormi*  in  opacis  fil- 
vis  latitans.  Noclu  aut  mane  egreditur  pabuli  caula.  Op- 
time  poteft  natare.  Vefcitur  gramine,  arundine  faccharifera, 
braffica,    &c.  Caro    ejus  comeditur,   fed  ingrati   faporis    eft ; 

Marcgr.  Hift.   Brafil.  p.  229. The  tapir  or  May •pour i  is  an 

amphibious  animal,  being  oftener  in  the  water  than  on  the 
land,  to  which  he  reforts  from  time  to  time,  in  order  to 
browfe  the  more  tender  herbage.  His  hair  is  very  fhort,  and 
interfoerfed  with  black  and  white  bands,  which  extend  from 
the  head  to  the  tail.  He  makes  a  kind  of  hiffing  or  whittling 
noife ;  and  feems  to  partake  a  little  both  of  the  mule  and 
the  hog.  We  rind  via  ni pour  is,  as  they  are  called  by  fome 
people,  in  the  river  Ouyapok.  His  flefh  is  coarfe  and  ill 
tafted  ;    Barrere,  Hift.  not.  dc  la  France  equin.  p.  1 60. 

*  Tapiierete,    beftia  iners  et  focors   apparet,  adeoque  Iucji- 

«    fuea  ut  in  denfis   mediterraneis  filvis    interdiu  dormire  amet : 

Ita  ut,  ft  detur  animal  aliquod,  quod  noclu  tantum   nunquam 

vero  de  die  venetur,  haec  fane  eft  Brafilienfis  beftia,  &c;  Hift. 

nat.   Brajil.  p.  ici. During  the  day,  the  antabrowfes 

herbage,  and,  in  the  night,  he  eats  a  kind  of  clay  found  i  11 
the  marlhes,  to  which  he  retires  when  the  fun  fets. — The 
antas  are  hunted   during  the  night,  and  it  is  not  a  difficult 

bufinefs. 


THE        T    A    P    I    R.      247 

broad  in  the  night  only,  and  delights  in  the  wa- 
ter, where  he  dwells  oftener  than  on  the  land. 
He  lives  in  the  marines,  and  never  wanders  to 
any  great  diftance  from  the  margins  of  rivers 
and  lakes,  When  alarmed,  purfued,  or  wounded, 
he  plunges  into  the  water  *,  remains  long  un- 
der it,  and  pafTes  over  a  coniiderable  fpace  be- 
fore he  makes  his  appearance.  Thefe  habits, 
which  he  poflefles  in  common  with  the  hippopo- 
tamus, have  induced  fome  naturalifls  10  fuppofe 
that  he  belongs  to  the  fame  ipecies  f.  But  thefe 
animals  are  as  remote  from  each  other  in  their 
natures,  as  the  countries  they  inhabit.  To  be 
afcertained  of  this  fa£t,  we  have  only  to  com- 
pare the  above  defcriptions  with  that  we  have 
given  of  the  hippopotamus.  Though  both  in- 
habit the  water,  the  tapir  does  not  feed  upon 
fifhes  ;   and,  though    his  mouth  is  armed  with 

twenty 

bufinefs.  Thefe  animals  are  hunted  in  their  retreats,  where 
they  aflemble  fpontaneoufly  in  flocks  $  and,  as  foon  as 
they  approach,  the  hunters  run  up  to  them  with  burning 
torches,  with  which  they  are  fo  dazzled  and  confounded, 
that  they  overturn  one  another,  &c. ;  Hi/?,  du  Paragua't,  par  le  P. 

Charlevoix,  torn.  i.  p.  3$. The  antas  conceal  themfelves  du« 

ring  the  day  in  their  dens,  and  come  out  in  the  night  to  feed  j 
Defer  ipt.  des  Indes  Occident  ales,  par  Herrera,  p.    25 1 . 

*  The  manipouri  is  a  kind  of  wild  mule.  We  (hot  at  one, 
but  did  not  kill  him.  Unlefs  the  ball  or  arrow  pierce  his 
flanks,  he  generally  efcapes,  particularly  when  water  is  near  £ 
for  he  inftantly  plunges  into  it,  and  quickly  gains  the  opjJofite 
bank  ;  Lettres  edifiantes,  recueil  24.    Lettre  du  P.  Faucbe. 

f  Hippopotamus  amphibius  pedibus  quadrilcbis  ;  habitat 
in  Nilo. — Hippopotamus  terreftris  pedibus  pofticis  trifulcis, 
Tapiierete  habitat  in  Brafilia  j  Linn.fyfi.  fiat.  p.  74, 


248         THE         T     A     P     I     R. 

twenty  (harp  cutting  teeth  *,  he  is  not  carnivo- 
rous. He  lives  upon  plants  and  roots,  and  ne- 
ver ufes  his  weapons  againit  other  animals.  His 
ilifpofitions  are  i'o  mild  and  timid,  that  he  de- 
clinesall  hoitilities,  and  flies  from  every  danger. 
Though  his  legs  are  fhort  and  his  body  heavy, 
he  runs  very  fwiftiy,  and  he  fwims  ftill  better 
than  he  runs.  The  texure  of  his  fkin  t  is  lb 
clofe  and  firm,  that  it  often  refifts  a  muiket 
ball.  His  fielli  is  coarfe  and  inhpid  j  but  it  is 
eaten  by  the  Indians."):.  He  is  found  in  Brafil, 
in  Paraguay,  in  Guiana,  in  the  country  of  the 
Amazons  |j,  and  throughout  all  South  America, 
from  the  extremity  of  Chili  to  New  Spain. 

O  F 

*  Though  the  tapirouflbu  has  fharp  teeth,  his  only  defence 
is  flight,  and  he  is  by  no  means  dangerous.  The  Savages  kill 
him  with  arrows,  or  entrap  him  with  fnares ;  Voyage  de 
L:ry,  p.  152. 

f  The  tapirouflbu  is  in  great  requeft  among  the  Savages, 
on  account  of  his  fkin  f  for,  after  drying  it,  they  cut  it  into 
found  ihields  as  large  as  the  bottom  of  a  ton. — This  ikin, 
when  dried,  is  to  hard  that  I  believe  no  arrow  can  pierce  it  j 
Idern. 

J  The  flefhof  the  manipouri  is  coarfe,  and  has  a  difagree- 
able  tafte  ;  Lettr&s  edifiantes,  recueil  24.  p.  347. 

ij  In  the  environs  of  the  river  of  the  Amazons,  we  find  an 
animal  called  danta.  It  is  of  the  fixe  of  a  mule,  which  it  re- 
fembles  in  colour  and  the  figure  of  its  body  ;  Relation  de  la   ri- 

tiiere  des  Jni.izotiej,  par  Chrijl.  d'Acuna,    torn.    2.  p.  177. 

The  elk,  which  is  found  in  feme  of  the  woods  near  Quito,  is 
not  rare  in  the  Amazon  wood's,  nor  in  thofe  of  Guiana.  I 
here  give  the  name  of  elk  to  the  animal  which  the  Spaniards 
and  Portuguefe  call  the  Danta  ;  Voyage  de  la  riviere  des  Ama- 
-     :s,  /..'.-  M.  de  '.:  C^.damine,  p.    163. 


two  ckxxxw: 


'/./.],//, ',vJ^7   -£' 


Xapir. 


OF         NATURE, 


FIRST       VIEW. 


NATURE  is  that  fyftem  of  laws  eflabliiliecl 
by  the  Creator  for  regulating  the  exis- 
tence of  bodies,  and  the  fucceffion  of  beings. 
Nature  is  not  a  body ;  for  this  body  would  com- 
prehend every  thing.  Neither  is  it  a  being  ; 
for  this  being  would  neceifarily  be  God.  But 
Nature  may  be  coniidcred  as  an  immenfe  living 
power,  which  animates  the  uuiverfe,  and  which, 
in  fubordination  to  the  iirft  and  fupreme  Being, 
began  to  ait  by  his  command,  and  its  action  is 
Mill  continued  by  his  concurrence  or  confen:. 
This  power  is  that  portion  of  the  divine  power* 
which  manifefts  itfelf  to  men.  it  is  at  once  the 
cauie  and  the  effect,  the  mode  and  the  fubftance, 
the  defign  and  the  execution.  Very  different  ■ 
from  human  art,  whole  productions  are  only- 
dead  works,  Nature  is  herfelf  a  work  perpetual- 
ly alive,  an  active  and  never  ceafing  operator, 
who  knows  how  to  employ  every  material,  and, 
though  always  labouring  on  the  fame  invariable 
plan,  her  power,  inftead  of  being  lelTened,  h 
perfectly  inexhauftible.  Time,  ipace,  and  mat- 
ter, are  her  means ;  the  univerfe  her  object  j  mo- 
tion and  life  her  end. 

The 


25o  OF      NATURE. 

The  phaenomena  of  the  univerfe  are  the  ef- 
fects of  this  power.  The  fprings  fhe  employs 
are  active  forces,  which  time  and  fpace  can  only 
meafure  and  limit,  hut  never  deftroy;  forces  which 
balance,  mix,  and  oppofe,  without  being  able 
to  annihilate  each  other.  Some  penetrate  and 
tranfport  bodies,  others  heat  and  animate  them. 
Attraction  and  impulfion  are  the  two  prin- 
cipal inftruments  by  which  this  power  adls 
upon  brute  matter.  Heat  and  organic  particles 
are  the  acYive  principles  me  employs  in  the  for- 
mation and  expanfion  of  organized  beings. 

With  fuch  inilruments,  what  can  limit  the  o- 
perations  of  Nature?  To  render  her  omnipotent, 
ihe  wants  only  the  power  of  creating  and  an- 
nihilating. But  thefe  two  extremes  of  power 
the  Almighty  has  referved  to  himfelf  alone.  To 
create  and  to  annihilate,  are  his  peculiar  attri- 
butes. To  change,  to  deftroy,  to  unfold,  to  re- 
new, to  produce,  are  the  only  privileges  he  has 
conferred  on  another  agent.  Nature,  the  mini- 
fter  of  his  irrevocable  commands,  the  depofitary 
of  his  immutable  decrees,  never  deviates  from 
the  laws  he  has  prefcribed  to  her.  She  alters  no 
part  of  his  original  plan  ;  and,  in  all  her  opera- 
tions, fhe  exhibits  the  zeal  of  the  eternal  Lord 
of  the  univerfe.  This  divine  impreflion,  this 
unalterable  prototype  of  all  exiftence,  is  the 
model  upon  which  fhe  operates  ;  a  model,  all 
the  features  of  which  are  expreiTed  in  characters 
fo  ftrongly  marked,  that  nothing  can  poffibly  ef- 
face j 


OF      NATURE.  251 

face  ;  a  model  which  the  number  of  copies  or 
imprelTions,  though  infinite,  inftead  of  impairing, 
only  renews. 

Every  thing,  therefore,  has  been  created,  and 
nothing  is  annihilated.  Nature  vibrates  between 
thefe  two  extremes,  without  ever  reaching  ei- 
ther the  one  or  the  other.  Let  us  endeavour  to 
lay  hold  of  her  in  fome  points  of  this  vaft  fpace 
which  (he  has  filled  and  pervaded  from  the  be- 
ginning of  ages. 

What  an  infinity  of  objects!  an  immenfe  mafs 
of  matter,  which  would  have  been  created  in  vain, 
if  it   had   not  been  divided  into  portions,  fepa- 
rated  from  each  other  by  fpaces  athoufand  times 
more  immenfe.     Thoufands  of  luminous  globes, 
placed  at  inconceivable   diftances,  are  the   bafes 
which  fupport  the   fabric  of  the   univerfe  ;   and 
millions  of  opaque  globes,  wrhich  circulate  round 
the  former,  conftiture  the  moving  order   of  its 
architecture.     Thefe  great  mafies   are  revolved, 
and   carried   through  fpace,    by   two  primitive 
forces,    each   of  which    acts   continually  ;    and 
their  combined  efforts  produce  the  zones  of  the 
celeftial  fpheres,  and  eftablifh,  in   the   midft   of 
vacuity,   fixed  Rations  and  determined  routes  or 
orbits.    It   is   motion  that  gives  rife  to  the  equi- 
librium  of  worlds  and  the  repofe   of  the  uni- 
verfe. 

The  firft  of  thefe  forces  is  equally  divided  ; 
the  fecond  is  diftributed  in  unequal  proportions, 
Every  atom  of  matter  has   the  fame  quantity  of 

attractive 


2j2  OF      NATURE. 

attractive  force  ;  and  a  different  quantity  of  im~ 
pulfive  force  is  afligncd  to  each  individual  globe. 
Some  liars  are  fixed,  and  others  wandering. 
Some  globes  feem  to  be  deftined  for  attracting, 
and  others  for  impelling,  or  being  impelled. 
There  are  fpheres  which  have  received  a  com- 
mon impulfion  in  the  fame  direction,  and  others 
a  particular  impulfion.  Some  ftars  are  folitary, 
and*  others  accompanied  with  fatellites  :  Some 
are  luminous,  and  others  opaque  mafles.  There 
are  planets,  the  different  parts  of  which  fuccef- 
fively  enjoy  a  borrowed  light,  and  comets,  which 
lofe  themfelves  in  the  profundity  of  fpace,  and 
return,  afcer  many  ages,  to  receive  the  influence 
of  folar  heat.  Some  funs  appear  and  difappear, 
and  feem  to  be  alternately  kindled  and  extinguish- 
ed ;  others  exhibit  themfelves  for  once,  and  then 
vanifh  forever.  Heaven  is  a  country  of  great  e- 
vents  ;  but  the  human  eye  is  hardly  able  to  per- 
ceive them.  A  fun,  which  perifhes,  and  deftroys 
a  world,  or  a  fyftem  of  worlds,  has  no  other 
effect  on  our  eyes  than  an  ignis  fatuus,  which 
gives  a  tranfitory  blaze,  and  appears  no  more. 
Man,  limited  to  the  terreftrial  atom  on  which 
he  vegetates,  views  this  atom  as  a  world,  and 
fees  worlds  onlv  as  atoms. 

The  earth  which  man  inhabits,  hardly  per- 
ceptible among  the  other  globes,  and  totally 
invifible  to  the  diftant  fpheres,  is  a  million  of 
times  fmaller  than  the  fun  by  which  it  is  illumi- 
nated, and  a  thoufand  times  fmaller  than  fome 
other  planets,  which   are   alio   fubjecled   to  the 

powr'- 


OF      NATURE.  253 

power  of  the  fun,  and  obliged  to  circulate  a- 
round  him.  Saturn,  Jupiter,  Mars,  the  Earth, 
Venus,  Mercury,  and  the  Sun,  occupy  the  fmali 
part  of  the  heavens  which  we  call  our  Un'wcrfe. 
All  thefe  planets  with  their  fatellites,  moving 
with  rapidity  in  the  fame  direction,  and  nearly 
in  the  fame  plane,  compofe  a  wheel  of  an  im- 
menfe  diameter,  whole  axis  fupports  the  whole 
weight,  and  which,  by  the  celerity  of  its  own 
rotation,  muft  inflame  and  diffufe  heat  and  light 
to  every  part  of  the  circumference.  As  long  as 
thefe  movements  continue,  (and  they  will  be  e- 
ternal,  unlefs  the  hand  of  the  prime  Mover  inter- 
pofe,  and  exert  as  much  force  to  deftroy,  as  was 
neceffary  to  create  them),  the  fun  will  burn,  and 
fill  all  the  fpheres  of  this  univerfe  with  his  fplen- 
dour  :  And  as,  in  a  fyftem,  where  all  bodies  at- 
tract each  other,  nothing  can  be  loft,  or  remove 
without  returning,  the  quantity  of  matter  remain- 
ing always  the  fame,  this  fertile  fource  of  light 
and  life  can  never  be  dried  up  or  exhaufted;  for 
the  other  funs,  which  likewife  dart  forth  their 
fires  continually,  reftore  to  our  fun  as  much  light 
as  they  receive  from  him. 

The  comets,  which  are  much  more  numerous 
than  the  planets,  and,  like  the  latter,  depend  on 
the  power  of  the  fun,  prefs  alfo  on  this  common 
focus,  and,  by  augmenting  the  weight,  increafe 
the  inflammation.  They  conftitute  a  part  of  our 
univerfe;  for,  like  the  planets,  they  are  fubjec- 
ted  to  the  attraction  of  the  fun.     But,  in  their 

projectile 


254  OF     N  A  T  U  II  E. 

projectile  or  impelled  motions,  they  have  no- 
thing in  common,  either  among  themfelves,  or 
with  the  planets.  Each  circulates  in  a  different 
plane;  and  they  defcribe  orbits  in  very  different 
periods  of  time ;  for  fome  perform  their  revolu- 
tions in  a  few  years,  and  others  require  feveral 
centuries.  The  fun,  revolving  round  his  own 
centre,  remains,  in  other  refpects,  perfectly  at 
reft  in  the  midft  of  the  whole,  and  ferves,  at 'the 
fame  time,  as  a  torch,  a  focus,  and  an  axis  to  all 
the  parts  of  this  vaft  machine. 

It  is  by  his  magnitude  alone  that  the  fun  re- 
mains immoveable,  and  regulates  the  motions  of 
the  other  globes.  As  the  force  of  attraction  is 
proportioned  to  the  mafs  of  matter,  as  the  fun 
is  incomparably  larger  than  any  of  the  comets, 
and  contains  a  thoufand  times  more  matter  than 
the  largeft  planet,  they  can  neither  derange  him, 
nor  diminiih  his  influence,  which,  by  extending 
to  immenfe  distances,  reftrains  the  whole,  and, 
at  fixed  periods,  recalls  thofe  which  have  ftretch- 
ed  fartheft  into  the  regions  of  fpace.  Some  of 
them,  when  they  return,  make  fo  near  an  ap- 
proach to  the  fun,  that,  after  cooling  for  ages, 
they  undergo  an  inconceivable  degree  of  heat. 
They  are  fubjected  to  ftrange  viciffitudes  from 
thefe  alternate  extremes  of  heat  and  colds  as 
well  as  from  the  inequalities  of  their  motions, 
which  are  fometimes  prodigioufly  accelerated, and 
at  other  times  almoft  infinitely  retarded.  When 
compared  with  the  planets,  the  comets  may  be 

confidered 


OF      NATURE.  255 

confidered  as  worlds  in  diforder;    for  the  orbits 
of  the  planets  are  more  regular,  and  their  move- 
ments more  equal  ;  their   temperature  is  always 
the  fame  ;  they  feem    to   be  places  of  repofe, 
where,  every  thing  being  permanent,   Nature  is 
enabled  to  eltablifh  a  uniform  plan  of  operation, 
and  to  mature   fucceflively  all  her  various  pro- 
ductions.    Among  the  planets,  that  which  we 
inhabit  feems  to  enjoy  peculiar  privileges.     Lefs 
cold  and  lefs  diftant  than   Saturn,   Jupiter,  and 
Mars,  it  is  alfo  not  fo   much  fcorched  as  Venus 
and  Mercury,  which  appear  to  be   too  near  the 
body  of  the   fun.     Befides,  with  what  magnifi- 
cence does  Nature  mine  upon  the   earth  ?     A 
pure  light,  which  gradually  ftretches  from  eaft 
to  weft,   alternately  gilds  both  hemifpheres   of 
this  globe.     It  is   furrounded   with  a  light  and 
tranfparent   element.     A  mild  and  fertile   heat 
animates   and    unfolds   all    the   germs  of  exis- 
tence ;  and  they  are  nourifhed  and  Supported  by 
wholefome  waters.  Various  eminences,  diftribu- 
ted  over  the  furface  of  the  land,  ftop  and  coll  eel: 
the  moift  vapours  which  float  in  the  air,  and  give 
rife  to  perpetual  fountains,     lmmenfe  cavities, 
deftined  for  the  reception  of  thefe  waters,  fepa- 
rate  iflands  and  continents.     The  extent  of  the 
fea  is  as  great  as  that  of. the  land.     This  is  not 
a  cold  and  barren  element.     It  is  a  new  empire 
equally  rich,  and   equally  peopled  with  the  for- 
mer.    The  limits  of  the  waters  are  marked  out 
by  the  finger  of  God.     If  the  fea  encroaches  on 

the 


2S6  OF      NATURE, 

the  weftern  mores,  it  deferts  thofe  of  the  eaft. 
This  vaft  mafs  of  water,  though  naturally  inac- 
tive, is  agitated  by  the  influence  of  the  celeftial 
bodies,  which  produces  the  regular  motions  of 
the  flux  and  reflux.  It  riles  and  falls  with  the 
courfeof  the  moon,  and,  when  the  action  of  the 
fun  and  moon  concurs,  it  rifes  (till  higher.  Both 
thefe  caufes  uniting  during  the  time  of  the  e- 
quinoxes,  is  the  reafon  why  the  tides  are  then 
higheft.  This  is  the  ftrongeft  mark  of  our 
connection  with  the  heavens.  Thefe  conftant 
and  general  movements  give  rife  to  variable  and 
.particular  motions ;  to  tranfportations  of  earth, 
which,  falling  to  the  bottom  in  the  form  of  fe- 
diment,  produce  mountains  fimilar  to  thofe  on 
the  furface  of  the  land;  to  currents,  which,  fol- 
lowing the  direction  of  thofe  chains  of  moun- 
tains, beftow  on  them  a  figure  whofe  angles  cor- 
refpond,and,  running  in  the  midft  of  the  waves, 
as  waters  run  on  the  land,  are  really  fea-rivers. 

The  air,  ftill  lighter  and  more  fluid  than 
water,  is  likewifefubject  to  a  number  of  powers. 
Continual  agitations  are  produced  in  it  by  the 
diftant  influence  of  the  fun  and  moon,  by  the 
immediate  action  of  the  fea,  and  by  the  rarefac- 
tion and  condenfation  of  heat  and  cold.  The 
winds  are  its  currents.  They  pufh  and  col- 
lect the  clouds.  They  produce  meteors,  and 
tranfport  to  the  arid  furface  of  iflands  and  con- 
tinents the  moift  vapours  of  the  ocean.  They 
give  rife   to   ftonjisj  and  cluTufe   and   dillribute 

the 


OF     NATURE.  2,57 

the  fertile  dew  and  rains.  They  difturb  the 
movements  of  the  fea,  agitate  the  waters,  flop 
or  precipitate  the  currents,  elevate  the  waves, 
and  raife  tremendous  tempefts :  The  troubled 
ocean  rifes  toward  the  heavens,  and  rolls  on 
with  noife  and  violence  againft  thofe  immove- 
able barriers,  which,  with  all  its  efforts,  it  can 
neither  deftroy  nor  furmount. 

The  earth,  elevated  above  the  level  of  the  o- 
cean,  is  defended  againft  its  irruptions.  Its  fur- 
face,  enamelled  with  flowers,  adorned  with  a 
verdure  which  is  always  renewing,  and  peo- 
pled with  numberlefs  fpecies  of  animals,  is  a 
place  of  perfect  repofe,  a  delightful  habitation, 
where  man,  deftined  to  aid  the  intentions  of  Na- 
ture, prefides  over  every  other  being.  He  a- 
lone  is  capable  of  knowledge,  and  dignified  with 
the  faculty  of  admiration :  God,  therefore,  has 
made  him  the  fpectator  of  the  univerfe,  and  the 
witnefs  of  his  perpetual  miracles.  The  ray  of 
divinity  with  which  he  is  animated,  makes  him 
participate  the  myfteries  of  the  Deity.  It  is  by 
this  light  that  he  thinks  and  reflects,  that  he 
perceives  and  underftands  the  wonderful  opera- 
tions of  his  Creator. 

Nature  is  the  external  throne  of  the  divine 
magnificence.  Man,  who  contemplates  her,  rifes 
gradually  to  the  internal  throne  of  the  Almighty. 
Formed  to  adore  his  Creator,  he  has  dominion 
over  every  creature.  The  vafTal  of  heaven,  the 
lord  of  the  earth,   he  peoples,   ennobles,  and 

Vol.  VI.  R  enriches 


253  OF     NATURE, 

enriches  this  lower  world.  Among  living  be- 
ings, lie  eftablifhes  order,  fubordination,  and  har- 
mony. To  Nature  herielf  he  even  gives  im- 
bellifhment,  cultivation,  extenfion,  and  polifh. 
lie  cuts  down  the  thtftle  and  the  bramble,  and 
he  multiplies  the  vine  and  the  rofe.  View  thofe 
melancholy  deferts  where  man  has  never  refol- 
ded. Over-run  with  briars,  thorns,  and  trees 
which  are  deformed,  broken,  corrupted,  the  feeds 
that  ought  to  renew  and  embellifh  the  fcene 
are  choaked  and  buried  in  the  midft  of  rubbifh 
and  llerility.  Nature,  who,  in  other  lituations, 
a  flu  me  s  the  fplendour  of  youth,  has  here  the  ap- 
pearance of  old  age  and  decrepitude.  The  earth, 
furcharged  with  the  fpoils  of  its  productions,  in- 
itead  of  a  beautiful  verdure,  prefents  nothing 
but  a  difordered  mafs  of  grofs  herbage,  and  of 
trees  loaded  with  paraiitical  plants,  as  lichens, 
agarics,  and  other  impure  fruits  of  corruption  : 
All  the  low  grounds  are  occupied  with  putrid  and 
ftagnating  waters;  the  miry  lands,  which  are  nei- 
ther folid  nor  fluid,  are  impaOable,and  remain  e- 
qualiy  ufelefs  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  and 
of  the  waters;  and  the  marines,  wdiich  are  cover- 
ed with  ftinking  aquatic  plants,  ferve  only  to 
nouriifi  venomous  infedls,  and  to  harbour  im- 
pure animals.  Between  thoie  putrid  marines 
which  occupy  the  low  grounds,  and  the  decay- 
ed forefts  which  cover  the  elevated  parts  of  the 
country,  there  is  a  fpecies  of  lands,  or  favan- 
na's,  that  have  no  refemblance  to  our  meadows. 
There  aoxious  herbs  rife  and  choak  the  uleful 

kinds* 


OF      NATURE.  259 

kinds.  Inftea &  of  that  fine  enamelled  turf,  which 
appears  to  be*the  down  of  the  earth,  we  iee  no^ 
thing  but  rude  vegetables,  hard  prickly  plants,  fo 
interlaced  together,  that  they   ieem  to  have  lefs 
hold  of  the  earth  than  of  each  other,  and  which, 
by  fuccefTively  drying  and  {hooting*  form  a  coarfe 
mat  of  feveral  feet  in  thickncfs.  There  is  no  road, 
no  communication,  no  veftige  of  intelligence,  in 
thefe  favage  and  defolate  regions.   Man,  reduced 
to  the  necelTity   of  following  the  tract    of  wild 
hearts,   when  he  wants  to  kill  them,   obliged  to 
watch  perpetually  left  he  fhould  fall  a  viftiui  to 
their  rage,  terrified  by  their  occalional  roarings, 
and  even  (truck  with  the  awful  filence  of  tb©fe 
profound  folitudes,   he  fhrinks  back,  and  fays  5 
Uncultivated  Nature  is  hideous  and  lane;uifh* 
inp\   It  is  I  alone  who  can  render  her  agreeable 
and   vivacious.     Let   us   drain  thefe  marines  ; 
let  us  animate  thele  waters  by  converting  them 
into  brooks  and  canals  ;  lei  us  employ  this  ac*- 
tive  and  devouring  element,  whole  nature  wag 
formerly  concealed  from  us;   let  us   let  fire  to 
this  cumberfome  load  of  vegetables,  and  to  thole 
luperannuated  fotefts,   which   are  already  half 
confumed  ;   let  us  finilh  the  work  by  deitroy- 
ing  with  iron  what  could  not  be  diffipated  by 
lire.     Inftead  of  rufhes,  and  water-lilies,  from 
which   the   toad   is  faid  to  extract  his  poiion. 
we  fhall  foon  fee  the  ranunculus,  the  truffle, 
and  other  mild  and    falutary   herbs  ;  flocks  of 
fprightly  cattle  will    browfe    upon  this  land, 

R  2  6  which 


;6o  OF      NATURE. 

which  was  formerly  impafTable  ;  here  they  will 
iind  abundance  of  food,  a  never  fail i  up;  pailure, 
and  they  will  continue  to  multiply,  and  to  re- 
ward  us   for  our   labours,  and  the  protection 
we   have   afforded   them.      To   complete   the 
work,  let   the   ox   be   luhje&ed  to  the  yoke  ; 
let  his  ftrength  and  the  weight  of  his  body  be 
employed  in  ploughing  the  ground,  which  ac- 
quires  frefli   vigour   by   culture.     Thus    will 
Nature   acquire  redoubled  ftrength  and  fplen- 
dour  from  the  {kill  and  induftry  of  man.' 
How   beautiful   is  cultivated  Nature  !     How 
pompous   and   brilliant,  when  decorated  by  the 
hand  of  man  !   He  himfelf  is  her  chief  ornament, 
her   noblcft   production.       By   multiplying    his 
own    fpecies,   he   increafes  the  moft  precious  of 
her  works.     She  even  feems  to  multiply  in  the 
fame  proportion  with  him  ;  for,    by  his  art,   he 
brings  to  light  every  thing  which  ihe  concealed 
in   her   bofom.       What   a  fource   of  unknown 
treafures  !     Flowers,  fruits,  and  grains  matured 
to   perfection,  and   multiplied  to  infinity  ;  the 
uieful  fpecies   of  animals  tranfported,   propaga- 
ted, and  increafed  without  number  ;  the  noxious 
kinds  diminifhed,  and  baniihed  from  the  abodes 
of  men  ;  gold,   and    iron  a  more  ufeful  metal, 
extracted  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth  ;  tor- 
rents  restrained,  and   rivers   directed  and  con- 
fined within  their  banks  ;   even  the  ocean  itfelf 
fubdued,   inveftigated,    and  traverfed  from  the 
one   hemifphere  to  the  other  ;  the  earth  every 

where 


OF       NATURE.  261 

where  accefTible,  and  rendered  active  and  fertile  ; 
the  valleys  and  plains  converted  into  fmiling 
meadows,  rich  paftures,  and  cultivated  fields  ; 
the  hills  loaded  with  vines  and  fruits,  and  their 
fummits  crowned  with  ufeful  trees  ;  the  deferts 
turned  into  populous  cities,  whofe  inhabitants 
fpread  from  its  centre  to  its  utmoft  extremities; 
open  and  frequented  roads  and  communications 
every  where  eftablifhed,  as  fo  many  evidences 
of  the  union  and  ftrength  of  fociety.  A  thou- 
fand  other  monuments  of  power  and  of  glory 
fufficiently  demonftrate  that  man  is  the  lord  of 
the  earth  ;  that  he  has  entirely  changed  and  re- 
newed its  furface  ;  and  that,  from  the  remoter!: 
periods  of  time,  he  alone  has  divided  the  empire 
of  the  world  between  him  and  Nature. 

He  reigns,  however,  by  the  right  of  conqueft 
only.  He  enjoys  rather  than  poffefTes  ;  and  pre- 
ferves  his  privileges  by  perpetual  vigilance  and 
activity.  If  tnefe  are  interrupted,  every  thing 
ianguifhes,  alters,  and  returns  to  tbe  abfolute  do- 
minion of  Nature.  She  refumes  her  rights,  ef- 
faces the  operations  of  man,  covers  with  mofs 
and  duft  his  mod  pompous  monuments,,  which, 
in  the  progrefs  of  time,  fhe  totally  deftroys,  and 
leaves  him  only  the  regret  of  having  loft  by  his 
own  fault,  what  his  anceftors  had  acquired  by 
their  induftry.  Thofe  periods,  when  man  lofes 
his  empire,  thofe  barbarous  ages  in  which  every 
thing  of  value  perilhes,  commence  with  war, 
and  are  completed  by  famine  and  depopula- 
tion.   Man,  whofe  ftrength  confifts  folely  in  the 

R  3  union 


z6i  OF      NATURE. 

union  of  numbers,  and  whofe  happinefs  Is  de- 
rived from  peace,  is  yet  mad  enough  to  take  up 
arms,  and  to  fight,  which  are  never  failing 
fources  of  mifery  and  ruin.  Incited  by  infatiable 
avarice,  and  by  blind  ambition,  which  is  ftill 
more  infatiable,  he  renounces  the  feelings  of  hu- 
mn^itv,  turns  all  his  ftrength  againft  himfelf, 
and  his  whole  defires  centre  in  the  deftru&ion 
of  his  own  fpecies,  which  he  foon  accomplices. 
After  thefe  days  of  blood  and  carnage,  when  the 
intoxicating  fumes  of  glory  are  difpelled,  he 
furveys,  with  a  melancholy  eve,  the  earth  de- 
i'olated,  the  arts  buried,  nations  difperfed,  an 
enfeebled  people,  the  ruin  of  his  own  happi- 
nefs, and  the  annihilation  of  his  real  power. 

Omnipotent  God  !  ivhofe  prefencefupports  Na- 
ture, and  maintains  harmony  among  the  laiys  of 
the  univerfe  ;  "who,  from  thy  immoveable  throne 
in  the  Empire  an,  j'eejl  all  the  celeflial Jpheres  rol- 
ling under  thy  feet,  ivzthout  deviation  or  dforder; 
twho,from  the  bofom  oj  repofe,  rcnevueft,  at  every 
valiant,  their  vajl  movements,  aiidivho  alone  go- 
verricjly  in  profound  peace,  an  infinite  number  of 
heavens  and  of  earths !  reflore,  re/lore  tranquility 
to  a  troubled  vt'orlj"'.'  Let  the  earth  bejilent  ! 
Let  the  prefumptuoui  tumults  oj ' ivar  and  difcord 
be  df  the  f  thy  voice  !     Merciful 

God!  Author  .    .  it  ern  a  I  regards  em- 

btc:        try      catedji        i  man  is  thy  chief  fa- 

vourite. 

*  This    efFufion   was  prababl}  written  before  the  termina- 
te.: ■■   ■         ft  war  b       :cn  Britain  and  Fiance. 


OF      NATURE.  263 

*vourite.  Thou  haft  illuminated  his  mind  with  a  ray 
of  thy  immortal  light ;  penetrate  alfo  his  heart 
•with  a  flo  aft  of  thy  love:  This  divine  ftntiment, 
when  univerfally  diffufed,  'will  unite  the  mofi 
hoftile  f pints  ;  man  will  no  longer  dread  the  af- 
pecl  of  man,  and  his  hand  ivill  ceafe  to  be  armed 
"with  murdering  fteel;  the  devouring  flames  of 
war  ivill  no  more  dry  up  the  fources  of  genera- 
tions; the  human fpecies ,  novo "weakened \mutilated, 
and  prematurely  mowed  down,  ivill  germinate  a- 
fre/Jj,  and  multiply  ivithout  number :  Nature, 
groaning  under  the  prejfure  oj  calamity,  ft er He,  and, 
abandoned,  ivill Jbon  refume,vuith  accumulated  vi- 
gour, her  former  fecundity ;  and  ive,  beneficent 
God,  we  flj all  aid,  cultivate,  and  incef ant ly  con- 
template her  operations,  that  ive  may  be '  enabled 
to  offer  thee,  every  moment,  afreflo  tribute  dfgf 
iilude  and  admiration. 


THE 


THE      ZEBRA*. 


WHETHER  we  confider  fymmetry  of 
fhape,  or  beauty  of  colours,  the  zebra 
is  perhaps  the  mod  elegant  of  all  quadrupeds. 
In  this  animal,  the  figure  and  gracefulnefs  of  the 
horfe  a^e  united  with  the  nimblenefs  of  the  ftag. 
His  robe  is  adorned  with  black  and  white  belts 
or  ribands,  alternately  diipofed,  with  fuch  regu- 
larity and  exacl:  proportion,  that  Nature  feems 
here  to  have  employed  the  rule  and  the  compafs. 
Thefe  alternate  bands  of  black  and  white  are  the 
more  lingular,  becaufe  they  are  ftraight,  parallel, 
and  as  nicely  feparated  as  thofe  of  a  ftriped 
ilufF.  Belides,  they  extend  not  only  over  the 
body,  but  the  head,  thighs,  legs,  and  even  the 

cars 

*  The  zebra  has  a  fhort  erec"r  mane ;  the  tail  is  furnifhed 
with  long  hairs  at  the  end  ;  and  the  whole  body  is  beautiful- 
ly ftriped,  from  the  back  to  the  belly,  with  lines  of  brown, 
on  a  very  pale  buff  ground.  It  is  the  moft  elegant  of  all  qua- 
drupeds ;   Pennant's  Syncpf.  of  quad  p.  2. 

It  is  called  Zebra,  Zevera,  and  Sebra,  in  Congo ;  and,  ac- 
cording to  Pyrard,  Efyre  in  Angola. 

Pulcher  onager;  Martial.  Epig.  lib.  xii.  101.     Oppian.  Cj- 

neg.  iii.  183. 

Zebra;  Nieremlerg.  p.  168.  Raii  Sy nop f.  quad,  p.  64.  Klein. 
quad,  p-  5.    Aldrovand.  de  quad,  folid-  p.  416. 

Le  Zebre,  ou  Pane  raye  ;    BriJJon.  quad.  p.  70. 

Equus  zebra,  fafciis  fufcis  verficolor ;  Linn.  Syjl.  Nat.  p. 
201. 

Wild  afsj  Kolben't  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  vol.  z.  p.  1x2. 


THE      ZEBRA.  265 

ears  and  tail;  fo  that,  at  a  diftance,  the  whole, 
body  of  the  animal  has  the  appearance  of  being 
artificially  adorned,  in  the  molt  elegant  manner, 
with  ribands.  In  the  female,  thefe  bands  are 
alternately  black  and  white,  and  black  and  yel- 
low in  the  male.  The  fhades  are  always  lively 
and  brilliant;  and  the  hair  is  fhort,  clofe,  and 
line,  the  luftre  of  which  augments  the  beauty  of 
the  colours.  The  zebra,  in  general,  is  fmallcr 
than  the  horfe,  and  larger  than  the  afs.  Though 
he  has  often  been  compared  to  thefe  two  ani- 
mals, under  the  names  of  the  wild  horfe  *,  and 
Jiriped  afs  f,  he  is  not  a  copy  of  either,  but 
ihould  rather  be  regarded  as  their  model,  if  in 
Nature  every  fpecies  were  not  equally  original, 
and  had  not  an  equal  right  to  creation. 

The  zebra,  therefore,  is  neither  a  horfe  nor 
an  afs;  for,  though  it  has  often  been  attempted, 
we  never  learned  that  they  intermixed  and  pro- 
duced together.  She-aiTes  in  feafon  were  pre- 
fented  to  the  zebra  which  was  in  the  menagery 
of  Verfailles  in  the  year  1761.  He  difdained 
them,  or  rather  difcovered  no  emotion.  He, 
however,  fported  with  them,  and  even  mounted 
them,  but  without  difcovering  any  defire,  or  ex- 
ternal fign.  This  coldnefs  could  be  attributed 
£0  no  other  caufe  than  an  unfuitablenefs  in  the 

natures 

*  Equus  ferus  genere  fuo  ;  zebra  ;  Klein,  de  quad.  p.  5. 

•f  Infortunatum  animal,  quod  tam  pulchris  ccloribus  prae- 
elitum,  Afini  nomen  in  £uropa  ferre  cogatur.  Vide  Ludol- 
phi  comment,  p.  150.     Ibique  zebrae  figuram, 


566  THE      ZEBRA. 

natures  of  the  two  animals;  for  the  zebra  was 
four  years  of  age,  and,  in  every  other  exercife, 
was  fprightly  and  vigorous. 

The  zebra  is  not  the  animal  mentioned  by  the 
ancients  under  the  name  of  onager.  In  the  Le- 
vant, in  the  eaftern  parts  of  Afia,  and  in  the 
north  of  Africa,  there  is  a  fine  race  of  affes, 
which,  like  the  moft  beautiful  horfes,  originated 
in  Arabia  *.  This  race  differs  from  the  common 
kind  by  the  largenefs  of  their  body,  the  nim- 
blenefs  of  their  limbs,  and  the  luftre  of  their  hair. 
They  are  of  one  uniform  colour,  which  is  a 
beautiful  moufe  gray,  with  a  black  crofs  on  the 
back  and  fhoulders.  Sometimes  their  colour  is 
a  brighter  gray,  with  a  whitifh  crofs  f .  Thefe 
African  and  Afiatic  affes  J,  though  more  beau- 
tiful 

*  In  Perfia  there  are  two  kinds  of  afles ;  thofe  belonging 
to  the  country,  which,  like  ours,  are  flow  and  ftupid,  and  ufed 
for  carrying  burdens  only  ;  and  the  Arabian  afles,  which  are 
extremely  handfome,  and  the  moft  excellent  of  the  fpecies. 
They  have  fmooth  hair,  a  high  head,  and  nimble  limbs.  They 
are  ufed  folely  for  riding.  .  .  .  Like  horfes,  they  are  trained 
to  amble ;  and  their  motion  is  extremely  foft,  and  fo  fleet, 
that  it  requires  a  gallop  to  keep  up  with  them;  Voyaged: 
Chardln,  torn.  2.  p.  27.      Voyage  de  Tavernicr,  torn.  2.  p.  20. 

f  At  Baiibra,  I  faw  a  wild  afs.  Its  figure  differed  not 
from  that  of  the  domeftic  kind  ;  but  its  colour  was  brighter, 
and,  from  the  head  to  the  tail,  there  was  a  band  of  whitifh 
hair.  ...  In  running,  and  in  every  other  motion,  it  feemed 
to  be  much  more  nimble  than  the  common  kind ;  Voyage  de 
Pietra  dclla  Valle>  torn.  8.  p.  49. 

%  The  Moors,  who  come  to  Cape-Verd  to  traffick,  carry 
their  baggage  and  wares  upon  aifes.  Thefe  aaimals  were  fo 
beautiful  and  lb  fmooth  fcinned,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  I 

could 


THE       ZEBRA.  267 

tiful  than  thofe  of  Europe,  proceed  equally  from 
the  onagri  or  uo'ild  ajfes,  which  are  (till  nume- 
rous in  South  and  Eaft  Taitary  *,  in  Perfia,  Sy- 
ria, the  iflands  of  the  Archipelago,  and  in  Mau- 
ritania "f.  The  onagers  differ  from  the  dome- 
flic  afles  by  thofe  qualities  only  which  refult 
from  freedom  and  independence  :  They  are 
ftronger  and  more  nimble,  and  they  have  more 
courage  and  vivacity.  The  figure  of  their  bodies 

is 

could  recognife  them  to  be  afles.     Thofe  of  Europe,  I  ima- 
gine, would  be  in  the  fame  condition,  if  their  labour,  and  the 
manner  in  which  they  are  loaded,    did  not  greatly  disfigure 
them.     Their  hair  was   of  a  beautiful,   fhining,   moufe   gray- 
colour,  upon  which  the  black  band  along  the  back,  and  acrofs 
the  fhoulders,  had   a  fine  effect     Thefe  afles  are  a  little  lar- 
ger than  ours.      Their  head,  however,  is  eafily  diftinguifhable 
from  that  of  the  horfe,  efpecially  the  Barbary  horfe,  which  is 
a  native  of  this  country,    and  of  a  (till  higher  flature  ;   Voyage 
au  Senegal,  par  M.  Adanjon^  p.  Ij8. — There  are  great  num- 
bers of  wild  afles   in   the  deferts  of  Numidia  and  Lybia,  and 
the  adjacent  country.     They  are   fo   fleet,   that  the  Barbary 
horfes  alone  are   able  to  overtake   them   in  the  courfe.     As 
foon  as  they  fee  a   man,  they  flop,  fling  up  their  heels,  and 
cry  ;  and,  when  he  is  near,   they  run  off.     They  are  taken  by 
various  kinds  of  fnares.     They   go   in    troops  to  pafture  and 
to  drink.     Their  flefh    is   very  good  ;  but  it  mud  be  allowed 
to  cool  two  days  after  being  roafted,   on  account  of  its  ft-rong 
fmell.     We  have  feen   a  number  of  thefe  animals  in  Sardi- 
nia;  but  they  were  fmaller ;  L'Afrique  de  Marmol,  torn.   z. 

*  The  animal  which  the  Mogul  Tartars  call  Czigithai,  and 
which  Meiferfchmid  has  denominated  mulus  fiecundus  Dauri- 
C.a,  is  the  fame  with  the  onager  or  'wild  afs. 

|  We  find  many  wild  afles  in  the  iflands  of  Peine,  and  of 
Levata  or  Lebinthos.  .  .  .  They  are  alio  found  in  the  ifland 
of  Cythera,  now  called  Cerigo  ;  Dejcript.  des  ijles  de  /'  Arc!  ^  lx 
far  Dapper,  p.  185.  37  s* 


268  THE       2?  E   B   R   A. 

is  the  lame,  though  their  hair  is  longer.  This 
difference  depends  likewife  on  their  condition  ;  • 
for  our  aiTes  would  have  hair  equally  long,  if 
they  were  not  Ihoin  at  the  age  of  four  or  five 
months.  The  hair  of  a  colt  is  at  firft  nearly  as 
long  as  that  of  a  young  bear.  The  fkin  of  the 
wild  afs  is  equally  hard  as  that  of  the  domeftic 
kind,  and  we  are  allured  that  it  is  full  of  fmall 
tubercles.  The  chagrin  brought  from  the  Le- 
vant, which  w7e  employ  for  various  purpofes,  is 
faid  to  be  made  of  the  wild  afs's  fkin. 

But,  neither  the  onager,  nor  the  fine  aiTes  of 
Arabia,  can  be  regarded  as  the  origin  of  the 
2ebra  fpecies,  though  they  referable  it  in  figure 
and  fvviftnefs.  None  of  them  exhibit  that  re- 
gular variety  of  colours,  by  which  the  zebra  is 
fo  eminently  diilinguifhed.  This  beautiful  fpecies 
is  fingular,  and  very  remote  from  all  other  kinds. 
It  likewife  belongs  to  a  different  climate  from 
that  of  the  onager,  being  only  found  in  the  eaft- 
ern  and  fouthern  regions  of  Africa,  from  JE- 
thiopia  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  *,  and  from 

thence 

*  At  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  there  are  numbers  of  wild 
affes,  which  are  the  moft  beautiful  in  the  world.  They  are 
iinely  ftriped  with  black  and  white  bands,  and  are  very  diffi- 
cult to  tame  ;  Relation  du  Cke-calier  de  Cbaumont,  p.  12 The 

wild  afs  of  the  Cape  is  one  of  the  moft  beautiful  animals  I 
have  ever  feen.  He  is  of  the  fize  of  an  ordinary  faddle  horfe. 
His  limbs  are  {lender,  and  well  proportioned,  and  his  hair  is 
foft  and  clofe.  From  the  mane  to  the  tail,  a  black  band  runs 
aloDg  the  back,  from  which  numbers  of  other  bands  of  differ- 
ent  colours  proceed,  and  form   circles  by  meeting  under  the 

belly. 


THE      ZEBRA.         269 

thence  as  far  as  Congo  *.    He  exiils  not  in  Eu- 
rope, Aiia,  America,  nor  in  any  of  the  northern 
parts  of  Africa.    Thofe  mentioned  by  fome  voy- 
agers 

belly.  Some  of  thefe  circles  are  white,  others  yellow,  and  o- 
thers  chefnet  ;  and  their  various  lhades  run  into  each  other 
in  fuch  a  manner  as  charms  the  eve  of  the  fpeclator.  Hi.; 
head  and  ears  are  alfo  adorned  with'frnall  binds  of  the  fame; 
colours.  Thofe  on  the  mane  and  tail  are  moflly  white,  chef- 
nut,  or  brown,  and  few  of  them  yellow.  He  is  fo  fleet  that 
no  horfe  in  the  world  can  be  compared  to  him.  Hence  it  is 
extremely  difficult  to  catch  him,  and,  when  caught,  ha  fells 
very  dear.  ...  I  have  often  feen  large  troops  of  thefe  ani- 
mals. Father  Tellez,  Theyenot,  and  other  authors,  a/Terr", 
that  they  have  feen  them  tamed  ;  but  I  never  heard  of  their 
being  tamed  at  the  Cape.  Several  Europeans  have  ineifectu- 
ally  exerted  all  their  lk.il!  and  indultry  to  accompliih.  this 
end  ;  Defcript.  da  Cap  de  Bonne- Efperance,  par  Kolbe,  torn.  3. 
p.  25. 

*  At  Famba,  in  the  kingdom  of  Congo,  we  find  an  ani- 
mal called  zebre  by  the  natives,  v  hich  exactly  refembles  a 
mule,  except  that  it  is  prolific.  Befides,  ics  hair  is  wonder- 
fully difpofed  ;  for,  from  the  fpine  of  the  back  to  the 
belly,  there  are  bands  of  white,  black,  and  yellow,  about  three, 
inches  broad,  and  arranged  with  the  niceft  proportion.  Thefe 
animals  multiply  greatly  in  this  country  ;  for  they  product: 
every  year.  They  are  extremely  fleet  and  wild.  If  tamed, 
they  might  fupply  the  place  of  the  horfe  ;  Drake's  voyage,  p. 
ic6. — On  the  road  to  Loanda  in  the  kingdom  of  Congo,  there 
is  an  animal  of  the  fize  and  ftrength  of  a  mule  ;  but  its  hair 
is  variegated  with  white,  black,  and  yellow  bands,  which 
encircle  the  body  from  the  fpine  of  the  back  to  the  belly,  and 
are  fo  beautiful,  and  fo  regularly  difpofed,  that  Lney  have  the 
appearance  of  being  drawn  by  a  pencil.  It  is  named  zebra  % 
Re/at.  (Fun  voyage  de  Congo,  par  ies  P.  P.  Michel- Ange  de  Galling 
ct  Denys  de  CAarly,  Capucim,  p.  76. — In  Congo,  there  is  ail 
animal  called  febra,  which  every  way  refembles  a  mule,  ex- 
cept in  its  power  of  producing.  Its  hair  is  very  Angular : 
From  the  ridge  of  the  back  to  the  belly,  there  are  three  bands 

of 


270        T    H    E      Z    E    B    R    A. 

agers  *  to  have  been  found  in  Brafil,  had  been 
tranfported  thither  from  Africa.  Others,  which 
have  been  feen  in  Perfia  f>  and  in  Turkey  J,  had 

been 

of  different  colours,  &c.  Vcyage  de  la  Compagnie  des  hides  de 
Holla nde,  torn.  4.  /.  320. 

*  When  I  arrived  in  Brafil,  I  faw  two  very  rare  animals, 
which  were  of  the  figure  and  iize  of  a  fmall  mule  ;  yet  they 
are  not  mules  ;  for  they  are  fertile.  The  fkin  is  extremely 
beautiful,  very  fmooth,  fhort,  and  mining  like  velvet.  The 
hair  is  difpofed  into  fine  white  and  black  bands,  which  run 
in  the  moil  exacl  proportion  over  the  whole  body,  ears,  tail, 
and  other  extremities.  Moreover,  thefe  animals  are  very 
fierce,  and  never  can  be  fully  tamed.  They  are  called,  in  the 
country,  from  which  they  are  brought,  Efvres.  They  are 
natives  of  Angola  in  Africa,  from  whence  they  were  tranf- 
ported to  Brafil,  in  order  to  be  afterwards  prefented  to  the 
King  of  Spain.  Though  they  had  been  taken  when  very 
young,  and  were  a  little  tamed,  no  body  durft  approach  them, 
except  their  keeper.  Some  time  before  I  arrived,  one  of 
them  had  broke  loofe,  and  killed  a  groom.  .  .  .  Though 
tied  up  very  clofe,  the  keeper  mowed  me  feveral  bites  he  had 
received  from  them.  The  fkin  of  the  animal  is  extremely 
beautiful  ;  Voyage  de  Pyrard,  torn.   2.  p.  376. 

-j-  The  ambaifadors  from  ^Ethiopia  to  the  Mogul,  mud 
give  apreientofa  kind  of  mule,  whofe  fkin.  I  was  ihown  as 
a  great  rarity.  No  tiger  is  fo  finely  marked,  no  iilken  fluff 
is  ftriped  with  fuch  variety,  order,  and  proportion,  as  the 
fkin  of  this  animal  ;  Hlfl.  de  la  revolution  du  Mogol,  par  Fr. 
Bernier,  torn.  1 .  p.  181. 

\  An  ambaffador  from  ./Ethiopia  arrived  at  Cairo  with 
prefents  for  the  Grand  Seignior.  Among  others,  there  was 
an  afs  that  had  amoft  beautiful  fkin,  provided  it  was  natural, 
of  which  I  am  uncertain,  as  I  did  not  examine  it.  It  had 
a  black  line  along  the  back,  and  all  the  reft  of  the  body  was 
variegated  with  alternate  bands  of  white  and  tawny.  The 
head  was  very  long,  and  ftriped  in  the  fame  manner  with 
the  body.  The  ears  were  black,  yellow,  and  white.  The  legs 
were  ftriped  like  the  body,  not  lengthwife,  but  round  in  the 

manner 


T    H    E     Z    E    B    R    A.         271 

been  brought  to  thefe  countries  from  ^Ethiopia. 
In  fine,  almoft  all  thofe  we  have  feen  in  Europe 
came  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  This  point 
of  Africa  is  their  native  climate,  where  they  are 
very  numerous,  and  where  the  Dutch  have  ex- 
erted every  effort  to  tame  and  render  them  do- 
meftic  ;  but  they  have  not  hitherto  been  able 
fully  to  accompliih  this  purpofe.  The  zebra, 
which  was  the  fubjecl  of  our  description,  was 
extremely  wild  when  he  arrived  at  the  royal 
menagery,  and  is  not  yet  entirely  tamed.  They 
have,  however,  brought  him  the  length  of  be- 
ing mounted  ;  but  it  requires  great  precaution. 
Two  men  hold  the  bridle,  while  a  third  fits  on 
the  animal's  back.  His  mouth  is  extremely  hard: 
His  ears  are  fo  fenlible,  that  he  flings  whenever 
they  are  touched,  and,  like  a  vicious  horfe,  he 
is  reftlefs,  and  as  flubborn  as  a  mule.  But  the 
wild  horfe  and  the  onager  are  perhaps  equally 
untraceable  ;  and  it  is  extremely  probable,  that, 
if  the  zebra  were  early  accuftomed  to  obedience. 
and  to  a  domeftic  ftate,  he  would  become  equal- 
ly gentle  with  the  afs  and  horfe,  and  might  fun- 
ply  the  place  of  both. 

SUPPLEME  N  T, 

manner  of  garters.  The  whole  of  thefe  ftripes  or  bands  were 
difpofed  with  fuch  fymmetry,  that  no  tiger  or  leopard's  fkin 
could  equal  the  beauty  of  this  animal's  fldn.  Two  fimilar 
afTes,  belonging  to  the  fame  ambaflador,  died  on  the  road, 
and  he  was  carrying  their  fldns,  together  with  the  animal 
that  furvived,  as  a  prefent  to  the  Grand  Seignior  •>  Relit.  d*t» 
voyage^  par  Thevenott  torn.  i./.  47 3 • 


272 


THE      ZEBRA. 


SUPPLEMENT. 

The  afs,  either  in  a  domeftic  or  wild  ftate,  is 
found  in  almoft  every  warm  and  temperate  cli- 
mate of  the  Old  Continent,  and  exifted  not  in 
the  New  when  it  was  firft  difcovered.  But  the 
fpecies,  after  being  tranfported  thither  from  Eu- 
rope, has  now  fubfifted  and  multiplied  greatly  in 
America,  during  more  than  two  centuries  ;  fo 
that,  at  prefent,  it  is  almoft  equally  diffufed  over 
the  four  quarters  of  the  globe.  The  zebra,  on 
the  contrary,  which  was  brought  to  us  from  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  feems  to  be  a  fpecies  limit- 
ed to  the  fouthern  regions  of  Africa  ;  though 
Lopez  aflerts,  that  the  zebras  are  more  frequent 
in  Barbary  than  in  Congo,  and  though  Dapper 
relates  that  troops  of  them  are  found  in  the 
forefts  of  Angola. 

This  beautiful  animal,  which,  both  from  the 
variety  of  its  colours  and  the  elegance  of  its  fi- 
gure, is  fo  fuperior  to  the  afs,  feems,  notwith- 
standing, to  be  nearly  of  the  fame  fpecies  ;  fince 
mod  travellers  give  it  the  name  of  the  ftriped 
afs,  becaufe,  at  firft  fight,  they  are  ftruck  with 
its  fuperior  refemblance,  both  in  fize  and  figure, 
to  the  afs  than  to  the  horfe  ;  for  it  was  not  with 
the  fnall  common  afTes  that  they  compared  the 
zebra,  but  with  the  largeft  and  moft  beautiful  of 

the 


THE      ZEBRA.  17$ 

the  fpecies.  I  am  ftill  inclined  to  think,  how- 
ever, that  the  zebra  approaches  nearer  to  the 
horfe  than  the  afs  ;  for  his  figure  is  io  elegant, 
that  though,  in  general,  he  is  fmaller  than  the 
horfe,  the  fimilarities  between  them,  in  other  re- 
flects, are  very  apparent.  To  confirm  this  o- 
pinion,  it  has  been  remarked,  with  fome  degree 
of  furprife,  that,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which  appears  to  be  the 
native  country  of  the  zebra,  there  are  horfes 
fpotted  on  the  back  and  belly  with  yellow,  black, 
red,  and  azure*.  This  particular  argument  is 
fupported  by  the  general  fact,  that,  in  all  cli- 
mates, the  colour  of  the  horfe  varies  more  than 
that  of  the  afs.  We  pretend  not  to  decide  this 
queftion ;  but  we  hope  it  will  foon  be  determi- 
ned. As  the  Dutch  have  lately  tranfported  great 
numbers  of  thefe  elegant  animals,  and  have  even 
yoked  them  in  the  Stadtholder's  chariot,  it  is  pro- 
bable, that,  in  a  lhort  time,  we  ihall  receive  in- 
formation of  every  thing  relating  to  their  nature. 
That  induftrious  nation  cannot  fail  to  make  thefe 
animals  unite  among  themfelves,  and  perhaps 
with  horfes  and  ailes,  in  order  to  produce  direct 
or  baftard  races.  In  Holland,  there  are  feveral 
expert  naturalifts  who  will  perhaps  lucceed  bet- 
ter than  we  did  in  the  multiplication  of  the  ze- 
bra, upon  which  only  a  fingle  experiment  was 
made  at  the  royal  menagery  in  the  year  lyGi, 
The  male,  which  was  four  years  of  age,  difdain- 
Vol.  VI.  S  ed 

*  Capteui  Robert's  voyage,  torn.  : .  p.  94. 


«74  THE       ZEBRA, 

ed  the  flie-afles,  though  in  feafon,  and  no  more 
were  prcfented  to  him.  Perhaps  he  was  alio 
too  young.  Befides,  he  was  not  rendered  fami- 
liar with  the  females,  a  neceflary  preliminary 
for  fucceeding  in  the  union  of  different  fpecies, 
which  Nature  feems  to  require  even  in  the  in- 
tercourfe  of  individuals  of  the  fame  fpecies. 

The  fertile  mule  of  Tartary,  called  czigithai, 
may  perhaps  he  an  animal  of  the  fame  fpecies 
with  the  zebra  ;  for  there  feems  to  be  no  differ- 
ence between  them,  but  in  colour.  Now,  it  is 
well  known,  that  the  differences  in  the  colour 
of  the  hair  or  feathers  are  extremely  flight,  and 
depend  on  the  influence  of  the  climate.  The 
czigithai  is  found  in  the  fouthern  parts  of  Sibe- 
ria, in  Thibet,  in  Dauria,  and  in  Tartary.  Ger- 
billon  remarks,  that  thefe  animals  are  common 
in  the  country  of  the  Mongoux  and  Kakas  ; 
that  they  differ  from  domeitic  mules  ;  and  that 
they  cannot  be  trained  to  bear  burdens  *..  Mul- 
|er  and  Gmelin  allure  us,  that  they  are  nume- 
rous in  the  country  of  the  Tongufians,  where 
they  are  hunted  like  other  game  ;  that,  in  Sibe- 
ria, toward  Bprsja,  they  are  very  plenty  in  dry 
years  ;  and  he  adds,  that  they  referable,  in  fi- 
gure, fize,  and  colour,  a  bright  bay  horfe,  ex- 
cept that  they  have  very  long  ears  "|~>  and  a  tail 
e  that  of  a  cow.  If  thefe  travellers  who  ex- 
amined 

*  Hid-  gen.  ctes  Voyages,  torn.  6.  p.  631. 

le  M.  Mulleret  Gmelin,  torn.  2.  p.  105.  1. 


THE      ZEBRA. 

amined  the  czigithai  had,  at  the  fame  time,  com- 
pared it  with  the  zebra,  they  would  perhaps 
have  difcovered  a  greater  number  of  relations 
than  we  are  apt  to  imagine.  In  the  Peterfburgh 
cabinet  there  are  Huffed  fkins  both  of  the  zebra 
and  czigithai.  Though  thefe  fkins  differ  in  co- 
lour, they  may  belong  to  the  fame,  or  a.  very 
neighbouring  fpecies.  Time  alone  can  remove 
or  confirm  thefe  conjectures.  But,  as  all  the  o- 
ther  animals  of  Africa  are  likewife  found  in  A- 
fia,  if  the  zebra  and  czigithai  are  not  of  the 
fame  fpecies,  the  zebra  alone  would  be  an  ex- 
ception to  this  general  rule. 

Befides,  if  the  czigithai  is  not  the  fame  with 
the  zebra,  it  may  be  the  Afiatic  animal  called 
onager  or  ivild  ajs.  The  onager  mould  not  be 
confounded  with  the  zebra  ;  but  I  am  uncer- 
tain whether  the  fame  remark  is  applicable  to 
the  onager  and  czigithai  ;  for,  from  comparing 
the  relations  of  travellers,  it  appears,  that  there 
are  different  kinds  of  wild  afTes,  of  which  the 
onager  is  the  moil  remarkable.  Perhaps  the 
horfe,  the  afs,  the  onager,  and  the  czigithai, 
conftitute  four  diftindl:  fpecies  :  And,  on  the 
fuppofition  that  they  are  only  three,  it  is  ftill 
uncertain  whether  the  czigithai  be  an  onager  or 
a  zebra.  The  fwiftnefs  of  the  onager  is  men- 
tioned by  travellers,  who  remark,  that  he  runs 
with  fuch  rapidity  as  to  efcape  the  hunters, 
though  mounted  on  horfes  ;  and  they  fay  the 
fame   thing    of  the    czigithai.      However  this 

S  2  matt. 


376  THE      ZEBRA. 

matter  ftands,  the  horfe,  the  afs,  the  zebra,  and 
the  czigithai,  belong  to  the  fame  genus,  and 
conftitute  three  or  four  branches  of  the  fame 
family  :  The  two  firft  of  which  have  long  been 
reduced  to  a  domeftic  flate.  We  may  therefore 
hope,  that  the  two  laft  may  likewife  be  tamed3 
and  prove  a  ufeful  acquifition  to  mankind. 


The 


riau-  CLXXXST. 


tf-//^.//./,«^v/ 


Zjebka. 


Plate  CLXXXVL 


:MMIJI.llT.l.M:i:i.MTiii:i:i.iinliiiv.n:rnmriT.n;i:i:cp 


.  t  V//./A  '. 


Zebtia. 


The   HIPPOPOTAMUS*. 


THOUGH  the  hippopotamus  has  been  cele- 
brated from  the  remoteft  antiquity;  though 
the  iacred  writings  mention  him  under  the  name 
of  Behemoth;  and  though  his  figure  is  engra- 

S  3  ved 

*  The  hippopotame  has  four  cutting  teeth  in  each  jaw. 
Thofe  in  the  middle  are  flraight  and  pointed  forward,  the 
two  middlemoft  the  largeft.  It  has  four  tufks,  thofe  in  the 
upper  jaw  are  fhort,  and  the  lower  very  long,  and  truncated  o- 
bliquely.  The  head  is  of  an  enormous  fize,  and  the  mouth  is 
vaftly  wide.  The  ears  are  fmall  and  pointed,  and  lined  with* 
in  very  thickly  with  fhort  fine  hairs.  The  eyes  and  noftrils 
are  fmall  in  proportion  to  the  bulk  of  the  animal.  On 
the  lips  are  fome  llrong  hairs  fcattered  in  patches  here  and 
there.  The  hair  on  the  body  is  very  thin,  of  a  whitilh  co- 
lour, and  fcarce  difcernible  at  firft  fight.  There  is  no  mane' 
on  the  neck,  as  fome  writers  feign,  only  the  hairs  on  that 
part  are  rather  thicker.  The  fkin  is  very  thick  and  ftrong, 
and  of  a  dufky  colour.  The  tail  is  about  a  foot  long,  taper, 
compreiTed,  and  naked.  The  hoofs  are  divided  into  four 
parts ;  but,  notwithstanding  it  is  an  amphibious  animal,  they 
are  not  connected  by  membranes.  The  legs  are  fhort  and 
thick.  In  bulk,  it  is  fecond  only  to  the  elephant.  The 
length  of  a  male  has  been  found  to  be  feventeen  feet,  the  cir- 
cumference  of  the  body  fifteen,  the  height  near  feven,  the 
legs  near  three,  the  head  above  three  and  a  half,  and  the 
girth  near  nine  ;  Pennant's  Synopf.  of  quad.  p.  78. 

In  Hebrew,  Behemoth-,  Shaw's  travels,  fuppl.  p.8~.  Bochart;  in 
Greek,  'l7r7ro7r6Tuues;  Ar'tfi.  hi/},  antra. lib.  2.  c.  7.;  in  Latin,  Hip- 
popota?nus  ;  in  Italian,  Hippopotamo ;  in  the  Egyptian  language, 
according  to  Zerenghi,  ForasTbar,  which  {ignifi.es  Jea-borfe. 

Hippopotamus  ; 


278        THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

ved  on  the  F.pyptian  obelifks,  and  on  the  Roman 
medals;  yet  he  was  very  imperfectly  known  to 
the  ancients.     Ariftotlc  *  fpeaks  of  this  animal 

in 

Hippopotamus  ;  Belcn.  ohf.  de  la  nature  de  poijfons,  p.  1 7. 
Gefncr.  quad.  p.  493.  Radzivil  iter  HierofoL p.  142.  Raii  SynopJ. 
quad.  p.  123.  Fab.  Columna,  aqua t.  p.  28.  Aldrov.  de  quad,  digit, 
vivip.  p.  181. 

River  horfe;  Grew's  mujeimi,  p.  14.  tab.  I.  Ludolph  JEtbiop. 
p.  60. 

Cheropotamus  et  hippopotamus ;  Profp.  Alp-  Egyp.  bift.  nat. 
lib.  4.  p.  246.  tab.  23. 

Sea  ox;  Lobo  Abyfjin.  p.  105.  Kolben's  Cape,  vol.  2.  p.  129. 

Sea  horfe  f  Leo  Afric.  p.  344.  Dampier's  voy.  vol.  2.  p.  104. 
Adanfotfs  voy.  p.  133.   Moore's  voy.  to  Gambia,  p.  105.  188.  216. 

River  paard;  Routtuyn  Nat.  hijl.  vol.  3.  p.  405.  tab.  28. 

Water  elephant;   Barbot,  voy.  to  Guiney,  p.  113.  173. 

Hippopotamus  amphibius,  pedibus  quadrilobis;  Linn.  fyji. 
nat.  p.  10 1.  Hajfelquijl.  iter,  p.  201.  Klein,  quad.  p.  34.  Brif- 
Jon.  quad.  p.  83. 

Hippopotamo ;  La  vera  defcriptione  dell  hippopota??io,  auclore 
Federico  Zerenghi  da  Kami,  medico  Chirurgico  in  Napoli,  1603. 
p.  67.  Note.  This  defcription  of  the  hippopotamus  makes  a 
part  of  an  abridgement  of  furgery,  compofed  by  the  fame  au- 
thor, on  the  65th  page  of  which  is  the  particular  title  above: 
quoted.  This  imall  work,  which  is  both  original  and  excellent, 
k  at  the  fame  time  fo  rare,  as  not  to  be  mentioned  by  any 
naturalifts.  The  figure  was  drawn  from  a  female  hippopo- 
tamus. 

*  Equo  fiuviatili,  quern  gignit  Egyptus,  juba  equi,  ungula 
qualis  bubus,  rcftrum  refimum.  Talus  etiam  inert;  bifulco- 
rum  modo  ;  dentcs  exerti  fed  leviter  ;  cauda  apri,  vox  equi, 
magnitude  aiini,  tergoris  craffitudo  tanta  ut  ex  eo  vtnabula 
faciant,  i uteri ora  omnia  equi  et  afini  fimilia ;  Arijl.  Hijl.  anim. 

lib.  2.  cap.  7. Natura  etiam    equi   fluviatilis    ita   conltat, 

Bt  vivere   nifi   in  humore   non  poflit ;  Idem.   lib.    8.   cap.    24. 

Note.     The  hippopotamus  has   no  mane,  like  the  horfe  ;  and 

hoofs  are  not   divided  into  two,  but  into  four.     His    tufktf 

appear 


THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS.        279 

m  the  moft  fuperficial  manner;  and,  in  the 
little  he  fays,  there  are  more  errors  than  truths 
Pliny  *  copies  Ariftotle,  and,  inftead  of  cor- 
recting, adds  to  the  number  of  his  blunders.  It 
was  not  till  about  the  middle  of  the  fixteenth 
century  that  any  precife  information  was  ob- 
tained concerning  this  animal.  Belon,  being 
then  at  Conftantinople,  faw  a  living  hippopota- 
mus, of  which,  however,  he  gives  but  an  im- 
perfect  reprefentation ;  for  the  two  figures  which 
he  has  added  to  his  defcription  were  not  drawn 
from  the  animal  he  faw,  but  were  copied  from 
the  reverfe  of  Adrian's  medal,  and  from  the  E- 
gyptian  coloilus  at  Rome.  Hence  the  aera  of 
any  exact  knowledge  concerning  this  animal 
mud  be  brought  forward  to  the  year  ibo^ 
when  Federico  Zerenghi,  a  furgeon  of  Narni  ii'i 
Italy,  printed  at  Naples  the  hiftory  of  two  hip- 
popotami  which  he  had  taken  alive  in  a  great 
ditch  dug  oft  purpofe  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  Nile,  near  Damietla.  This  little  book  was 
written  in  Italian-  and,  though  it   be   the   on- 

appear  not.  on  the  outfide  of  the  mouth.  His  tail  is  very  (.'.li- 
ferent from  that  of  the  wild  boar;  and  he  is  at  l'eaft  fix  times 
larger  than  the  afs.  Like  other  quadrupeds,  he  can  live  oik 
land  ;  for  the  one  defcribed  by  Belon  had  lived  two  or  three 
days  without  entering  the  water.  Hence  Ariftotle  muft  have 
had  very  bad  information  concerning  this  animal* 

*  Pliny  fays,  that  the  hippopotamus  inhabits  the  fea  as 
well  as  the  rivers,  and  that  he  is  covered  with  hair  like  the  fea* 
calf.  Note.  This  lad  fa  ft  is  advanced  without  any  foundation  ; 
for  it  is  certain  that  he  has  no  hair  on  his  fkin,  and  that  he 
was  never  feen  nearer  the  fea  than  the  mouths  of  rivers. 


280       THE   HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

]y  thing  original  we  have  upon  this  fubject,  it 
feems  to  have  been  totally  neglected  both  by 
contemporary  and  fucceeding  naturalifts.  The 
defcription  it  contains  of  the  hippopotamus  is,  at 
the  fame  time,  fo  good,  and  appears  fo  worthy 
of  credit,  that  I  ihall  here  give  an  extract  and 
tranflation  of  it, 

'  With  a  view,'  fays  Zerenghi,  '  of  obtaining 
an  hippopotamus,  I   Rationed    men   upon   the 
Nile,  who,  having  feen  two  of  thefe  animals  go 
out  of  the  river,  made  a  large  ditch  in  the  way 
through  which  they  paiTed,  and  covered  it  with 
thin  planks,  earth,  and  herbage.     In  the  even- 
ing, when  returning  to  the  river,  they  both  fell 
into  the  ditch.     I  was   immediately   informed 
of  the  event,  and  haftened  to  the  place  along 
with  my  JanifTary.     We  killed  both   the   ani- 
mals by  pouring  three  fhot  into  each   of  their 
heads  from   a   large   arquebufe.     They  almoft 
inftantly  expired,  after  uttering   a   cry   which 
had    more   refemblance    to    the    bellowing    of 
a   buffalo,  than   to   the   neighing   of  a   horfe. 
This  exploit  was  performed  on  the    20th   day 
of  July  1600.     The  following  day,  they  were 
drawn  out  of  the  ditch,  and  carefully  fkinned. 
The  one  was  a  male,  and  the  other  a   female. 
I  caufed  their   fkins   to   be   faked,  and  (turfed 
with  the  leaves  of  the  fugar  cane,  in  order  to 
tranfport   them    to    Cairo,    where    they    were 
falted  a  fecond  time  with   more   attention   and 
convenience.     Each  fkin   required   four   hun- 
dred pounds  of  fait.     On  my  return  from  E- 

'  gyptj 


THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS.       281 

*  gypt,  in  1601, 1  brought  thefe  fkins  to  Venice, 

*  and  from  thence  to  Rome.  I  mowed  them 
'  to  feveral  intelligent  phylicians.  Doctor  Je- 
c  rome  Aquapendente  and  the  celebrated  Al- 
'  drovandus,  were  the  only  perfons  who  recog- 
'  nifed  them  to   be  the  fpoils  of    the  hippopota- 

*  mus  ;  and,  as  Aldrovandus's  work  was  then 
c  printing,  I  allowed  him  to  draw  a  figure  from 
c  the  (kin  of  the   female,  which  he  inferted   in 

*  his  book. 

*  The  fkin  of  the  hippopotamus  is  very  thick, 
1  and  very  hard  ;  it  is  even  impenetrable,  un- 
lefs  after  being  long  fteeped  in  water.  The 
mouth  is  not,  as  the  ancients  alledge,  of  a 
middle  fize,  but  enormoufly  large.  Neither 
are  his  feet  divided  into  two  toes,  but  in- 
to four.  His  fize  is  not  that  of  an  afs ; 
for  he  is  much  larger  than  the  largeft  horfe  or 
buffalo.  His  tail  refembles  not  that  of  a  hog, 
but  rather  that  of  the  tortoife,  only  it  is  in- 
comparably larger.  His  muzzle  is  not  turned 
up,  but  refembles  that  of  the  buffalo,  and  is 
much  larger.  He  has  no  mane,  but  only  a 
few  fhort,  fcattered  hairs.  He  neighs  not  like 
a  horfe  ;  but  his  voice  is  a  medium  between 
the  bellowing  of  a  buffalo  and  the  neighing 
of  a  horfe.  Pie  has  no  tufts  which  protrude 
out  of  the  mouth  ;  for,  when  the  mouth  is 
(hut,  the  teeth,  though  extremely  large,  are  all 
concealed  within  the  lips The  inha- 
bitants of  this  part   of  Egypt   call  him  foras 

*  r&ar9  which  fignifies  the  feci  horfe.  .  .  .  Be- 

4  Ion's 


<z$2      THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

Ion's  defcriptlon  is  very  erroneous :  He  gives 
to  this  animal  the  teeth  of  the  horfe,  which 
would  lead  us  to  think,  contrary  to  his  own 
aflertions,  that  he  had  never  {een  it  ;  for  the 
teeth  of  the  hippopotamus  are  very  large  and 
very  fingular.  .  .  .  To  remove  every  uncer- 
tainty,' continues  Zerenghi,  '  I  here  give  the 
figure  of  the  female  hippopotamus  with  all  the 
dimeniions  and  proportions  of  the  body  and 
members,  drawn  exactly  according  to  nature. 
4  The  length  of  this  hippopotamus,  from  the 
extremity  of  the  upper  lip  to  the  origin  of  the 
tail,  is  nearly  eleven  feet  two  inches  *. 

*  The  circumference  of  the  body  is  about  ten 

feet. 

4  The  height,  from  the  fole  of  the  foot  to  the 
top  of  the  back,  is  four  feet  five  inches. 

*  The  circumference  of  the  legs,  near  the 
fhoulders,  is  two  feet  nine  inches,  and,  when 
taken  lower,  one  foot  nine  inches  and  a  half. 

*  The  height  of  the  legs,  from  the  fole  of  the 
foot  to  the  breaft,  is  one  foot  ten  inches  and  a 
half. 

4  The  length  of  the  feet  from  the  extremity 
'  of  the  nails,  is  about  four  inches  and  a  half/ 
Not  a.  I  have  here  taken  a  mean  between  Ze- 
renghi's  two  meafures  for  the  length  of  the  feet. 

*  The  nails,  or  divifions  of  the  hoof,  are  as 
1  long  as  they  are  broad,  being  two  inches  and 

*  two  lines. 

4  Each 

*  This  and  the  following  meafures  are  all  Paris  feet   and 
inches, 


THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS.       283 

c  Each  toe  has  a  nail,  and  each  foot  four  toes. 

*  The  fkin,  on  the  back,  is  near  an   inch,  and 
'  that  on  the  belly  about  feven  lines  thick. 

*  The  fkin,  when  dried,  is  fo  hard  that  a 
1  mufket  ball  cannot  pierce  it.  The  country 
'  people  make  large  fhields  of  it,  and  likewife 
'  ufe  it  for  thongs  or  whips.  On  the  furface 
'  of  the  fkin  there  are  a  few  fcattered  whitifh 
'  hairs,  which  are  not  perceptible   at  firft  fight. 

*  On  the  neck  the  hairs  are  longer,  and  all  of 
'  them  placed  one  by  one,  at  greater  or  fmaller 
'  diftances  from  each   other.     But,  on  the   lips, 

*  they  form  a  kind  of  whifkers  ;   for,  in  feveral 

*  places,  ten  or  twelve  of  them   illue  from  the 

*  fame  point.  Thefe  hairs  are  of  the  fame  co- 
'  lour  as  the  others,  only  they  are  harder,  thick- 

*  er,  and  fomewhat  longer,  though  none  of  them 

*  exceeds  half  an  inch  in  length. 

s  The  length  of  the  tail  is  eleven  inches  four 
Mines:  Its  circumference,  at  the  origin,  is  a 
'  little  more  than  a  foot,  and,   at  the  extremity, 

*  two  inches  ten  lines. 

4  The  tail  is  not  round  ;  but,  from  the  middle 

*  to  the  point,  it  is  flattened,  like  that  of  an  eel. 

*  Upon   the   tail   and   the  thighs  there  are  fome 
'  round  fcales,  of  a  whitifh  colour,  and  as  large 

*  as  lentils.  Thefe  fmall  fcales  likewife  appear 
'  on  the  breafl,  the  neck,  and  fome  parts  of  the 

*  head. 

'  From  the  extremity  of  the  lips  to  the  be- 
'  ginning  of  the  neck,  the  head  is  four  feet  four 
'  inches. 

1  The 


284      THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

1  The  circumference  of  the  head  is  about  five 
*  feet  eieht  inches. 

o 

4  The  ears  are  two  inches  nine  lines  long, 
two  inches  three  lines  broad,  a  little  pointed, 
andgarnifhed  in  the  infide  with  fine,  fhort,  thick 
hairs,  of  the  fame  colour  as  the  others. 

'  The  eyes,  from  one  corner  to  the  other,  are 
two  inches  three  lines  ;  and  the  eye-lids  are 
riiftant  from  each  other  one  inch  one  line. 

'  The  noftrils  are  two  inches  four  lines  long, 
and  one  inch  three  lines  broad. 

4  The  mouth  opens  to  the  width  of  one  foot 
five  inches  four  lines.  It  is  of  a  fquare  form, 
and  furnifhed  with  forty-four  teeth  of  differ- 
ent figures  * All   thefe  teeth   are  fo 

hard,  that  they  ftrike  fire  with  fteel.  It  is 
chiefly  the  enamel  of  the  canine  teeth  which 
poflefles  this  degree  of  hardnefs,  the  internal 
fubftance  of  the  whole  being  fofter.  .  .  .  When 
the  hippopotamus  keeps  his  mouth  fhut,  no 
teeth  appear  without,  but  are  all  covered  with 
the  lips,  which  are  extremely  large. 

'  With  regard  to  the  figure  of  the  hippopo- 
tamus, it  appears  to  be  a  medium  between 
thofe  of  the  buffalo  and  hog,  becaufe  it  par- 
ticipates  of  both,    except    the    cutting   teeth, 

1  which 

*  In  three  heads  of  the  hippopotamus,  prcferved  in  the 
royal  cabinet,  there  are  only  thirty-fix  teeth.  As  thefe  heads 
ai  .-  fmaller  than  that  defcribed  by  Zerenghi,  it  may  be  pre- 
sumed that,  in  young  hippopotami,  all  the  grinders  are  not 
developed,  and  that  adults  have  eight  more. 


THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS.      285 

*  which  have  no  refemblance  to  thofe  of  either 
of  thefe  animals.  The  grinding  teeth  have 
fome  fimilarity  to  thofe  of  the  buffalo  or  horfe, 
though    they  are  much   longer.     The  colour 

of  the  body  is  ddfky  and  blackiih We 

are  allured   that   the   hippopotamus   produces 
but  one  at  a  time ;  that   he   lives  upon  fifhes, 
crocodiles,    and    even    cadaverous    flefh.      He 
eats,  however,  rice,  grain,   &c.  though,  if  we 
confider   the    flructure  of  his  teeth,  it  would 
appear  that  Nature   had   not   deftined  him  for 
pah1  ure,  but  for  devouring  other  animals.' 
Zerenghi  finifhcs  his   defcription  by  inform- 
ing us,  that  all  thefe    meafures    had  been  taken 
from  the  female  fubjecl:,  and  that  the  male  per- 
fectly refembled    her,    except    that,  in    all   his 
dimenfions,  he  was  one  third  larger.     It  were  to 
bewifhed  that  the  figure  given  by  Zerenghi  had 
been  equally  good  as  his  defcription  :   This  ani- 
mal, however,  was  not  drawn  from  the  life,  but 
from  the  fkin   of  the    female.     It  likewife  ap- 
pears, that  Fabius  Columna  took  his  figure  from 
the  fame  fkin,  which  was  preferved  in  fait.     But 
Columna' s  defcription  is  not   equal   to  that  of 
Zerenghi;  and  he  even  merits  reproach  for  men- 
tioning only  the  name,  and  not  the  work,  of  this 
author,  though  it  was  publifhed  three  years  before 
his  own.  For  example,   Columna  remarks,  that, 
in  his  time,   (1603),  Federico  Zerenghi  brought 
from  Egypt  to  Italy  an    entire   hippopotamus, 
preferved  in  fait,  though  Zerenghi  himfelf  tells 

us, 


iS6      THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

us,  that  he  brought  only  the  fkin.  Columna 
makes  the  body  of  his  hippopotamus  thirteen 
feet  long  *,  and  fourteen  feet  in  circumference, 
and  the  legs  three  feet  and  a  half  in  length  ; 
while,  by  the  meaiures  of  Zerenghi,  the  body  was 
only  eleven  feet  two  inches  long,  its  circumference 
ten  feet,  the  legs  one  foot  ten  inches  and  a  half, 
&c.  We  can  have  no  dependence,  therefore,  on 
Columna's  delcription:  Neither  can  he  be  excu- 
fed  by  fuppofing  that  his  defcription  was  taken 
from  another  fubjecl:;  for  it  is  evident,  from  his 
own  words,  that  he  defcribed  the  lmalleft  of  Ze- 
renghi's  two  hippopotami,  fince  he  acknowled- 
ges, that,  fome  months  afterward,  Zerenghi  ex- 
hibited a  fecond  hippopotamus,  which  was  much 
larger  than  the  firft.  I  have  infilled  upon  this 
point,  becaufe  no  body  has  done  juftice  to  Ze- 
renghi, though  he  merits  the  higheft  eulogiums. 
On  the  contrary,  all  naturalifts,forthefe  hundred 

and 

*  Hippopotami  a  nobis  confpe<£li  ac  dimenfi  corpus  a  capite 
ad  caudam  pedes  erat  tredecim,  corporis  latitudo  five  diame- 
ter pedes  quatuor  cum  dimidio,  ejufdem  altitudo  pedes  tres 
cum  dimidio,  ut  planum  potius  quam  carinofum  ventrem 
habeat :  Orbis  corporis  quantum  longitudo  erat :  Crura  e 
terra  ad  ventrem  pedes  tres  cum  dimidio  :  Ambitus  crurum 
pedes  tres;  pes  latus  pedem ;  ungulae  iingulae  uncias  tres  : 
Caput  vero  latum  pedes  duo  cum  dimidio,  longum  pedes  tres; 
cralTum  ambitu  pedes  feptem  cum  dimidio  :  Oris  riclus  pedem 
unum,  ccc.  Perhaps  the  foot  ufed  by  Columna  was  fhorter 
than  the  Paris  foot.  But  this  circumftance  will  not  juftify 
him;  for  the  body  of  his  hippopotamus  being  thirteen  feet 
long,  its  circumference  ought  to  have  been  only  eleven  feet 
feven  or  eight  inches,  and  not  fourteen  feet.  The  other  pro- 
portions are  equally  erroneous ;  for  they  correfpond  not  v 
<-hofe  given  by  Zerenghi. 


THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS.       287 

and  fixty  years,  have  afcribed  to  Fabius  Colum- 
na what  was  due  to  Zerenghi  alone ;  and,  :n- 
ftead  of  inquiring  after  the  work  of  the  latter, 
they  have  contented  themfelves  with  copying 
and  praifing  that  of  Columna,  though,  with  re- 
gard to  this  article,  he  is  neither  original,  exact, 
nor  even  honeft.. 

The  defcription  and  figures  of  the  hippopota- 
mus, which  Profper  Alpinus  published  more  than 
a  hundred  years  after,  are  ftill  worfe  than  thole 
of  Columna,  having  been  drawn  from  ill  prefer- 
ved  fkins;  and  M.  Juffieu  *,  who  wrote  upon 
the  hippopotamus  in  the  year  1724,  has  only 
defcribed  the  bones  of  the  head  and  feet. 

By  comparing  thefe  defcriptions,  and  efpecial- 
ly  that  of  Zerenghi,  with  the  information  deri- 
ved from  travellers  f,  it  appears  that  the  hippo- 
potamus 

*  Mem.  de  l'Acad.  de  Sciences,  aim.  1724.  p.  209. 

f  In  the  river  Nile  there  are  hippopotami  or  fea-korjes.  In 
the  year  1658,  one  of  them  was  taken  at  Girge.  It  was  foon 
brought  to  Cairo,  where  I  faw  it  in  the  month  of  February 
of  the  fame  year;  but  it  was  dead.  This  animal  was  of  a 
kind  of  tawny  colour.  Behind  he  refembled  the  buffalo  ;  but 
his  legs  were  lhorter  and  thicker.  He  was  as  tall  as  a  camel. 
His  muzzle  refembled  that  of  an  ox  ;  but  his  body  was  twice 
as  large.  His  head  was  fimilar  to  that  of  a  horfe,  but  larger. 
His  eyes  were  fmall,  his  neck  very  thick,  his  ears  fmall,  his 
noflrils  very  large  and  open,  his  feet  very  large,  almoft  round, 
with  four  toes  on  each,  like  thofe  of  the  crocodile,  and  his 
tail  fmall.  Like  the  elephant,  he  had  little  or  no  hair  on 
the  fkin.  In  the  under  jaw,  he  had  four*large  teeth,  about 
half  a  foot  in  length.  Two  of  them  were  crooked,  and  as 
thick  as  the  horns  cf  an  ox.     At  fir  ft,  he  was  miftaken  for  a 

fea 


288      THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS, 

po:amus  is  an  animal  whofe  body  is  longer,  and 
as  thick  as  that  of  the  rhinoceros  ;  that  his  legs 
are  much  fliorier  *;  that  his  head  is  not  fo  long, 
but  larger  in  proportion  to  his  body  ;  that  he 
has  no  horns,  either  on  the  nofe,  like  the  rhi- 
noceros, or  on  the  head,  like  the  ruminating 
animals.  As  the  cry  he  utters  when  pained  is 
compofed,  according  to  ancient  authors  and  mo- 
dern travellers  f ,  of  the  neighing  of  a  horfe  and 

the 

fea  buffalo.  But  I,  and  fome  others,  who  had  read  defcrip- 
tions  of  this  animal,  knew  it  to  be  a  fea  horfe.  It  was  brought 
dead  to  Cairo  by  the  Janiffaries,  who  fhot  it  on  land,  where  it 
had  come  to  feed.  They  poured  feveral  fhots  into  it  before  it 
fell;  tor,  as  I  formerly  remarked,  a  mufket  ball  hardly  pierces 
its  ikin.  But  one  ball  entered  its  jaw,  and  brought  it  to  the 
ground.  None  of  thefe  animals  had  been  feen  at  Cairo  for  a 
long  time;  Re/at.  d'un  voyage  du  Levant ',  par  Tbevenott  torn.  1. 
/.  491. 

*  The  legs  of  the  hippopotamus  are  fo  fhort,  that  the  belly 
of  the  animal,  when  he  walks,  is  not  more  than  four  inches 
above  the  ground ;  Belon  des  poijbns,  p.  1 7. — Crura  e  terra  ad 
•oentrem  pedes  tres  cum  dimidto  ;  Fabius  Columna,  p.  31.  The 
teftimonies  of  Belon  and  Columna,  with  regard  to  the  length 
of  the  legs,  differ  fo  widely,  that  none  of  their  dimeniions 
can  be  adopted.  It  muft  be  remarked,  that  the  hippopota- 
mus which  Belon  faw  alive,  was  very  young  and  very  fat  ; 
that,  of  courfe,  his  belly  muft  have  been  large  and  pendulous  ; 
that,  on  the  contrary,  the  fkin  defcribed  by  Columna,  which 
was  the  fame  with  that  of  Zerenghi,  had  been  dried  with 
fait,  and,  confequently,  Columna  could  not  be  certain  that 
the  belly  of  the  animal  was  not  round  but  fiat.  Thus  the 
meafures  of  Belon  are  too  fhort  for  an  adult  hippopotamus, 
and  thofe  of  Columna  too  long  for  a  living  one.  Hence  we 
may  infer  from  both,  that,  in  general,  the  belly  of  this  ani- 
mal is  not  above  a  foot  and  a  half  from  the  ground ;  and  that, 
as  Zerenghi  remaiks,  its  legs  exceed  not  two  feet  in  length. 

f  Vocem  equinam  edit,  illius  gentis  relatione;    Profp.  Alp. 

Egypt. 


THE     HIPPOPOTAMUS.         289 

the  bellowing  of  a  buffalo,  his  ordinary  voice 
may  perhaps  refemble  the  neighing  of  a  horfe, 
from  which,  however,  he  differs  in  every  other 
refpett.  If  this  be  the  cafe,  we  may  prefume 
that  the  animal  has  obtained  the  name  hippopo- 
tamus',  which  fignifies  the  river- horfe,  folely 
from  the  fimilarity  of  his  voice  to  that  of  a 
horfe;  in  the  fame  manner  as  the  lynx,  from 
his  howling  like  a  wolf,  obtained  the  appella- 
tion of  lupus  cervarius  *.  The  cutting,  and  parti- 
cularly the  canine  teeth  of  the  lower  jaw,  are 
very  long,  and  fo  hard  and  flrong,  that  they 
ftrike  fire  with  fteel  f.  This  circumflance,  it  is 
Vol.  VI.  T  probable, 

Egypt-  Hift.  nat.  lib.  4  p.  248. — Merolla  fays,  that,  In  the  ri- 
ver Zaira,  there  are  river-horfes,  which  neigh  like  the  com- 
mon horfe  ;  Hijl.  gen.  des  voyages,  p.  M.  I' Abbe  Prevojl,  tim.  5. 
p.  95. — This  animal  has  derived  his  name  from  his  neighing 
like  a  horfe ;  Recueil  des  Voyages  de  la  Compagnie  des  hides  de 
Hollande,  to?::.  4.  p.  440. — The  neigh  of  the  hippopotamus  dif- 
fers little  from  that  of  a  horfe  ;  but  it  is  fo  loud  as  to  be  heard 
diftmcllyat  the  diftance  of  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  league; 
Voyage  an  Senegal,  p.ir  M.  Adanfon,p.  73. 

*   See  the  article  Lynx,  vol.  v.  p.  206. 

■\  Tutti  i  denti  fono  di  foftantza  coli  dura,  che  percofTovi 
fopra  con  un  cortello,  o  accialino,  buttano  faville  di  foco  in 
gran  quantita,  ma  piu  le  zanne  che  gli  altri ;  ma  dentro  noa 
fono  di  tanto  dura  materia  ;  Zere?!ghi,  p.  72.  ...  Dcntes 
habebat  in  inferiore  maxilla  fex,  quorum  bini  exteriores  e 
regione  longi  femipedem,  lati  et  trigoni  uncias  duas  cum 
dimidio,  per  ambitum  femipedem,  aprorum  modo  parum  re- 
trorfum  deciives,  non  adunci,  non  exerti,  fed  admodum  con- 
fpicui  aperto  ore.  Intermedii  vero  parum  a  gingiva  exerti 
trigona  acie  digitali  longitudine,  medium  locum  occupantes, 
veluti  jacentes  craffi,  orbicuiati,  elephantini  femipedem  fupe- 
rant  longitudine,   atque  aciem  in  extremis  partibus  planam 

parum 


|£€t        THE     HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

probable*  gave  rife  to  the  fable  of  the  ancients, 
that  the  hippopotamus  vomited  fire  from  his 
mouth.  The  fubftance  of  the  canine  teeth  is  fo 
white,  fo  fine,  and  fo  hard,  that  it  is  preferable 
to  ivory  for  making  artificial  teeth  *.  The  cut- 
ting teeth,  efpecially  thofe  of  the  under  jaw,  are 
very  iong,  cylindrical,  and  chamfered.  The  ca- 
nine teeth  are  alfo  long,  crooked,  prifmatic,  and 
fharp,  like  the  tufks  of  the  wild  boar.  The 
grinders  are  fquare  or  oblong,  like  thofe  of  man, 

and 

parura  detraci-am.  Maxillares  vero  utrinque  feptem  craiTos 
latos  breyes  admodum.  In  fuperna  vero  mandibula,  quam 
crocodili  more  nzobilem  habet,  qua  mandit  et  terit,  anteriores  fex 
infunt  dentes,  fex  imis  refpondentes  acie  contrario  modo  ad- 
aptata,  leviffima  ac  fplendida,  eboris  politi  modo,  claufoque 
pre  conjunguntur,  aptanturque  imis,  veluti  ex  illis  recifi,  ut 
planum  piano  infideat  ;  verum  omnium  acies  pyramidalis  ve- 
luti oblique  reciii  calami  modo,  fed  medii  fuperiores  non 
aciem  inferiorum,  at  medium  illorum  in  quo  detraclio  confpi- 
citur  rotunditatis,  petunt  ;  ac  non  ineidere,  fed  potius  illis 
terere  poffe  videtur.  Molares  totidem  quot  inferni,  fed  bini 
priores  parvi  exigui,  atque  rotundq  ambitu,  ct  ab  aliis  diftant, 
ut  medium  palatum  inter  dentes  anteriores  occupare  videan- 
tur  ;  inter  maxillares  dentes  linguae  locus  femipedalis  rema- 
nebat.  Dentium  vero  color  ebuvneus  parum  pallens,  fplen- 
didus,  diaphanus  fere  in  acic  videbatur  ;  durities  illorum  fi- 
licea,  vcl  magis  cutelli  quidem  coil  a  non  parva  confpicientium 
adm'.ratione  ignis  excitabantur  favillae,  parum  vel  nihil  tot 
percufiionibus  figni  remanente  :  Quapropter  verifimile  foret 
noclis  tempore  dentes  tcrendo  ignem  ex  ore  evoniiife  ;  Fal\ 
Columna,  p.  32. 

*  The  jfiheft  and  whiteft  teeth  of  the  hippopotamus  are 
found  at  Cape  Mefurada  in  Africa.  The  dentiils  prefer  them 
to  ivory  for  making  artificial  teeth;  becaufe  they  are  harder, 
-.vhiter,    nnd   do  not  turn  yellow  fo  loon ;    Voyage  de  Ikjhiur* 

':■,  torn.  7,  t.  148= 


THE   HIPPOPOTAMUS.        291 

and  fo  large  that  a  fingle  tooth  weighs  more  than 
three  pounds.  The  largeft  cutting  and  canine 
teeth  are  twelve  *  and  foaietimes  fixteen  inches 
long  t,  and  each  of  them  weighs  from  twelve  to 
thirteen  pounds  J. 

In  fine,  to  give  a  juft  idea  of  the  magnitude 
of  the  hippopotamus,  we  mall  employ  the  mea- 
fures  of  Zerenghi,  and  augment  them  one-third  ; 
becauie  thefe  meafures  were  taken  from  the  fe- 
male, which  was  one-third  lefs  than  the  male  in 
all  its  dimenfions.  This  male  hippopotamus 
was,  of  courfe,  fixteen  feet  nine  inches  long, 
from  the  extremity  of  the  muzzle  to  the  origin 
of  the  tail,  fifteen  feet  in  circumference,  and  fix 
feet  and  a  half  high  ;  and  the  legs  were  about 
two  feet  ten  inches  long.  The  head  was  three 
feet  and   a   half  in  length,    and  eight  feet  and  a 

T   2  half 

*  Pod  menfes  aliquot  alium{hippopotamum)  longe  majo- 
rem,  idem,  Federicus  Zerenghi,  Romae  nobis  ottendit,  cujus 
dentes  aprini  pedali  longitudine  fuerunt,  proportione  craflio- 
resj  fie  et  reliqua  omnia  majora. — This  pafi'age,  which  finifh- 
es  Fabius  Columna's  defcription,  proves  that  it  was  taken 
from  the  female  or  fmaller  hippopotamus  of  Zerenghi,  and 
that  the  largeft,  of  which  he  gives  no  defcription,  was  a  male. 
It  likewife  proves  that  no  dependence  can  be  had  on  Colum- 
na's meafures  ;  for  he  is  nowhere  exacT:  but  in  the  dimenfions 
of  the  teeth,  becaufe  they  can  neither  contract  nor  lengthen  ; 
but  a  fkin  dried  in  fait  varies  in  all  its  dimenfions. 

f  I  remarked,  that  thefe  teeth,  which  were  crooked  in  the 
form  of  an  arch,  were  about  fixteen  inches  long,  and  that, 
where  thickeft,  they  were  more  than  fix  inches  in  circumfe- 
rence ;  Dampier's  voyages,   torn.  3.  p.  360. 

%  As  to  the  river-horfes,  I  never  faw  any  of  them  ;  but  I 
purchafed  fome  of  their  teeth  which  weighed  thirteen  pounds  ; 
RcUthr.  de  Tkevenott  p.  19. 


igi        THE   HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

half  in  circumference.  The  opening  of  the 
mouth  was  two  feet  four  inches  ;  and  the  largeft 
teeth  were  more  than  a  foot  long. 

With  fuch  powerful  arms,  and  fucli  prodigi- 
ous ftrength  of  body,  the  hippopotamus  might 
render  himfelf  formidable  to  all  other  animals. 
But  he  is  naturally  mild  *  ;  befides,  he  is  fo  hea- 
vy and  flow  in  his  movements,  that  he  could  not 
overtake  any  quadruped.  He  fwims  fader  than 
he  runs  ;  and  he  purfues  fifties,  and  preys  upon 
them  "(".  Though  he  delights  in  the  water,  and 
lives  in  it  as  freely  as  upon  land  ;  yet  he  has  not, 
like  the  beaver  or  otter,  membranes  between  his 
toes.  The  great  fize  of  his  belly  renders  his  fpe- 
clfic  gravity  nearly  equal  to  that  of  water,  and 
makes  him  fwim  with  eafe.  Befides,  he  conti- 
nues long  at  the  bottom  of  the  water  J,    where 

he 

*  Qui  hippopotamum  animal  terribile  et  crudele  efTe  pu- 
tarunt,  falfi  mini  videntiir.  Vidimus  enim  nos  adeo manfue- 
tum  hoc  animal,  ut  homines  minime  reformidaret,  fed  beni';ne 
fequeretur.  Ingenio  tarn  miti  eft,  ut  nullo  negocio  cicme- 
tur,  nee  unquam  morfu  laedere  conatur Hippopota- 
mum e  ftabulo  folutum  exire  permittunt,  nee  metuunt  ne 
mordeat.  Reclor  ejus,  cum  fpe&atores  oble&axe  libet,  caput 
aliquot  brafftcae  capitatae,  aut  me'opepcnis  partem,  aut  faf- 
cem  herbarum  aut  panem  e  manu  fublimi  protendit  ferae  : 
Quod  ea  confpicata  tanto  ricturh  hiatu  diducit,  ut  leonis 
etiam  hiantis  caput  facile  fuis  faucibus  caperet.  Turn  reftor 
quod  manu  tenebat  in  voraginemillamfeu  faccum  quempiam 
immittit.      Manducat  ilia  et  devorat ;    Bellcr.lus  de  Aquatilihus. 

f  The  hippopotamus  walks  flowly  on  the  banks  of  the  ri- 
vers ;  but  fwims  very  quickly  in  the  water.  He  lives  upon 
Sfhes,  and  every  thing  he  can  feize  ;   Da??ipisr,  vol.    3.  p.    360. 

%  I  have  feen  the  hippopotamus  defcend  to  the  bottom  of 

three 


THE.  HIPPOPOTAMUS.       293 

he  walks  as  in  the  open  air;  and,  when  he 
comes  out  of  it  to  pafture,  he  eats  fugar  canes, 
rufhes,  millet,  rice,  roots,  &C.  of  which  he  con- 
fumes  great  quantities,  and  does  much  damage 
in  the  cultivated  fields.  But,  as  he  is  more  ti- 
mid on  land  than  in  the  water,  it  is  not  difficult: 
to  drive  him  off.  His  legs  are  fo  fhort,  that, 
when  at  a  diitance  from  water,  he  cannot  efcape 
by  flight.  When  in  danger,  his  only  refource  is 
to  plunge  into  the  water,  and  travel  under  it  a 
great  way  before  he  again  appears.  When 
hunted,  he  generally  Hies;  but,  when  wounded, 
he  returns  with  fury,  darts  boldly  againft  the 
boats,  feizes  them  with  his  teeth,  tears  pieces  oft 
them,  and  fometimes  finks  them  *.  *  I  have 
'  known/  fays   a   traveller  f,    •  the   hippopota- 

*  mus  open  his  mouth,  and  fet  one  tooth  on  the 
4  gunnel  of  a  boat,  and  another  on  the  fecond 
'  ftrake  from  the   keel  (which   was   more   than 

*  four  feet  diftant),  and  there  bit  a  hole  through 

*  the  plank,  and   funk   the   boat ;  and,  after  he 

*  had  done,  he  went  away  fhaking  his  ears.  His 
'  flrength   is   incredibly  great;   for   I  have  feen 

*  him,  in  the  wafh  of  the  more,  when  the  fea 
1  has  toffed  in  a  Dutchman's  boat  with  fourteen 

*  hogfheads  of  water  in  her,  upon  the  faid  beaft, 

T  3  ' and 

three  fathoms  water,  and  remain  there  more  than  half  an 
hour,  before  he  returned  to  the  furface  ;  Id.  ib. 

*  Hippopotmaus  cymbis  infidiatur  quae  mercibus  cnuftae 
fecundo  Nigro  feruntur,  quas  dorfi  frequentibus  gyris  agita- 
tas  demergit;    Leon.  Afric.  Defcript.  to?n.  2. />.  758. 

f  Dampier,  vol.  2.  part  2.  p.  105. 


294       THE   HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

and  left  it  dry  on  its  back ;  and  another  fea 
came  and  fetched  the  boat  off,  and  the  beaft 
was  not  hurt,  as  far  as  I  could  perceive.  Plow 
his  teeth  grow  in  his  mouth  I  could  not  fee  ; 
only  that  they  were  round  like  a  bow,  and  a- 
bout  fixteen  inches  long  ;  and  in  the  biggeft 
part  more  than  fix  inches  about.  We  made 
feveral  mot  at  him;  but  to  no  purpofe,  for 
they  would  glance  from  him  as  from  a  wall 
The  natives  call  him  kittimpimgo^  and  fay  he 
is  TetiJJb,  which  is  a  kind  of  god;  for  no- 
thing, they  fay,  can  kill  him:  And,  if  they 
mould  do  to  him  as  the  white  men  do,  he 
would  foon  deftroy  their  canoes  and  fiming 
nets.  Their  cuftom  is,  when  he  comes  near 
their  canoes,  to  throw  him  fim;  and  then  he 
pafieth  away,  and  will  not  meddle  with  their 
fifhing  craft.  He  doth  moft  mifchief  when 
he  can  fiand  on  the  ground  ;  but,  when  afloat, 
hath  only  power  to  bite.  As  our  boat  once 
lay  near  the  more,  I  faw  him  go  under  her, 
and  with  his  back  lift  her  out  of  the  water,  and 
overfet  her  with  fix  men  aboard  ;  but,  as  it 
happened,  did  them  no  harm.  Whiift  we  lay 
in  the  road,  we  had  three  of  them,  which  dil 
trouble  this  bay  every  full  and  change,  and 
two  or  three  days  after.  The  natives  fay,  they 
go  together,  two  males  and  one  female.  Their 
ncife  is  much  like  the  bellowing  of  a  large 
calf.'  .  Thefe  fadts  are  fufficient  to  give  an  idea 
of  the  flrength   of  this  animal.     Many  fimilar 

fads 


THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS.        295 

fads  are  to  be  found  in  the  general  hiftory  of 
voyages,  by  the  Abbe  Prevoft,  where  we  have  a 
complete  and  judicious  collection  *  of  all  that 
has  been  delivered  by  travellers  concerning  the 
hippopotamus. 

The  individuals  of  this  fpecies  are  not  nume- 
rous, and  feem  to  be  confined  to  rhe  rivers  of 
Africa.  Mod  naturalifts  tell  us,  that  the  hippo- 
potamus is  alfo  found  in  India.  But  the  evi- 
dence they  have  of  this  fact  appears  to  be  equi- 
vocal. Alexander's  "f"  letter  to  Ariftotle  would 
be  the  moft  pofitive,  if  we  could  be  certain  that 
the  animals  mentioned  in  it  were  really  hippopo- 
tami ;  which  to  me  feems  very  problematical  5 
for,  if  they  were,  Ariftotle  muft  have  told  us,  in 
his  hiftory  of  animals,  that  the  hippopotamus 
was  a  native  of  India  as  well  as  of  Egypt*  One- 
ficritus  J  and  fome  old  authors  fay,  that  the  hip- 
popotamus was  found  in  the   river  Indus.     But 

this 

*   Hill.  gen.  des  voyages,  torn,  t,  p.  95.  j  \i 
f  Hamanas   carnes    hippnpobaasis    pergfatas    eflej    fei   eis 
collegimus,   quae   in   libro    Artftotelis    de  mnabilibus    tndiae 
habentur,  ubi  Alexander  Mxce'do  fcribefls  ad    .".:;':;  1    in- 

quit:  *  Ducentos  milites  de  Macedonibus,  ievibits  ai  ■  :  is,  rmfi 
«  per  amnem  natatufos  ;  itaque  q'uartam  Suminre  partem  ha- 
«  taverunt,  cum  horrenda  res  vifu  nobis  cohipecla  eft ,  .rppc- 
«  potami  inter  profundos  squarum  ruerunt  gargitesj  aptofque 
'  milites  nobis  fientibus  abiumpierunt.  liratus  ego  tunc  ex 
«  eis,  qui  nos  in  infidiaS  deducebant,  centum  et  qumquagmtsc 
*  mitti  in  flumen  juffi,  quos  rurfus  hippopotarhijufta'  digrio§ 
'  poena  confecerunt ;'  Aidrav.  de  quad,  digit,  p.  188.  et  189. 

$  In  India  quoque  reperitur  hippopotamus,  ut  Otieficritiis 
eft  autor,  m  amne  Indo ;  EsrvrAavs  npui  Gefnif  d;  pifiibttsi 
W1* 


2g6        THE   HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

this  fact  has  received  no  confirmation  from  mo- 
dern travellers,  at  lead  from  fuch  of  them  as  me- 
rit the  greater!  degree  of  credit:  They  all  agree  *, 
that  the  hippopotamus  is  found  in  the  Nile,  and 
Senegal  or  Niger,  the  Gambia,  the  Zaira,  the 
other  great  rivers  and  lakes  of  Africa  f,  efpecially 
in  the  fouthern  and  eattern  regions  of  that  country. 
None  of  them  fay  pofitively  that  this  animal 
exifts  in  Afia.  Father  Boym  \.  is  the  only  one 
who  feems  to  infinuate  that  the  hippopotamus  is 
found  in  Aha.  But  his  relation  appears  to  be 
fufpicious,  and,  in  my  opinion,  only  proves  that 
this  animal  is  common  in  Mofambique,  and  all 
the  eaftern  parts  of  Africa.  At  prefent,  the  hip- 
popotamus, which  the  ancients  call  the  horfe  of 
the  Nile,  is  fo  rare  in  the  lower  Nile,  that  the 
inhabitants  of  Egypt  are  totally  ignorant  of  the 
name  §.  He  is  equally  unknown  in  all  the  nor- 
thern 

*  Cofmographie  du  Levant,  par  Andre  Thevet,  p.  139. — 

Leonis  Afric.  Africae  defcript.  torn.  2.  p.  758 L'Afrique  de 

Marmol,  torn  1.  p.  51.  ;  et  torn.  2.  p.  144. — Relation  de  The- 
venot,  torn.  1.  p.  491. — Relation  de  PEthiopie,  par  Poncel. 
Lettres  edif.  4.  Recueil,  p.  363.— Defcription  de  l'Egypte, 
par  Maillet,  torn.  2.  p.  126. — Defcription  du  Cap  de  Bonne- 
Efperance,  par  Kolbe,  torn.  3.  p.  30. — Voyage   de  Flacourt, 

P-  394-1— Hirtoire  de  PAbyffinie,  par  Ludoff.  p.  43.  et  44. 

Voyage  au  Senegal,  par  M.  Adanfon,  p.  73.  &c. 

f  Relation  de  PEthiopie,  par  Ch.  Jacq.  Poncel ;  fuite  des 
Lettres  edifiantes,  4.  Recueil.  p.  $6$. 

t  Flora  Sinenfis,  a  P.  Michael e  Boym,  p.  1. — La  Chine 
illuftrce,  par-d'Alquie,  p.  25S. 

§  With  regard  to  animals,  the  prefent  inhabitants  of  Egypt 
know  nothing  of  the  hippopotamus;  Shaiits  travels. — The  hip- 
popotamus is  produced  in  ^Ethiopia  ....  defcends   by   the 

Nile 


THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS.       297 

thern  parts  of  Africa,  from  the  Mediterranean  to 
the  river  Bambou,  which  runs  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Atlas.  Hence  the  climate  inhabited  by 
the  hippopotamus  extends  only  from  Senegal  to 
^Ethiopia,  and  from  thence  to  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope. 

As  molt  authors  mention  the  hippopotamus 
under  the  names  of  xhtfea-horfd^  or  the  Jed-cow, 
he  has  fometimes  been  confounded  with  the  lat- 
ter, which  inhabits  only  the  Northern  feas.  It 
appears,  therefore,  to  be  certain,  that  the  hippo- 
potami, which  the  author  of  the  Defcription 
of  Mufcovy  fays  are  found  on  the  fea-ihore 
near  Petzora,  are  nothing  elfe  than  fea-cows.  Al- 
drovandus,  therefore,  merits  reproach  for  adopt- 
ing this  opinion  without  examination,  and  main- 
taining that  the  hippopotamus  is  found  in  the 
North  feas  *  ;   for  he  not   only  does  not  inhabit 

the 

Kile  into  Upper  Egypt defolates  the  fields  by  devour- 
ing the  grain,  and  particularly  the  Turkilk  wheat.  .  .  .  He 
is  very  rare  in  Lower  Egypt  ;  Defcript.  de  i'Egypte,  fur  le  Mem. 
de  M.  de  Maillet,  par  M.  I' Abbe  Ma/crier,  torn.  2.  p.  126. 

Sed  quod  magis  mirandum  eft,  in  mari  quoque  verfari 
fcripfit  P/inius,  qui  agens  de  animantibus  aquaticis,  commu- 
nes amni,  terrae,  et  mari  crocodiles  et  hippepotamos  praedicabat. 
Idicirco  non  debemus  admiratione  capi>  quando  le'^itur  in  de- 
ft riptione  Mofcoyiae,  in  Oceario  adjacefiti  regionlbus  Petzorae,  e- 
q::cs  marinos  crefcere.  Pariter  Odoardus-Barbola,  Portughen- 
iis,  in  Cefala  obfervavit  mukos  equos  marinos,  a  mari  ad 
prata  exire,  denuoque  ad  mare  revert;.  Idem  repetit  Edoar- 
dus-Vuot,  de  hujufmodi  feris  in  mari  Indico  errantibus.  Prop- 
terea  habetur  in  primo  volumine  navigationum,  multos  quan- 
doque  naucleros  in  terram  defcendere,  ut  hippopotamos  in 
vicinis  prates    pafcentis   comprehendant  :    fed  ipii   ad   mare 

fugicntes 


298      THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

the  North  feas,  but  it  appears  that  he  is  rarely 
found  in  the  South  feas.  The  teftimonies  of 
Odoardus-Barbofa  and  Edward  Wotton,  quoted 
by  Aldrovandus,  and  which  feem  to  prove  that 
the  hippopotamus  inhabits  the  Indian  feas,  are 
nearly  as  equivocal  as  that  of  the  defcriber  of 
Mufcovy  ;  and,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  with  M. 
Adanfon  *,  that,  now  at  leaft,  the  hippopota- 
mus is  found  only  in  the  great  rivers  of  Africa. 
Kolbe  *)*,  who  fays  he  faw  feveral  of  them  at  the 

Cape 

fugientes  eorum  cymbas  aggrediuntur,  dentibus  illas  difrum- 
pendo  et  fubmergendo,  ef  tamen  beftiae  lanceis,  ob  cutis  du- 

ritiem,  fauciari  minime  poterant ;  Aldrov.  de  quad,  digit,  vivip. 
p.  181.  etfeq. 

*  In  going  up  the  Niger,  we  came  to  a  quarter  where  tbe 
hippopotami  or  river-horfes  are  very  common.  This  animal* 
which  is  the  largeft  of  the  amphibious  kind,  is  found  only  ia 
the  rivers  of  Africa,  and  in  no  other  part  of  the  world.  He 
is  generally  faid  to  be  of  the  figure  of  an  ox  ;  and,  indeed,  he 
refembles  that  animal  more  than  any  other.  But  his  legs  are 
ihorter,  and  his  head  is  enormouily  large.  With  regard  to 
,fize,  the  hippopotamus  may  be  ranked  after  the  elephant  and 
rhinoceros.  His  jaws  are  armed  with  four  tuiks,  by  which 
he  tears  up  the  roots  of  trees,  which  ferve  him  for  food.  He 
cannot  remain  long  under  water  withour  refpiring,  which  o- 
bliges  him  to  raife  his  head,  from  time  to  time,  above  the  fur- 
face,  like  the  crocodile  ;   Voyage  au  Senegal,  par  M.   Adanfonf 

t>  73- 

f  If  the  epithet^a  be  applied  to  the  hippopotamus  or  fea- 

horfe,  it  is  not  becaufe  he  is  a  fpecies  of  fifti,  or  lives  always 
in  thefea.  He  comes  upon  the  dry  land  in  quell  of  food,  and 
he  retires  for  fafety  to  the  fea  or  to  a  river.  Herbage  is  his  or- 
dinary food.  When  pfefled  with  hunger,  he  comes  out  of  the 
water,  in  which  he  lies  always  in  an  extended  pofture.  When 
he  raiies  his  head  above  the  water,  he  looks  about  on  all 
fides  to  fee  if  there  is  any  danger,  and  he  fcents  a  man  at  a 

confiderable 


THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS.       299 

Cape  of  Good  Hope,  aflures  us,  that  they  plunge 
equally  into  the  fea  and  the  rivers;  and  the  fame 

thing 

confiderable  diftance.  If  he  perceives  any  thing,  he  plunges 
again  into  the  water,  where  he  continues  three  hours  without 
moving.  ...  He  generally  weighs  from  two  thoufand  five 
hundred  to  three  thoufand  pounds.  .  .  .  The  fea-horfe,  both 
in  colour  and  fize,  refembles  the  rhinoceros,  only  his  legs  are 
fomewhat  fhorter.  His  head,  as  Tellez  remarks,  (lib.  i. 
cap.  8.)  has  a  greater  refemblance  to  that  of  the  horfe,  than 
to  that  of  any  other  animal ;  and,  from  this  circumftance,  he 
has  derived  his  name.  His  mouth  is  much  larger  than  that 
of  the  horfe,  and,  in  this  refpeit,  he  approaches  nearer  the  ox. 
His  noftrils  are  very  large  ;  and,  when  he  rifes  to  the  furface 
of  the  river  or  fea,  he  fquirts  the  water  out  of  them.  His  ears 
and  eyes  are  remarkably  fmall.  His  legs  are  fhort,  and  of  an 
equal  thicknefs  throughout.  His  hoofs  are  not  divided  into 
two,  like  thofe  of  the  ox,  but  into  four  parts,  on  each  of  which 
there  are  fpiral  furrows.  His  tail  is  fhort  like  that  of  the  ele-r 
phant,  with  a  few  fhort  hairs  on  it ;  and  there  is  no  hair  on 
the  reft  cf  the  bodv. 

The  paps  of  the  female  hang,  like  thofe  of  the  cow,  be- 
tween the  hind  !ee;s ;  but  they,  as  well  as  the  teats,  are  very 
fmall  in  proportion  to  the  live  of  the  animal.  I  have  often 
feen  the  mothers  fuckling  their  young,  which  were  then  as 
large  as  Iheep.  .  .  .  The  fkin  of  the  river-horfe  is  more  than 
an  inch  thick,  and  fo  hard  that  it  is  difficult  to  kill  him  even 
with  mufket  balls.  The  Europeans  always  aim  at  his  head, 
where  the  ikin  is  moft  tender,  and  eafily  pierced.  This  ani- 
mal feldom  receives  a  mortal  wound  in  any  other  part  oi  his 
body. 

The  teeth  of  the  under  jaw  are  very  remarkable.  They  are 
four  in  number,  two  on  each  fide,  one  of  them  crooked  and 
the  other  ftraight.  They  are  as  thick  as  an  ox's  horn,  about 
a  foot  and  a  half  long,  and  each  of  them  weighs  twelve 
pounds.  They  are  very  white,  and  never  turn  yellow  with 
age,  as  ivory  does.  Hence  they  are  more  efteemed  than  the 
teeth  of  the  elephant. 

The  Asm  of  this  animal,  whether  boiled  or  roafted,  is  mcfl 

delicious. 


?oo      THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS. 


o 


thing  is  advanced  by  other  authors.  Though 
Kolbe  is  more  exact  than  ufual  in  his  defcriptiorx 
of  this  animal  ;  yet  it  is  doubtful  whether  he 
faw  it  fo  frequently  as  he  infmuates ;  for  the  fi- 
gure he  gives  is  flill  worfe  than  thofe  of  Colum- 
na,  Aldrovandus,  and  Profper.  Aipinus,  which 
were  all  drawn  from  fluffed  fkins.  It  is  eafy  to 
perceive,  that  the  defcriptions  and  figures  in 
Kolbe's  works  have  not  been  taken  on  the  fpot, 
nor  drawn  from  nature.  His  defcriptions  are 
written  from  memory,  and  moft  of  the  figures 
have  been  copied  from  thofe  of  other  naturalifts. 
The  figure  he  has  given  of  the  hippopotamus 
has  a  great  refemblance  to  the  cheropotamus  of 
Profper  Aipinus  *. 

Hence  Kolbe,  when  he  tells  us  that  the  hip- 
popotamus inhabits  the  fea,  has  perhaps  copied 
Pliny,  inftead  of  giving  his  own  obfervations. 
Moft  authors  relate,  that  this  animal  is  only 
found  in  frefli  water  lakes,  and  in  rivers,  fome- 
times  near  their  mouths,  but  oftener  at  great 
diftances  from  the  fea.  Some  travellers  are 
aftoniihed  that  the  hippopotamus  fhould  have 
been  called   the  fea-horfe  ;  becaufe,  as  Merollo 

remarks, 

delicious.  It  is  fo  highly  valued  at  the  Cape,  as  to  fell  at 
twelve  or  fifteen  pence  the  pound.  The  fat  fells  as  dear  as 
the  fielh  :  It  is  very  mild  and  wholefome,  and  ufed  initead  of 
butter,  &c.  ;  Defer ipt.  du  Cap  de  Bomie  Efperance,  par  Kolbe, 
torn.  3.  ch.  3. 

*  Note.  The  figures  of  the  cheropotami  of  Profper  Aipi- 
nus, lib.  4.  cap.  12.  tab.  22.  feem  to  have  been  drawn  from 
ItufFed  fldns  ot  hippopotami,  from  which  the  teeth  appear  to 
have  been  extracted. 


THE   HIPPOPOTAMUS.       301 

remarks  *,  this  animal  cannot  endure  fait  water. 
He  generally  remains  in  the  water  during  the 
day,  and  comes  out  in  the  night  to  pafture. 
The  male  and  female  feldom  feparate.  Ze- 
renghi  caught  a  male  and  a  female  the  fame 
day,  and  in  the  fame  ditch.  The  Dutch  voya- 
gers tells  us,  that  the  female  brings  forth  three  or 
four  young  at  a  time.  But  this  facl:  is  rendered 
fufpicious  by  the  very  evidence  which  Zerenghi 
quotes.  Befides,  as  the  hippopotamus  is  of  an 
enormous  fize,  like  the  elephant,  the  rhinoceros, 
the  whale,  and  all  other  large  animals,  it  muft 
produce  but  one  at  a  time  :  This  analogy  feems 
to  be  more  certain  than  the  vague  reports  of 
travellers. 


SUPPLEMENT. 


M.  le  Chevalier  Bruce  allured  me,  that,  in  his 
travels  through  Africa,  he  faw  a  number  of  hip- 
popotami in  Lake  Tzana,  which  is  fituated  in 
Upper  Abyffinia,  near  the  true  fources  of  the 
Nile;  and  that,  in  this  lake,  which  is  at  lead 
fix  leagues  long  by  ten  or  twelve  broad,  the 
hippopotami  are  more  numerous  than  in  any  o- 
ther  part  of  the  world.  He  adds,  that  he  faw 
fomeof  them  which  were  twenty  feet  long,  with 
very  thick  fhort  legs. 

Addition 

f  Hift.  gen.  des  voyages,  torn.  5.  p.  95. 


3o2      THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS. 


Addition  to  the  Article  Hippopotamus ,  by  Pro- 
Jeffbr  A  Ham  and ,   Editor  of  the  Dutch  Edition 
of  this  Work, 

To  complete  the  defcription  of  the  adult  hip- 
popotamus given  by  M.  de  Buffon,  nothing  is 
wanting  but  a  genuine  figure  of  the  animal.  M. 
de  Buffon,  who  is  always  original,  chofe  not  to 
copy  the  figures  publifhed  by  different  authors. 
They  are  all  too  imperfect  to  be  ufed ;  and, 
with  regard  to  the  animal  itfelf,  he  could  not 
poffibly  procure  it.  Even  in  its  native  country, 
it  is  very  rare,  and  too  large  to  be  tranfmitted 
without  great  expence  and  trouble.  In  the  ca- 
binet of  natural  curiofities  in  the  univerfity  of 
Leyden,  there  is  a  (luffed  fkin  of  the  hippopota- 
mus, which  had  been  fent  from  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope.  Though  it  had  been  tranfported 
to  Holland  more  than  a  century  ago,  it  has 
been  fo  well  preferved,  that  it  dill  exhibits  an 
exact  reprefentation  of  the  animal.  It  is  fup- 
ported  by  rings  of  iron,  and  by  pieces  of  wood 
of  fuch  folidity,  that  drying  has  produced  no 
confiderable  alterations.  As  it  is  probably  the 
only  fpecimen  of  the  kind  in  Europe,  I  am  per- 
fuaded  that  all  lovers  of  natural  knowledge  will 
thank  me  for  enriching  the  magnificent  work  of 
M.  de  Buffon  with  an  exact  engraving  of  it. 
The  figure  I  have  given  reprefents  the  ani- 
mal 


THE   HIPPOPOTAMUS.      303 

mal  better  than  any  that  has  hitherto  been 
drawn,  or  rather,  it  is  the  only  figure  we  have 
of  it;  for,  in  all  the  others,  the  hippopotamus  is 
not  diftinguifhable,  if  we  except  that  to  be  found 
in  a  Dutch  book,  concerning  the  Leviathan  of 
Holy  Writ,  which  was  copied  from  the  fame 
model  ;  but  the  proportions  of  the  animal  are 
not  accurately  obferved. 

It  is  unneceffary  to  add  a  defcription  of  this 
enormous  animal,  having  no  additions  to  what 
has  been  faid  of  it  by  M.  de  Buffon  and  M. 
Daubenton. 

[As  the  figure  of  the  young  hippopotamus  in 
the  cabinet  of  the  Prince  of  Conde,  differs  from 
that  which  M.  Allamand  had  engraved  from  the 
fluffed  fkin  in  the  Leyden  cabinet,  and  as  it  has 
a  greater  refemblance  to  a  new  figure  given  by 
Dr  Klockner  from  another  fkin  in  the  Prince  of 
Orange's  cabinet,  I  have  here  preferred  the 
latter  ;  and  I  fhall  add  fome  remarks  of  the 
fame  author,  which  were  tranflated  from  the 
Dutch.] 


Addition  to  M.  de  Buffon  s  Hijlory  of  the  Hippo- 
potamus^ by  Dr  Klockner  of  Amjlerdanu 

I  am  furprifed  that  M.  de  Buffon  takes  no 
notice  of  a  paffage  in  Diodorus  Siculus,  concern- 
ing the  hippopotamus,  efpecially  as  this  ancient 

author 


304        THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

author  remarks,  that  its  voice  refembled  the 
neighing  of  a  horfe,  which  perhaps  induced  him 
to  give  it  the  denomination  of  hippopotamus  or 
river -horfe.  M.  de  Buffon  founded  his  opi- 
nion of  this  matter  upon  the  tefti  monies  of  an- 
cient and  modern  authors.  Diodorus  Siculus 
ought  to  have  held  the  firft  rank  among  the 
former,  fince  he  not  only  travelled  into  Egypt, 
but  is  juftly  efteemed  to  be  one  of  the  bed  hi- 
storians of  antiquity.  The  following  are  the 
words  of  the  paiTage  alluded  to  :  'The  Nile  pro- 
duces feveral  animals,  of  which  the  crocodile 
and  hippopotamus  merit  particular  attention. 
.  .  The  latter  is  five  cubits  in  length.  His 
feet  are  cloven  like  thofe  of  the  ruminating: 
animals  ;  and  in  each  jaw  he  has  three  tufks 
larger  than  thofe  of  the  wild  boar.  The 
whole  mafs  of  his  body  refembles  that  of  the 
elephant.  His  (kin  is  harder  and  flronger 
than,  perhaps,  that  of  any  other  animal.  He 
is  amphibious,  and  remains,  during  the  day, 
under  the  water,  where  he  moves  and  acts  in 
the  fame  manner  as  if  he  were  ©n  land,  which 
he  vifits  in  the  night,  in  order  to  feed  on  the 
herbage  of  the  mountains.  If  this  animal  were 
more  prolific,  he  would  commit  great  devalua- 
tion in  the  cultivated  fields  of  Egypt.  The 
hunting  of  the  hippopotamus  requires  a  num- 
ber of  men,  who  endeavour  to  pierce  him  with 
iron  daggers.  They  attack  him  with  feveral 
*  boats  joined  together,  and  ftrike  with  crooked 

1  harpoons 


THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS.  305 

c  harpoons.  To  fome  of  thefe  hooks  they  fix  a 
c  rope,  and  then  leave  the  animal  to  exhaufi: 
'  himfelf  with  ftruggling  and  the  lofs  of  blood. 
4  His  flefh  is  very  hard,  and  of  difficult  dige- 
4  ftion  *.' 

This  is  perhaps  the  bed  defcription  of  the  hip- 
popotamus to  be  found  among  the  ancients  5 
for  Diodorus  commits  not  a  fingle  error,  but 
with  regard  to  the  number  of  the  animal's  toes. 


Obfervations  on  the  mode  of  preparing  the  fkin   of 
the    Hippopotamus,  ?ioiv    in    the  Prince    of 
Orange's  Cabinet,  by  Br  Klockner, 

I  received  from  the  Hague,  in  a  very  dry 
ftate,  the  fkin  of  this  hippopotamus,  with  the 
head  inclofed  within  it.  The  ikin  had  been 
iirft  falted,  then  dried,  and  afterwards  the  ikin 
of  a  young  hippopotamus  (which  is  likewife  ia 
the  Prince's  cabinet)  fteeped  in  brine,  was,  in  a. 
moift  Hate,  put  into  the  adult  fkin.  After  which, 
the  whole  was  packed  up  in  coarfe  cloth,  and 
tranfmitted  from  the  Cape  of  Goo:!  Hope  to 
Holland.  The  fmall  fidn  and  the  head,  of 
courfe,  produced  a  ^ifagreeable  odour  of  rancid 
greafe,  which  attracted  the  infects,  and  they  da- 
maged the  large  ikin  that  was  firft  expofed  to 
their  attacks. 

Vol.  VI.  U  When 

*  Dlodor.  Sicul,  lib.  i.  p.  42.  edit.  Wefejingii. 


306        THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

When  I   diluted  the  head  it   f welled   greatly. 
The  opening  of  the  mouth  was  more  than  fix- 
teen  inches  of  Amfterdam  meafure  *.     The  up- 
per and  under  lips  were  fufficiently  large  to   co- 
ver all  the  animal's  teeth,  efpecially  as  the  infe- 
rior canine  teeth  are  crooked,  and  flip  along  the 
curvature  of  the  fuperior,  in  the  form  of  iciflars, 
and  pals  into  a  focket  formed  by  the  fkin  of  the 
lip  and   the  gums.     Between    the  cutting  teeth 
and  the  cylindrical  grinders,  as  well  as  between 
the  tongue  and  cutting  teeth,  there  is  a  fmooth 
hard  fkin  ;    and  the  palate  is  full  of  notches  or 
hollows.     The  tongue  had  been    cut  out.  .  .  . 
The  flefh  on  each  fide  of  the  head  had  alfo  been 
removed ;   and  the  fat  which  remained  was  cor- 
rupted.    The  whole,  however,  was  interfperfeJ 
with    very  ftrong  mufcles,    and  the   flefh   about 
the  two  lips  was  red  and  white,  or  of  the  colour 
of  an  ox's  tongue. 

Immediately  behind  the  inferior  canine  teeth, 
there  is  a  protuberance,  which,  when  the  mouth 
is  (hut,  fills  the  fpace  between  the  canine  teeth 
and  grinders.  This  opening,  though  filled,  has 
contracted  one  half  in  drying,  as  well  as  the  lips. 
Under  the  ears,  and  around  the  auditory  paf- 
fage,  which  is  remarkably  final],  as  well  as  in 
the  orbits  of  the  eyes,  there  was  a  great  quanti- 
ty of  fat. 

The  ears  are  placed   upon  an  eminence,   and 
in  fuch  a  manner  as  to  form  circular  folds.  The 

elevation 

*  The  Amfterdam  foot  is  only  ten  inches  five  lines  Of  the 
French  foot. 


THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS.         307 

elevation  of  the  right   ear  was  much  diminished 
in  drying  ;  but  it  was  confpicuous  on  the  left. 

We  know  that  the  ears  of  the  hippopotamus 
are  very  fmall.  But  thofe  of  our  fubjecl:  had 
been  confiderably  diminifhed  by  infecls.  The 
internal  part  of  the  ears  is  garnifhed  with  fine 
clofe  hair  ;  but  there  is  very  little  hair  on  the 
outfide. 

The  eyes  muft  have  been  very  fmall ;  for  the 
fockets  were  uncommonly  fmall  in  proportion  to 
the  magnitude  of  the  animal.  The  eyes  I  placed 
in  my  fubjecl:  are  perhaps  larger  than  nature  ; 
but,  when  I  ufed  fmaller  ones,  they  did  not  feem 
to  correfpond  with  the  animal. 

The  noftrils  Hope  downward,  and  have  a  fmall 
aperture.  They  are  afterwards  joined  internally 
by  a  fmall  crooked  line.  When  the  fkin  was 
dry,  it  was  difficult  to  perceive  thefe  tubes.  I 
enlarged  them  a  little  before  the  fkin  was  again 
dried. 

I  muft  here  remark,  that  I  enly  found  thirty- 
two  teeth  in  this  hippopotamus,  which  accords 
not  either  with  Zerenghi's  or  M.  Daubenton's 
defcriptions.  The  firft  fays,  that  he  found  forty- 
four  teeth  in  his  fubjects  ;  and  thefecond  found 
thirty-fix  in  the  head  preferved  in  the  Royal 
Cabinet.  This  difference  excited  my  attention  : 
But  I  could  perceive  no  marks  of  teeth  having 
fallen  out,  except  one  of  the  cuttingteeth,  which 
feemed  to  have  been  broken.  There  are  four 
canine  teeth  placed  perpendicularly,  eight  cut- 
ting teeth,  four  in  the  upper  jaw,  which  are  per- 

U  2  pendicular, 


J 


08         THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS. 


pcndicular,  and  four  in  ihe  under  jaw,  placed 
horizontally,  as  may  be  feen  in  the  figure.  Be- 
fides,  I  found  two  grinders  in  each  fide  of  the 
under  jaw,  and  three  teeth,  placed  before  the 
grinders,  which  had  the  form  of  kayles.  In 
each  fide  of  the  upper  jaw,  were  three  grinders, 
and  two  of  thefe  cylindrical  teeth.  Between 
thefe  cylindrical  teeth,  there  is  a  fpace  of  about 
half  an  inch. 

[I  mud  here  remark,  fays  the  Count  de  BufFon, 
that  the  hippopotamus  has  commonly  thirty-fix 
teeth,  namely,  four  cutting  teeth  above,  and  four 
below,  and  two  canine  teeth  and  twelve  grinders 
in  each  jaw.  This  obfervation  has  been  verified 
by  three  heads,  which  have  long  remained  in 
the  Royal  Cabinet,  and  by  a  fourth  head,  which 
was  tranfmitted  to  me  in  the  month  of  Decem- 
ber 1775,  by  M.  de  Sartine,  fecretary  of  ftate  to 
the  marine  department.  The  laft  grinder,  at 
the  bottom  of  the  mouth,  is  much  thicker,  broad- 
er, and  flatter  on  the  edge,  than  the  other  five. 
But  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  number  of 
grinders  varies  according  to  the  age  of  the  ani- 
mal ;  and  that,  inllead  of  twenty-four,  we  may 
fometimes  find  twenty-eight,  and  even  thirty- 
two,  which,  as  Zerenghi  remarks,  would  make 
forty-four  in  all.] 

The  upper  and  under  lips,  continues  DrKlocfc- 
ncr,  are  garnifhed,  at  considerable  diftances,  with 
fmall  tufts  of  hair,  which,  like  pencils,  proceed 
from  one  tube.  I  counted  about  twenty  of  them. 

I 


THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS.       309 

I  examined  a  feclion  of  one  of  thefe  tubes  with 
the  microfcope,  and  found  feven  roots  iiThing 
from  one  tube.  Thefe  feven  roots  afterwards 
fplit,  and  each  gave  rife  to  leveral  hairs,  which 
formed  a  kind  of  pencil. 

On  the  fides  of  the  mouth,  toward  the  lower 
part,  I  faw  fome  fine  hairs,  which  were  placed 
nearer  each  other  than  the  former. 

Befides,  1  found  here  and  there  upon  the  body 
fome  fcattered  hairs  ;  but  there  were  none  upon 
the  legs,  flanks,  or  belly. 

The  extremity  and  edges  of  the  tail  were 
garniihed  with  pencils  of  hair,  like  the  nofe  ; 
but  they  were  a  little  longer. 

I  could  not  difcover  the  fex  of  this  animal. 
Near  the  fundament  there  was  a  kind  of  trian- 
gular pinked  aperture,  about  fix  inches  wide, 
where  I  imagined  the  organs  of  generation  had 
been  fituated  ;  but,  as  no  veftige  of  them  re- 
mained, it  was  impofiible  to  afcertain   the  fex. 

The  (kin  of  the  belly,  near  the  hind  legs,  was 
an  inch  and  nine  lines  thick  :  Here  the  infects 
had  made  a  hole,  which  rendered  it  an  eafy 
matter  to  meafure  the  thicknefs.  The  fubftance 
of  the  fkin  was  white,  cartilaginous,  and  coria- 
ceous ;  and,  at  this  place,  it  was  well  feparated 
from  the  fat  and  flefh.  Higher  up,  toward  the 
back,  a  good  deal  of  the  fkin  had  been  pared  off, 
with  a  view,  no  doubt,  to  render  it  lighter  for 
carnage.     It  was  for   this  reafon   that   the  fkin 

U  3  about 


.",10       THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS. 


o 


about  the  fpine  exceeded  not  an   inch  in  thick- 
nefs. 

The  toes  were  furnilhed  with  nails.  The  fkin 
between  the  toes  were  very  wide  ;  and  I  believe 
that  the  feet  of  this  animal,  when  alive,  were 
rather  flat  than  round.  The  heel,  which  is 
placed  high  and  backward,  appeared  to.  be  well 
adapted  for  fwimming.  The  hoof,  though  thicl^ 
and  hardened,  was  neverthelefs  flexible. 

The  dimenfions  of  this  animal  were  nearly  the 
fame  with  thofe  of  Zerenghi's  female  hippopo- 
tamus, formerly  defcribed. 

I  was  told,  that  this  hippopotamus  had  advan- 
ced a  great  way  upon  land  in  the  territories  of 
the  Cape,  and  even  near  the  place  called  the 
Mountains  ofjhoiv,  when  it  was  (hot  by  Charles 
Marais,  a  peafant  of  French  extraction.  This 
peafant  brought  the  fkin  to  M.  de  Piettenberg> 
Governour  of  the  Cape,  who  tranfmitted  it  to  his 
Highnefs  the  Prince.  I  had  the  relation  from 
a  nephew  of  C.  Marais,  who  refides  in  Amfter- 
dam.  According  to  the  account  given  by  this 
man,  who  had  it  from  the  mouth  of  Marais,  the 
hippopotamus  runs  extremely  fvvift,  both  in 
marfhy  places  and  on  the  firm  ground.  It  is  for 
this  reafon  that  the  peafants,  though  excellent 
hunters,  dare  not  fire  upon  him  but  when  he  is 
in  the  water.  They  lie  in  wait  for  him  about 
funfet,  when  the  animal  raifes  his  head  above 
the  water,  and  keeps  his  fmall  ears  in  perpetual 
agitation,  in  order  to  hear  if  any  noife  is  near. 

When 


THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS.       311 

When  any  object  of  prey  appears  upon  the  wa- 
ter, he  darts  upon  it  like  an  arrow  from  a  bow. 
While  the  hippopotamus  is  liftening  in  this 
manner,  and  floating  on  the  furface  of  the  wa- 
ter, the  hunters  endeavour  to  moot  him  in  the 
head.  The  one  whofe  fkin  I  fluffed  was  mot 
between  the  eye  and  the  right  ear  ;  and  the 
young  one,  which  is  alio  in  the  Prince's  cabinet, 
had  been  fhot,  or  ftruck  with  an  harpoon,  in  the 
breaft,  as  appears  from  infpection.  When  he 
feels  that  he  is  wounded,  he  plunges  below  the 
water,  and  walks  or  fwims  till  he  lofes  both  mo- 
tion and  life.  Then,  by  means  of  about  twenty 
oxen,  he  is  dragged  on  more  and  differed.  An 
adult  hippopotamus  generally  yields  about  two 
thoufand  pounds  of  fat,  which  is  faked  and  fent 
to  the  Cape,  where  it  fells  very  dear.  This  fat 
or  lard  is  extremely  good,  and  in  relifh  excels 
all  others.  When  preifed,  it  yields  a  mild  oil, 
as  white  as  cream.  In  Africa,  it  is  recommend- 
ed as  a  fovereign  remedy  for  difeafes  of  the 
brealt.  The  quantity  of  lard  derived  from  an 
individual,  demonftrates  that  this  animal  is  of  a 
furprifing  weight  and  magnitude. 

Before  finiihing  my  remark,  I  fhall  here  add 
fome  particulars,  regarding  the  natural  hiftory 
of  the  hippopotamus,  which  are  not  to  be  found 
in  the  preceding  defcription. 

We  have  feen,  that  the  hippopotamus  pro- 
bably derived  his  name  from  the  relemblance  of 
his  voice  to  the  neighing  of  a  horfe.     From  the 

moft 


:i2       THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS. 


j 


mod  authentic  accounts,  however,  it  appears  that 
his  cry  has  a  greater  fimilarity  to  that  of  the  ele- 
phant, or  to  the  Hammering  and  indiftincT:  founds 
uttered  hy  deaf  perfons.  Befide  this  cry,  the 
hippopotamus,  when  allecp,  makes  a  kind  of 
fnorting  noife,  which  betrays  him  at  a  diftance. 
To  prevent  the  danger  arifing  from  this  circum- 
ftance,  he  generally  lies  among  the  reeds  that 
grow  upon  marfhy  grounds,  and  which  it  is  dim- 
cult  to  approach. 

I  can  no  where  find  the  remark  of  Marais, 
concerning  the  agilitv  of  this  animal,  confirmed. 
We  are  perpetually  aiTured,  on  the  contrary,  that 
the  hunters  choofe  rather  to  attack  him  on  land 
than  in  the  water,  which  indicates,  that  they  are 
not  afraid  of  his  fwiftnefs.  According  to  other 
'  hiftorians,  his  return  to  the  river  is  cut  off  by  trees 
and  ditches  ;  becaufe  they  know  that  he  uni- 
formly inclines  to  regain  the  water,  where  he 
has  no  other  animal  to  fear,  rather  than  to  fight 
or  fly  upon  land.  The  great  mark  and  the 
crocodile  avoid  the  hippopotamus,  and  dare  not 
engage  with  him. 

The  fkin  of  the  hippopotamus  is  fo  extreme- 
ly hard  on  the  back,  the  crupper,  and  the  exter- 
nal parts  of  the  thighs  and  buttocks,  that  neither 
arrows  nor  muiket  balls  can  pierce  it.  But  it 
is  fofter  and  thinner  on  the  infide  of  the  thighs 
and  belly,  where  the  hunters  endeavour  to  flioot 
him,  or  to  pierce  him  with  a  javelin.  He  is 
Ktr^inely  tenacious  of  life  ;  and,  therefore,  they 

try 


THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS.       313 

try  to  break  his  legs  by  large  blunderbufTes,  char- 
ged with  iron  wedges.  When  they  fucceed, 
they  are  full  matters  of  the  animal.  The  Ne- 
groes, who  attack  the  marks  and  crocodiles 
with  long  knives  and  javelins,  are  afraid  of  the 
hippopotamus,  and  would  perhaps  never  attempt 
to  combat  him,  unlefsthey  knew  that  they  could 
outrun  him.  They  believe,  however,  that  this 
animal  has  a  ftronger  antipathy  to  the  Whkes 
than  to  the  Blacks. 

The  female  brings  forth  on  land,  where  me 
fuckles  her  young,  and  foon  teaches  it  to  take 
refuge  in  the  water,  when  the  fmalleft  noife  is 
heard. 

The  Negroes  of  Angola,  Congo,  Elmina,  and, 
in  general,  of  the  whole  weft  coaft  of  Africa, 
regard  the  hippopotamus  as  one  of  thofe  infe- 
rior divinities  which  they  call  Fetiches.  They 
fcruple  not,  however,  to  eat  his  flefh,  when  they 
can  procure  it. 

I  am  uncertain  whether  I  mould  here  quote 
a  paffage  from  P.  Labat,  where  he  fays  that  the 
hippopotamus,  who  is  of  a  very  fanguiferous 
temperament,  knows  how  to  let  blood  of  him- 
felf.  For  this  purpofe,  he  remarks,  the  animal 
fearches  for  a  (harp  pointed  rock,  and  rubs  him- 
felf  againft  it,  till  he  makes  a  fufficient  aperture 
for  the  blood  to  flow.  To  promote  the  flux,  he 
agitates  his  body  ;  and,  when  he  thinks  he  has 
Joft  a  fufficient  quantity,  he  rolls  in  the  mud  in 

order 


314      THE    HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

order  to  fhut  up  the  wound.  In  this  ftory  there 
is  nothing  impoffible  ;  but  how  could  P.  Labat 
difcover  fuch  a  fingular  operation  ? 

Befide  the  ufes  to  which  the  fkin  and  teeth 
of  the  hippopotamus  are  applied,  we  are  aflured 
that  the  Indian  painters  employ  the  blood  of 
this  animal  as  one  of  their  colours. 


The 


The  ELK  *  and  the  RAIN-DEER  ** 


THOUGH   the   elk   and  rain- deer  are  ani- 
mals of  different  fpecies,  yet,   as  it  would 
be  difficult  to  give   the  hiftory  of  the  one  with- 
out 

*  The  elk  has  horns  with  fhort  beams  Threading  into  large 
and  broad  palms,  one  iide  of  which  is  plain,  the  outmoft  fur- 
niihed  with  feveral  (harp  fnags.  It  has  no  brow  antlers.  The 
largeft  horn  I  have  feen  is  in  the  houfe  belonging  to  the  Hud- 
fon's  Bay  company,  and  weighed  $6  pounds.  The  length  is  35 
inches,  between  tip  and  tjp  34,  and  the  breadth  of  the  palm 
13^.  There  is  in  the  lame  place  an  excellent  picture  of  an  elk 
which  was  killed  in  the  prefence  of  Charles  XI.  of  Sweden, 
and  weighed  1229  pounds.  It  is  a  very  deformed  and  feem- 
ingly  difproportioned  beaft.  A  young  female,  of  about  a 
year  old,  was  to  the  top  of  the  withers  5  feet  or  15  hands. 
The  head  alone  was  two  feet,  and  the  length  of  the  whole 
animal,  from  nofe  to  tail,  was  about  feven  feet.  The  neck 
was  much  fliorter  than  the  head,  with  a  fhort,  thick,  upright 
mane,  of  a  light  brown  colour.  The  eyes  were  fmall,  the 
ears  one  foot  long,  very  broad  and  douching,  and  the  noflrils 
very  large.  The  upper  lip  was  fquare,  hung  greatly  over 
the  lower,  and  had  a  deep  fulcus  in  the  middle,  fo  as  to  ap- 
pear almoft  bifid.  The  nofe  was  very  broad.  Under  the 
throat  was  a  fmall  excrefcence,  from  whence  hung  a  long  tuft 
of  coarfe  black  hair.  The  withers  were  very  high,  and  the 
fore- feet  three  feet  three  inches  long.  From  the  bottom  of 
the  hoof  to  the  end  of  the  tibia  was  two  feet  four  inches. 
The  hind  legs  were  much  fhorter  than  the  fore-legs.  The 
hoofs  were  much  cloven ;  and  the  tail  is  very  fhort,  dufky  a- 
bove,  and  white  beneath.     The  general  colour  of  the  body 

wag 


316  THE     ELK    AND 

out  encroaching  on  that  of  the  other,  we  find  it 
convenient  to  treat  of  them  under  one  article. 
Moil  ancient,  as  well  as   modern   authors,  have 

confounded 

was  a  hoary  black,  but  more  gray  above  the  face  than  any 
where  elfe.  This  animal  was  living  laft  fpring  at  the  Mar- 
quis of  Rockingham's  houfe,  at  Parfon's-green  ;  Pennant's 
SynopJ.  0/  quad.  p.  40. 

In  the  Ceitic  language,  Elch ;  in  modern  Latin,  Alee;  in 
Greek,  AAkji  ;  in  German,  Hellend  or  Ellertd ;  in  Folifh  Lofs  ; 
in  Swedifh,  Oelg ;  in  Rufs,  Lozzi ;  in  Norwegian,  JElg  ;  in 
Chinele,  Han-ta-han ;  in  Canada,  Urinal;  in    French,  Elan. 

Alee,  machlis  ;  Plin.lib.  8.  c.  15.  Gejner,  quad.  p.  I.  Mun- 
Jter,  Cofmog.  p.  883. 

Cervus  paimatus,  Alee  vera  et  ligitima  ;    Klein  quad-  p.  24. 

Cervns  cornibus  ab  imo  ad  fummum  palmatis  ;  BriJJon. 
quad.  p.  6.     Faunul.  Sinenf. 

Cervus  alces,  cornibus  acaulibus  palmatis,  caruncula  gut- 
turali  ;    Linn.    Syft.   Nat.  p.  92. 

Elk  ;  Raii  Syn.  quad.  p.  86.  Scheffer.  Lapl.  p.  133.  Bell's 
trav.  vol.  1.  p.  5.  215-  322. 

**  The  rain-deer  has  large  but  (lender  horns,  bending 
forward,  the  top  palmated,  brow  antlers  broad  and  palma- 
ted.  Both  fexes  have  horns  ;  thofe  of  the  female  are  lefs,  and 
with  fewer  branches.  A  pair  from  Greenland  were  three  feet 
nine  inches  long,  two  feet  and  a  half  from  tip  to  tip,  and  weighed 
nine  pounds  twelve  ounces.  The  height  of  a  full  grown  rain 
is  four  feet  fix  inches.  The  fpace  round  the  eye  is  always 
black.  When  it  firft  fheds  its  coat,  the  hairs  are  of  a  brownilh 
z.fo  colour,  and  afterwards  change  to  white.  The  hairs  are 
very  clofc  fet  together,  and,  along  the  fore  part  of  the  neck, 
they  are  very  long  and  pendent.  The  hoofs  are  large,  and 
the  tail  fhort  ;    Pennant's  Jynopj.  of  quad,  p  46. 

The  rain- deer  was  unknown  to  the  Greeks.  In  French, 
Rangier,  Ranglier,  Ic  Renne\  in  Latin,  Tarandus  ;  in  Norwegian, 
Rehen  ;  in  Lapland,  Boelfoi ;  in  German,  Reenthiet ;  in  Swc- 
diih,  Rhen  ;  in  Canada,    Caribou  ;  in  modern   Latin,  Rangifer. 

, In  partibus  magnae  LappoMae  beftia  eil  de  genere  cer- 

.  rurn. Rangifer  duplici  ratione  difta ;  una  quod  in  ca- 
pita 


THE    RAIN-DEER.         317 

confounded  them,  or  exhibited  them  under  e- 
quivocal  denominations,  which  are  equally  ap- 
plicable to  both.  The  Greeks  knew  neither  the 
elk  nor  the  rain-deer  ;  for  Ariftotle  *  makes  no 
mention  of  them  :  And,  among  the  Latins,  Julius 
Caefar  is  the  firft  who  employed  the  word  Alee. 
Paufaniusf,  who   wrote   about  a  century   after 

Caefar, 

pite  ferat  alta  cornua  velut  quos  quercinarum  arborum  ra- 
mos  :  Alia  quod  inTlrumenta  cornibus  peclorique,  quibus 
hiemalia  plauftra  trahit  impofita  Rancha  et  Locha,  patrio  fer- 
mone  vocantur  ;  Ola:  Magn'i.  biji.  de gent.  fept.  p.  135. 

Rangier   or   Ranglier ;    Gaflon   de  Foix  apud  dit   Fouillsux, 
p.  90. 

Tarandus,    Rangifer  ;   Gefner  quad.  p.  839.   Icon.    quad.  p. 
57.  Aldrov.  de  quad,  bifulc.  p.  859. 

Cervus  mirabilis ;    JohnHon,  de  quad.   tab.    36.  Munjler    Cof- 
vtog.  p.  1054. 

Cervus  rangifer  ;  Rati  fynopf.   quad.  p.  88.  Klein,  quad.  p.  23. 

Daim  de  Greenland;  Edwards;  Hiji.  des   Oifeaux,  part.  1. 
p.  St. 

Cervus   cornuum  fummitatibus  omnibus  palmatis  ;  Brijbn. 
regn.  anim.  p.  92. 

Cervus  Tarandus,  cornibus  ramofis,   recurvatis,   teretibuS, 
fummitatibus   palmatis;  Linn,  fy ft.  not.  p   93. 

Rein-deer;  Schaeffer.  Juppl.  p.  82.  129  Le  Brun's  travels, 
vol.  l.  p.  10.  Oeuzres  de  Mauptrtuis,  torn.  3.  p.  198.  Yi 
d'Uthier,  p.  141.  Hiji.  Kamtfckatka,  p.  228.  Bell's  travels,  vol.  I. 
p.  213.  Martin's  Spitzberg.  p.  99.  Grantz't  Greenland,  vol.  i.p, 
70.  Egede  Greenl.  p.  60.  Dobb's  Hudfon's  Bay,  p.  20.  22.  Voyage 
au  Hudf.  Bay  ;  torn.  2.  p.  1 7. 

Rheno  ;  Linn.  Amocn.  Acad.  p.   4. 

La  Caribou  ;  Ch.irhvoix,  Hiji.   Nouv.  France,  torn.  5.  p.    19c, 

*   We  have  frown,  under  the  article  Axis,  that  the  hippela- 
phus  of  Ariilotle  is  not  the  elk. 

f   Argumento  funt  iEthiopici   tauri  et   a  Ices  ferae  Celticae, 
ex  quibus  mares  cornua  in  fuperciliis  habent,  foemina  caret. 

Paufajt. 


3i8  THE      ELK      AND 

Caefar,  is  the  firil  Greek  author  in  which  the 
name  a**,  occurs ;  and  Pliny  *,  who  was  near- 
ly contemporary  with  Paufanias,  has  given  forne 

obfcure 

Paufan.  in   Eliacis Alee  nominata  fera  fpecie  inter  cer- 

vum  et  camelum  eft;  nafcitur  apud  Celtas;  explorari  invefti- 
garique  ab  hominibus  animalium  fola  non  poteft,  fed  obiter 
aliquando  dum  alias  venantur  feras,  haec  etiam  incidit.  Sa- 
gacilfimam  effe  aiunt,  et  hominis  odnre  per  longinquum  inter- 
vallum  percepto,  in  foveas  et  profundiffimos  fpecusfefe  abdere. 
Venatores  montem  vel  campum  ad  mille  ftadia  circundant, 
et  contra&o  fubinde  ambitu,  nifi  intra  ilium  fera  delitefcat, 
non  alia  ratione  earn  capere  poffunt  ;   Idem.  In  Boeoticis. 

*  Septentrio  fert  et  equorum  greges  ferorum,  ficut  afino- 
rum  Afia  et  Africa :  Praeter  ea  alcem,  ni  proceritas  auriura 
et  cervicis  diftinguat,  jumenta  fimilem  :  Item  notam  in  Scan- 
dinavia infula,  nee  unquam  vifam  in  hoc  orbe,  multis  tamen 
narratam,  machlin,  haud  diifimilem  illi,  fed  nullo  fuffraginum 
flexu  ;  ideoque  non  cubantem,  fed  acclivem  arbori  in  fomno, 
caque  incifa  ad  infidias,  capi ;  velocitatis  memoratae.  Labrum 
ei  fuperius  praegrande  :  Ob  id  retrograditur  in  pafcendo, 
ne  in  priora  tendens,  involvatur  ;  Plin.hiji.  nat.  lib.  8.  cap.  15. 
— — — Mutat  colores  et  Schytarum  tarandus.  ■  ■  Tarando 
magnitudo  quae  bovi,  caput  majus  cervino,  nee  abfimile ; 
cornua  ramofa ;  ungulae  bifidae  :  Villus  magnitudine  ur- 
forum,  fed  cum  libuit  fui  coloris  effe,  afini  fimilis  eft  :  Tergo- 

ris  tanta    duritia  ut  thoraces    ex      eo    faciant. Metuens 

latet,  ideoque  raro  capitur  ;    Plin.  Hift.   nat.    lib.    8.   cap.   34. 

I    hav«  quoted  thefe  two  paftages  of  Pliny,    in  which, 

under  the  denomination  of  alee,  viacklis,  and  tarandus,  he 
feems  to  point  out  three  different  animals.  But  I  fhall  after-  . 
wards  ihow,  that  both  macklis  and  alee  apply  folely  to  the 
elk ;  and  that,  though  moft  naturalifts  believe  the  tarandus-  of 
Pliny  to  be  the  elk,  it  is  much  more  probable  that  he  means 
the  rain- deer  by  this  appellation.  I  acknowledge,  however, 
that  the  indications  of  Pliny  are  fo  confufed,  and  even  falfc, 
that  it  is  difficult  to  determine  this  point  with  precifion.  The 
commentators  upon  Pliny,  though  they  had  much  erudition, 

were- 


THE     RAIN-DEER.       319 

obfcure  intimations  of  the  elk  and  rain-deer  un- 

« 

der  the  appellations  of  alee,  machlis,  and  tarandus. 
The  name  alee<,  therefore,  cannot  be  properly 
confidered  as  either  Greek  or  Latin;  but  it  ap- 
pears to  have  been  derived  from  the  Celtic  lan- 
guage, in  which  the  elk  is  called  elch  or  elk. 
The  Latin  name  of  the  rain- deer  is  ftill  more 
uncertain.  Several  naturalifts  have  thought  that  it 
was  the  machlis  of  Pliny;  becaufe  this  author, 
when  fpeaking  of  the  northern  animals,  men- 
tions, at  the  fame  time,  the  alee  and  the  machlis ; 
the  laft  of  which,  he  remarks,  is  peculiar  to 
Scandinavia,  and  was  never  feen  either  at  Rome, 
or  any  part  of  the  Roman  empire.  In  Caefar's 
Commentaries*, however,  we  find  a  paflage,  which 

can 


were  but  little  verfeJ  in  natural  hiftory  ;  and  this  is  one  rea- 
fon  why  we  find  fo  many  obfcure  and  ill  interpreted  paf- 
fages  in  his  writings.  The  fame  remark  is  applicable  to  the 
commentators  and  tranflators  of  Ariftotle.  We  ihall,  theie- 
fore,  endeavour  to  reftore  fome  words  which  have  been 
changed,  and  to  correct  fome  paflages  cf  thofe  two  authors 
that  have  been  corrupted. 

*  Eft  bos  in  Hercinia  filva,  cervi  figura,  cujus  a  media 
fronte  inter  aures  unum  cornu  exiftit  excellius,  magifque  di- 
rectum his  quae  nobis  nota  funt  cornibus :  Ab  ejus  fummo 
ficut  palmae  ramique  late  diffunduntur.  Eadem  eft  foeminae 
marifque  natura  ;  eadem  forma,  magnitudoque  cornuum  ; 
Jul.  Caefar  de  hello  Gallico,  lib.  6.  Note.  This  paftage  is  deci- 
iive.  The  rain- deer,  in  fact,  has  brow  antlers  which  feem 
to  form  an  intermediate  horn.  His  horns  are  divided  into 
feveral  branches,  terminated  by  large  palms ;  and  the  female 
has  horns  as  well  as  the  male.  Eut  the  females  of  the  elk', 
the  (tag,  the  fallow-deer,  and  the   roe-deer,  have  no  horns. 

He    e 


32o  THE     ELK    AND 

can  apply  to  no  other  animal  than  the  rain-deer, 
and  feems  to  prove  that  it  then  exifted  in  the 
forefts  of  Germany:  and  Gallon  Phaebus,  fif- 
teen centuries  after  Julius  Caefar,  feems  to  fpeak 
of  the  rain-deer,  under  the  name  of  rangier,  as 
an  animal,  which,  in  his  time,  exifted  in  the 
forefts  of  France.  He  has  even  given  a  good 
defcription  *  of  this  animal,  and  of  the  manner 

of 

Hence  it  is  apparent,  that  the  animal  here  pointed  out  by 
Caefar,  is  the  rain-deer,  and  not  the  elk ;  efpecially  as,  in  ano- 
ther place,  he  mentions  the  elk,  under  the  name  of  alee,  in  the 
following  terms  :  Sunt  item  in  Hercinia  filva  quae  appel- 
lantur  J  Ices :  Harum  eft  confimilis  capris  (capreis)  figura  et 
varietas  pellium  :  Sed  magnitudine  paulo  antecedunt  mutilae 
quae  funt  cornibus  et  crura  fine  nodis,  articulifque  habent,  ne- 

que    quietis    caufa   procumbunt. His  funt  arbores  pro 

cubilibus:  Ad  eas  fe  applicant:  Atque  ita  paulum  modo 
reclinatae  quietem  capiunt :  Quarum  ex  veftigiis  cum  eft 
animadverfum  a  venatoribus  quo  fe  recipere  confueverint, 
omnes  eo  loco  aut  a  radicibus  fubruunt  aut  abfeindunt  arbores 
tantum  ut  fumma  fpecies  earum  ftantium  relinquatur:  Hue 
cum  fe  confuetudine  reclinaverint,  infirmas  arbores  pondere 
affiigunt  atque  una  ipfae  concidunt ;  de  hello  Gallico  lib.  6. 
I  allow  that  this  fecond  paflage  contains  nothing  precife  but 
the  name  alee;  and,  to  make  it  apply  to  the  elk,  the  word 
capreis  mud  be  fubftituted  for  capris;  and  we  muft  fuppnfe, 
at  the  fame  time,  that  Caefar  had  only  feen  female  elks,  which 
have  no  horns.  All  the  reft  is  intelligible ;  for  the  elk  has 
very  ftiff  limbs,  that  is,  their  articulations  are  very  firm  and 
clofe ;  and,  as  the  ancients  believed,  that  there  were  animals, 
fuch  as  the  elephant,  which  could  neither  bend  their  limbs 
nor  lie  down,  it  is  not  furprifmg  that  they  attribute  to  the 
elk  this  fabulous  ftory  of  the  elephant. 

*  The  rangier  or  ranglier  is  an  animal  that  refembles  the 
{lag;  but  his  horns  are  larger  and  much  more  branched. 
When  hunted,  he  flies,  on  account  of  the  great  weight  on  his 

head. 


THE     RAIN-DEER.       321 

of  hunting  it.  As  his  defcripticn  cannot  ap- 
ply to  the  elk,  and  as  he  gives,  at  the  lame  time, 
the  mode  of  hunting  the  Hag,  the  fallow  deer, 
the  roebuck,  the  wild  goat,  the  chamois  goat, 
&c.  it  cannot  be  ailedged,  that,  under  the  article 
ran%iery  he  meant  any  of  thefe  animals,  or  that 
he' had  been  deceived  in  the  application  of  the 
name.  It  is  apparent,  therefore,  from  thefe  pofi- 
tive  evidences,  that  the  rain-deer  formerly  exifted 
in  France,  efpecially  in  the  mountainous  parts, 
fuch  as  the  Pyrennees,  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
which  Gallon  Phaebus  refided,  asLord  of  the  coun- 
ty of  Foix;  and  that,  fince  this  period,  they  have 
been  deftroyed,like  the  ftags,  which  were  formerly 
Vol.  VI.  X  common 

liead.  But,  after  running  long,  and  doubling,  he  places  his 
buttocks  againfl:  a  tree,  to  prevent  any  attack  from  behind, 
and  bends  his  head  toward  the  ground.  In  this  fituation, 
the  dogs  dare  not  approach  him,  becaufe  his  whole  body  is 
defended  by  his  horns.  If  they  come  behind  him,  he  (hikes 
them  with  his  heels.  The  grey-hounds  and  bull-dogs  are  ter- 
rified when  they  fee  his  horns.  The  rangier  is  not  taller  than 
the  fallow  deer  ;  but  he  is  much  thicker.  When  he  rears  his 
horns  backward,  they  cover  his  whole  body.  He  feeds  like 
the  flag  or  fallow-deer,  and  throws  his  dung  in  clufters.  He 
lives  very  long.  The  hunters  fhoot  him  with  arrows,  or  take 
him  with  different  kinds  of  fnarcs.  He  is  fatter  than  a  flag. 
Like  the  fallow-deer,  he  follows  the  flag  in  the  rutting  feafon. 
As  to  the  manner  of  hunting  the  rangier  or  rangli'er\  when 
the  hunters  go  in  queft  of  this  animal,  they  fhould  feparate 
the  dogs,  to  prevent  his  running  into  the  thicker*  parts  of 
the  fore fl,  which  are  inhabited  by  the  fallow-deer  and  roe- 
bucks. He  fhould  feparate  his  nets  and  fnares  according  to  the 
fituation  of  the  foreft,  and  lead  his  hounds  through  the  wood. 
As  the  horns  of  the  rangier  are  high  and  heavy,  few  hunters 
attempt  to  feize  him  with  hounds  ;  La  Venerie  de  Jacques  Du-- 
Jouilloux,  ^97. 


3^:  THE     ELK     AND 

common  in  this  country,  and  which  now  exift 
not  in  Bigore,  Couferans,  nor  in  the  adjacent 
provinces.  It  is  certain  that  the  rain- deer  is 
found  only  in  more  northern  latitudes.  But  we 
like  wife-  know,  that  the  climate  of  France  was 
formerly  much  moifter  and  colder,  on  account 
of  the  many  forefts  and  marines  which  have 
fmce  been  cut  down  and  drained.  From  the 
Emperor  Julian's  letter,  we  learn  what  was  the 
rigour  of  the  froft  at  Pans  in  his  time.  The 
defcription  he  gives  of  the  ice  on  the  Seine  is 
perfectly  the  fame  with  what  the  Canadians  tell 
us  of  the  ice  on  the  rivers  of  Quebec.  Gaul, 
under  the  fame  latitude  with  Canada,  was,  two 
thoufand  years  ago,  exactly  what  Canada  is  at 
pre  Tent,  namely,  a  climate  furficiently  cold  to 
nouriin  animals  which  are  now  found  only  in 
the  more  northern  regions. 

From  all  thefe  facts,  therefore,  it  is  evident, 
that  the  elk  and  the  rain-deer  formerly  exifted 
in  the  forefts  of  Gaul  and  Germany;  and  that 
the  paffages  in  the  Commentaries  of  Cacfar  can 
apply  to  no  other  animals.  In  proportion  as 
the  lands  were  cleared,  and  the  waters  dried  up, 
the  temperature  of  the  climate  would  become- 
more  mild,  thefe  animals,  who  delight  in  cold, 
would  firfl:  abandon  the  flat  countries,  and  retire 
to  the  fnowy.  mountains,  where  they  flill  iub- 
fifted  in  the  days  of  Gallon  de  Foix.  The  rea- 
fon  why  they  are  no  longer  found  there  is  ob- 
us:  The  heat  of  the  climate  has  been  gra- 
dually 


THE    RAIN-DEER.       323 

dually  augmented  by  the  almoft  total  definition 
of  the  forefts,  by  the  fucceiTive  lowering  of  the 
mountains,  by  the  diminution  of  the  waters,  by 
the  multiplication  of  the  human  race,  and  by 
culture  and  improvement  of  every  kind.  It  ap- 
pears, likewife,  that  Piiny  hts  borrowed  from 
Caefar  almoft  every  thing  he  has  faid  of  thefe 
two  animals,  and  that  he  was  the  firft  who  in- 
troduced confufion  into  their  names.  The  alee 
and  the  machlis  he  mentions  at  the  fame  time  ; 
from  which  we  are  led  to  conclude  that  thefe 
two  names  denote  two  different  animals*.  Bur$ 
if  we  confider,  I.  That  he  mentions  the  alee  on- 
ly once,  without  giving  any  defcription  of  it ; 
2.  That  he  alone  employs  the  word  machlis^ 
which  is  neither  Greek  nor  Latin,  but  feems  to 
have  been  coined  f,  and,  according  to  his  com- 
mentators, is  changed  into  alee  in  fcveral  an- 
cient manufcripts ;  3.  That  he  attributes  to  the 
machlis  all    that   Julius   Caefar  has   faid    oi  the 

X  2  alee; 

*  Several  of  cur  mod  learned  naturaliils,  and  particularly 
Mr  Ray,  have  thought  that  the  machlis,  being  placed  fo  near 
the  alee,  could  be  no  other  than  the  rain  ^c^i.  Cerytit  rangiferf 
the  rain- deer  ^  P Unto  machlis  ;  Rati  fynofif.  quad.  p.  88.  Lc-caufe 
I  am  by  no  means  of  the  fame  opinion,  I  nave  here  given 
a  detail  of  my  reafons. 

t  On  the  margin  of  this  paffage  of  Pliny,  we  have  arl!in, 
Snftead  of  machlin :  Fortajps  achlin,  qusd  Jicn  cubett  fay  the 
commentators.  This  name,  therefore,  appears  to  h^ve  been 
coined  on  the  fuppofition  that  the  animal  cannot  lie  dov.  a 
On  the  other  hand,  by  tranfpofing  the  /  in  ales  they  have 
made  ack,  which  differs  little  from  aehlis.  Hence  we  may 
u.ll  father  conclude,  that  this  word  has  been  corrupted  !>> 
the  tranferibers,  efpecially  as  we  find  alccv,  inftcad  of  ma  - 
h  -;   in  federal  ancient  manufcripts. 


3H  THE     ELK     AND 

alee;  the  pafiage  of  Pliny  muft  unquestionably 
have  been  corrupted,  and  thele  two  names  muft 
denote  the  lame  animal,  namely  the  elk.  The 
decifion  of  this  queftion  will  refolve  another. 
As  the  machl'u  is  the  elk,  the  tar  audits  rnuft  be 
the  rain-deer.  The  name  tarandus  is  found  in 
no  other  author  before  Piiny,  and  has  given 
rife  to  various  interpretations.  Agricola  and 
Elliot,  however,  have  not  hefitated  to  apply  it  to 
the  rain-deer  ;  and,  for  the  reafon  above  aflign- 
ed,  we  willingly  fubferibe  to  their  opinion.  Be- 
fides,  we  mould  not  be  iurprifed  at  the  filence 
of  the  Greeks,  nor  at  the  ambiguity  with  which 
the  Latins  have  mentioned  thele  animals  ;  lince 
the  northern  regions  were  abiblutely  unknown 
to  the  former,  and  the  latter  had  all  their  in- 
formation concerning  thefe  regions  from  the  re- 
lations of  others. 

Now,  in  Europe  and  Afia,  the  elk  is  found 
only  on  this  fide,  and  the  rain-deer  beyond,  the 
Polar  circle.  In  America,  we  meet  with  them 
in  lower  latitudes  ;  becaufe  there  the  cold  is 
greater  than  in  Europe.  The  rain-deer,  being 
able  to  endure  the  mo  ft  exceffive  cold,  is  found 
in  Spitsbergen*;  he  is  alfo  very  common  in  Green- 
land, 

*  In  every  part  of  Spitzbergen,  the  rain-cieer  are  found, 
but  particularly  in  Rchen-feld,  a  place  which  received  its  name 
from  the  number   of  rain-deer   it  produces.     They  are  alfo 

very  numerous  in  Foreland,   near  Mufcle- Haven. We 

arrived  in  this  country  in  the  Spring,  and  killed  fome  rain- 
deer,  which  were  very  meager  ;  from  which  circumftance  we 
conclude,  that,  notwithftanding  the  unfertility  and  coldnefs  of 

Spitzbergep. 


THE     RAIN-DEER.       325 

hnd  %  and  in  the  mod  northern  regions  of  Lap- 
land f  ar*d  of  Afia  J.  The  elk  approaches  not  fo 

X  3  near 

Spitzbergen,  thefe  animals  make  a  ihift  to  pafs  the  winter 
there,  and  to  live  upon  the  fmail  quantity  of  food  they  can 
procure;  Recueil  des  Voyages  au  Nord,  torn.  2.  p.  113. 

*  Captain  Craycott,  in  the  year  1738,  brought  a  male  and 
a  female  rain -deer  from  Greenland  to  London;  Edwards' s  Hijl. 
of  birds,  />.  51.  where  we  have  a  defcription  and  figure  of  this 
animal  under  the  name  of  the  Greenland fu.ic-wi-dccr,  which,  as 
well  as  the  Greenland  roebuck,  or  C'aprea  Groenlendica,  mentioned 
by  Grew,  in  his  defcription  of  the  muleum  of  the  royal  fociety, 
can  be  nothing  elfe  but  the  rain  deer.  Both  thefe  authors, 
in  their  defcriptions,  mention,  as  a  peculiar  character,  the 
down  with  which  the  horns  of  thefe  animals  were  covered. 
Ihis  character,  however,  is  common  to  the  raia-deer,  the 
ftag,  the  fallow-deer,  and  all  the  deer  kind.  This  hair  or  down 
continues  on  the  horns  during  the  fummer  feafon,  which  is 
the  time  when  they  are  growing,  and  the  only  time  that  vef- 
fels  can  fiil  to  Greenland.  It  is  not,  therefore,  furprifing 
that,  during  this  feafon,  the  horns  of  the  rain-deer  lhould  be 
covered  with  down.  Hence  this  character  is  of  no  import- 
ance in  the  defcriptions  given  by  thefe  authors. 

Upon  the  coafts  of  Frobifher's  Straits,  there  are  ftags  near- 
ly of  the  coiour  of  afTes,  and  whofe  horns  are  higher  and 
much  larger  than  thofe  of  our  ftags.  Their  feet  are  from 
feven  to  eight  inches  in  circumference,  and  refemble  thofe  of 
our  oxen ;  Lade's  icy.  torn.  2.  p.  297.  Note.  This  paifage 
feems  to  have  been  copied  from  Captain  Martin's  voyage,  p. 
17.  where  he  remarks,  <  There  are  great  numbers  of  itaos  on 
«  the  lands  ofF  Warwick  road,  the  fkin  of  which  refembles 
<  that  of  our  afTes.  Their  head  and  horns,  both  in  length  and 
1  breadth,  furpafs  thofe  of  our  ftags.  Their  foot  is  as  large 
4  as  that  of  an  ox,  being  eight  inches  broad.' 

t  The  rain-deer  are  numerous  in  the  country  of  the 
Samoiedes,  and  over  all  the  north;  Voyage  d'Olearius,  torn.  1. 
p.  126.     L'Hijl.  de  la  Lapponie,  par  Scheffer,  p.  209. 

X  The   Oftiacks  of  Siberia,  as  well  as  the  Samoiedes,  em- 
ploy rain-deer  and  dogs  for   drawing  their  carriages ;  Nouv. 

Mem.  de  la   Grande  Ruffie,   torn.    2.  p.    181 Amon^  the 

Tonguefe,  there  are  great  numbers  of  rain-deer,  elks,  bears, 
&c. ;   Voyage  de  Gnielin,  torn.  2.  p.  206. 


326  THE     ELK     AND 

near  the  pole,  bat  inhabits  Norway  *  Sweden  f, 
Poland  J,  Lithuania  ||,  Ruffia  §,  and  Siberia  and 
Tartary  **,  as  far  as  the  north  of  China.  In 
Canada,  and  in  all  the  northern  parts  of  Ameri- 
ca, we  meet  with  the  elk,  under  the   name  of 

the 

*  See  the  chafe  of  the  elk  in  Norway,  by  the  Sieur  de  la 
Martiniere,  in  his  Voyage  to  the  North,  p.  10. 

f  Alces  habitat  in  filvis  Sueciae,  rarius  obvius  hodie,  quam 
olim  ;  Linn.  Fauna  Suecica,  p.  13. 

X  Tenent  alces  praegrandes  Albae  Ruffiae  fylvae,  fovent 
Palatinatis  varii,  Novogrodenfis,  Breftianenfis,  Kiovienfis, 
Volhinenfis  circa  Stefan,  Sandomirienfis  circa  Nijko,  Livon'r- 
enfis  in  Capitaneatibus  quatuor  ad  Poloniae  regnum  perti- 
nentibus,  Varrnra    iis  non   dellituitur  ;  Rzaezynfki  au£iuarium> 

h  3?5- 

||  The  Lnjfoi  the  Lithuanians,  the  Lozzi  of  the  Musco- 
vites, the  Oelg  of  the  Norwegians,  the  Elend  of  the  Germans, 
and  the  Alee  of  the  Latins,  denote  the  fame  animal:  It  is 
very  different  irom  the  Norwegian  Rhen-,  which  is   the  rain- 

deev No  elks  are  produced  in  Lapland  ;  but  they  are 

brought  from  other  places,  and  particularly    from  Lithuania. 

They  are  found  in  South  Finland,  in  Carclia,  and  in 

Ruffia  ;  Hi/},  de  la  Lapponie,  par  Scbejfer,p.  310. 

§  In  the  neighbourhe<id  of  Irkutzk,  there  are  elks,  flags, 
£;c.  ;  Voyage  de  Gmg/in,  torn.  2.  p.  165 — The  elks  are  common 
in  the  countries  of  the  Manheous  Tartars  and  of  the  Solons  ; 
Id.  ib. 

*  *  The  Tartarian  animal  called  Han-ta-han  by  the  Chinefe 
appears  to  be  the  fame  with  the  eik.  *  The  han-ta-han,* 
fay  the  MilTionaries,  «  is  an  animal  which  refembles  the  elk. 
'  The  hunting  of  it  is  a  common   exercife  in    the   country  of 

*  the   Solons,  and  the   Emperor   Kam-hi  fometimes  partakes 

*  of  this  amufement.     There  are  han-ta  hans    as  large  as   our 

*  oxen.  Tiiey  are  only  found  in  particular  cantons,  efpeci- 
'  ally  toward  the  mountains  of  Sevelki,  in  marihy  grounds 
'which  they  are  fond  of,   and  where  they   are  eafily  hunted, 

*  becaufe  their  weight  retards  their  flight ;'  Hlfl.  gen.  de: 
voyages  t  torn,  l6.p.  602. 


THE     R  A  I  N-D  EER,         32- 

the    orignal,    and    the    rain-deer     under     that 
of  caribou,       Thofe     naturalifts     who    fufpedfc 
that  the  orignal  *  is  not   the  elk,  and  the   cari- 
bou 

*  The  elks  or  orignah  are  frequent  in   the  province   of  Ca- 
nada, and  very  rare  in   the  country   of  the  Hurons ;   becaufe 

thefe  animals  generally  retire  to  the  coldeil    regions 

The  Hurons  call  the  elks  fondareinta,  and  the  caribous  aafqitoy, 
of  which  the  lavages  gave  us  a  foot,  which  was  hollow,  and 
fo  light,  that  it  is  not  difficult  to  believe  what  is  faid  of  this 
animal,  that  he  walks  on  the  mow  without  making  a  track. 
The  elk  is  taller  than  a  horie.  .  .  .  His  hair  is  commonly 
gray,  fometimes  yellow,  and  as  long  as  a  man's  linger. 
His  head  is  very  long,  and  he  has  double  horns  like  the  flag. 
They  are  as  broad  as  thofe  of  the  fallow  deer,  and  three  feet 
in  length.  His  foot  is  cloven,  like  that  of  the  flag,  but  much 
larger.  His  flelh  is  tender  and  delicate.  lie  palHifes,  in  the 
meadows,  and  likewife  e.its  the  tender  twigs  of  trees*  Next 
to  filh,  he  is  the  principal  food  of  the  Canadians;  Voyage  Jz 
Sagard  Tkeodat.  p.  308 — There  are  elks  in  Virginia 
dela  Virginity  p.  213. — We  find  in  New  England    •  am- 

bers of  orignah  or  elks  ;  Dcfcript.  4e  P&Meriqtu'Sip  '.  par 
Denys,  torn.  1.  p.  27. — The  ifland  Cape  Drkain  was  famed  lot 
the  chafe  of  the  orignal,  where  they  were  very  numerous i 
but  they  have  fince  been  extirpated  by  the    Savages  ;  /  . 

1.  p.  163 Fhe  orignal  ©f    New  l-Yaace  is  as  fti  a  mule  i 

his  head  is  nearly   of  the  fame    lhape.      His    neck    is    longer, 
and  his  whole    body  more    meager;      H's    limbs  are  Ion  ■ ;  and 
nervous.      Hisfootis  cloven,  and  his  tail  is  very  iliort 
cf  them  are  gray,  others    reddilh   or   biack,    and,    wheu    old* 
their  hair  is  hollow,  as  long  as  a  man's  ringer,   and  makes    ex- 
cellent   mattrelfes,    or  ornaments   for    faddles.     The  elk    has 
large,    flat,    palmated  horns.      Some    of  them    are  a  iVj.iom 
long,  and  weigh    from  a    hundred    to  a  hundred    and    nity 
pounds.    They  Hied,  like  thofe  of  the  (tag  ;   Id.  torn.  2,  pi  j2i. 
■ — The  orignal   is   a  fpecies  of  elk,   very  little  different 
thofe  we  fee  in  Mufcovy.     He  is  as  large    as  a  mule,  and  oi 
a    fimilar  figure,    except    in   the    muzzle,    the  tail,    and    the 
large  flat  horns,  which,  if  we   may  credit,    the  Savages,  fome-» 

times 


J 


zS     .      THE     ELK     AND 


bou  *  the  rain -deer,  have  not  compared  nature 
with  the  relations  or' travellers.  Though  lmaller, 
like  all  the  other  American  quadrupeds,  than 
thole  of  the  Old  Continent,  they  are  unqueftion- 
ably  the  fame  animals. 

We  will  acquire  jufter  ideas  of  the  elk  and  rain- 
deer  by  comparing  both  with  the  ftag  :  The  elk 


is 


times  weigh  three  hundred,  and  even  lour  hundred  pounds. 
This  animal  commonly  frequents  open  countries.  His  hair 
'is  long  and  of  a  brown  colour.  His  ikin,  though  not  thick, 
is  very  ftrong  and  hard.  His  flelh  is  good,  but  that  of  the 
female  is  moil:  delicate;  Voyage  de  la  Hontan,  torn.  i.  p. 86. 

*  The  caribou  is  an  animal  with  a  large  muzzle  an  d  long 
ears. — As  his  foot  is  broad,  he  runs  with  eafe  over  the 
hardened  fnow,  which  diftinguifh.es    him  from  the    orignal, 

whole  feet  always  link  ;    Voyage  de  la   Hontan,  torn.  i.  p.    90. 

The  iiland  of  Saint  John  is  Striated  in  the  great  bay  of  Saint 
Lawrence;  There  are  no  orignals  in  this  iiland  ;  bat  there 
are  caribous,  which  feem  to  be  another  fpecies  of  orignal. 
Their  horns  are  not  fo  ftrong  ;  their  hair  is  thinner  and  long- 
er, and  almoft  entirely  white.  Their  flefh  is  whiter  than  that 
of  the  orignal,  and  makes  excellent  eating  :  Defcript  dePAtne* 
rique  feptent.  par.  Detoys,  torn.  i.p.  202. — The  caribou  is  a  kind 
of  ftag,  which  is  very  nimble  and  ftrong  ;  Voyage  de  Dier-jille 
p.  125.— The  caribou  is  not  fo  tall  as  the  orignal,  and  its  fi- 
gure partakes  more  of  the  afs  than  of  the  mule,  and  equals 
the  ftag  in  fieetnefs.  Some  years  age,  one  of  them  was  feen 
on  Cape.  Diamond,  above  Quebec  .  .  .  The  tongue  of  this 
animal  is  much  eftemed;  His  native  country  feems  to  be 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Hudfon's  Bay  ;  ////?.  de  la  Nouv. 
France,  par  le  P.  Chafjevoix,  torn.  3.}).  ]  29. — The  fineft  hunting 
in  North  America  is  that  of  the  caribou.  It  continues  the 
whole  year  ;  and,  particularly,  in  fprin'g  and  autumn,  we  fee 
them  in  troops  of  above  three  or  four  hundred  at  a  time.  .  . 
The  horns  of  the  caribou  refemble  thofe  of  the  fallow  deer. 
ten  firft  feen  by  our  failors,  they  were  afraid  and  ran  from 
them  j    Lcitres  edifiantes  recueil.    jo.  p.  322. 


THE     RAIN-DEER,       329 

is  taller,  thicker,  and  (lands  higher  on  his  legs ; 
his  neck  is  alfo  ihorter,  his  hair  longer,  and  his 
horns  much  longer  than  thofe  of  the  flag.  The 
rain-deer  is  not  fo  tall;  his  limbs  *  are  Ihorter 
and  thicker,  and  his  feet  much  larger.  His 
hair  is  very  bufhy,  and  his  horns  are  longer,  and 
divided  into  a  great  number  of  branches  "f,  cafih 
of  which  is  terminated  by  a  palm:  But  thofe  of 
the  elk  have  the  appearance  of  being  cut  off  ab- 
ruptly, and  are  furnifhed  with  broaches.  Both 
have  long  hair  under  the  neck,  fhort  tails,  and 
ears  much  longer  than  thofe  of  the  Mag.     Their 

motion 

*  The  (lag  (lands  higher  on  his  legs,  but  his  body  is  fmal- 
ler  than  that  of  the  rain-deer;  Hiji.  de  la  Lapponie,  par  Schef- 
fcr,  p.  205. 

f  Many  rain-deer  have  two  horns,  which  bend  backward, 
us  thofe  of  the  (lags  generally  do.     From  the  middle  of  each 
a  frnall  branch  iifues,  which  divides,  like  thofe   of  the   flag, 
into  feveral  antlers  that  ftrctch  forward,  and,  by  their  figure 
and  fituation,  might  pafs  for  a  third  horn,  though  it  frequent- 
ly happens   that  the   large   horns   pufh   out  fimilar  branches 
from  their  own  trunks :    Thus  another  fmall  branch  advances 
toward  the  front,  and   then   the   animals  feem   to  have   four 
horns,  two  behind  like  the  (fag,  and  two  before,  which  lail  is 
peculiar  to   the   rain- deer.     The   horns   of  the   rain-deer  aie 
alfo  ibmetimes  difpoied   in   the  following  manner ;  two  bend 
backward,  two   fmaller    ones    mount    upward,  and   two   {till 
fmaller  bend  forward,  being   all   furnifhed  with  antlers,  and 
having  but  one  root.    Thofe  which  advance  toward  the  front, 
as  well  as  thofe  which  mount  upward,  are,  properly  fpeaking, 
only  branches  or  fhcots  of  the   large  horns  which  bend  back- 
ward like   thofe  of  the    (lag.     This  appearance,  however,   is 
not  very  common;  we   more   frequently   fee   rain-deer  with 
three  horns,  and  the  number  of  thofe  with  four,  as  formerly 
defcribed,  is  (till  greater.     All  this'applies  only  to  the  males  ; 
for  the  horns   of  the  females  are   fmaller,  and  have   nc 
many  branches;  Sckeffer,  p.  306. 


33° 


THE     ELK    AND 


motion  confifis  not  of  bounds  or  leaps,  like  the 
ftag  and  roebuck  :  It  is  a  kind  of  trot,  but  fo 
quick  and  nimble,  that  they  will  pafs  over  near- 
ly the  fame  ground  in  an  equal  time,  without 
being  fatigued;  for  they  will  continue  to  trot  in 
this  manner  during  a  whole  day,  or  even  two 
days  *.  The  rain-deer  keeps  always  on  the 
mountains f;  and  the  elk  inhabits  low  grounds 
and  moid  forefts.  Both  go  in  flocks  like  the 
ftag ;  and  both  may  be  tamed  ;  but  the  rain- 
deer  is  more  eafily  tamed  than  the  elk.  The 
latter,  like  the  flag,  has  never  loft  its  liberty. 
But  the  rain-deer  has  been  rendered  domeflic  by 
the  molt  ftupid  of  the  human  race.  The  Lap- 
landers have  no  other  cattle.  In  this  frozen 
climate,  which  receives  only  the  mod  oblique 
rays  of  the  fun,  where  the  night  and  the  day 
constitute  two  feafons,  where  the  earth  is  cover- 
ed with  fnow  from  the  beginning  of  autumn  to 
the  end  of  fpring,  where  the  bramble,  the  juni- 
per, and  the  mofs,  conftitute  the  only  verdure  of 
the  fummer,  man  can  never  hope  to  nouriin 
cattle.  The  horfe,  the  ox,  the  fheep,  and  all 
our  other  ufeful   animals,   could  never  find  fub- 

fiftence 

*  Theorignal  neither  runs  nor  bounds  ;  but  his  trot  equals 
the  courfe  of  the  itag.  We  are  allured  by  the  Savages,  that 
he  may  be  trotted  three  days  and  three  nights  without  rett- 
ing ;    Voyage  de  la  Hofitan,  torn.  \.  p.  85. 

t  Rangifer  habitat  in  Alpibus  Europae  et  Afiae,  maxime 
feptentrionalibus  ;  victitat  lichene  rangifero  ....  Alces  ha- 
bitat in  borealibus  Europae  Afiaque  populctis ;  Linn.  Sjft. 
Nat.  p«  67. 


THE     RAIN-DEER.      331 

fiftence  there,  nor  be  able  to  refift  the  rigours  of 
the  froft.  It  would  have  been  neceffary  to  fe- 
led:  from  the  deeped  roreils  thofe  fpecies  of  ani- 
mals which  are  leaft  wild  and  moft  profitable. 
The  Laplanders  have  a&ually  done  what  we 
would  be  obliged  to  do,  if  all  our  cattle  were 
deftroyed.  To  fupply  their  place,  it  would  then 
be  neceflary  to  tame  the  itags  and  roebucks  of 
our  woods,  and  to  render  them  domeftic.  This 
end,  I  am  perfuaded,  might  be  eahly  accompliih- 
ed  ;  and  we  mould  foon  derive  as  much  benefit 
from  thefe  animals,  as  the  Laplanders  do  from 
their  rain-deer.  This  example  iliould  lead  us 
to  admire  the  unbounded  liberality  of  Nature. 
We  ufe  not  one  half  of  the  treasures  me  prefents 
to  us  ;  for  her  refources  are  inexhauftible.  She 
has  given  us  the  horfe,  the  ox,  the  fheep,  and 
other  domeftic  animals,  to  ferve,  to  nouriih,and 
to  clothe  us  ;  and  h\e  has  other  fpecies  ftill  in 
referve,  which  might  fupply  the  want  of  the 
former:  Thefe  we  have  only  to  fubdue,  and  to 
render  them  fubfervient  to  our  purpofea.  IVlaii 
is  equally  ignorant  of  the  powers  of  Nature,  and 
of  his  own  capacity  to  modify  and  improve  her 
productions.  Inftead  of  making  new  refearches. 
he  is  continually  abufing  the  little  knowledge 
he  has  acquired. 

By  eftimating  the  advantages  the  Laplanders 
derive  from  the  rain-deer,  we  mall  find  that  this 
animal  is  worth  two  or  three  of  our  domeftic 
animals.     They  ufe  him  as  a  horfe  in  drawing 

fledges 


332  THE     ELK     AND 

fledges  and  carriages.  He  is  fo  nimble  and  ex- 
peditious, that  in  one  day  he  performs  with  eafe 
a  journey  of  thirty  leagues,  and  runs  with  equal 
furenefs  on  the  frozen  fnows  as  upon  the  fined 
downs.  The  milk  of  the  female  affords  a  more 
fubftantial  nourifhment  than  that  of  the  cow. 
The  fleifi  of  this  animal  is  exceedingly  good. 
His  hair  makes  excellent  furs  ;  and  his  fkin  is 
convertible  into  a  very  ftrong  and  pliant  leather. 
Thus  the  rain-deer  alone  furnifhes  every  article 
we  derive  from  the  horfe,  the  ox,  and  the  ffieep. 
The  manner  in  which  the  Laplanders  rear 
and  manage  the  rain- deer,  merits  particular  at- 
tention. Olaus  %  Scheffer  f>  and  Regnard  J, 
have  given  interefting  details  on  this  fubjed:,  of 
which  the  following  is  an  abridgement.  Thefe 
authors  tell  us,  that  the  horns  of  the  rain- deer 
are  much  larger,  and  divided  into  a  greater  num- 
ber of  branches  than  thofe  of  the  1W.  During 
winter,  the  food  of  this  animal  is  a  white  mois, 
which  he  knows  how  to  find  under  the  deepefi 
fnow,  by  digging  with  his  horns,  and  turning  it 
afide  with  his  feet.  In  fummer,  he  prefers  the 
buds  and  leaves  of  trees  to  herbs,  which  the  pro- 
jecting branches  of  his  horns  permit  him  not  to 
browfe  with  eafe.  He  runs  on  the  fnow,  into 
which  the  breadth  of  his  feet  prevents  him  from 

finking. 

*  Hill,  de  gentibus  feptent.  autore  Olao  Magno,  p.  205. 
•f  Hiiloire  de  la  Lapponie,  traduite  du  Latin  de  Jean  Schefr 
fcr,  p.  205. 

j    Oeuvres  de  Regnard,  torn.  I.  p.  172. 


THE     RAIN-DEER.       $33 

Jinking Thefe  animals  are  extremely- 
gentle,  and  are  kept  in  flocks,  which  bring  great 
profits  to  their  owners.  The  milk,  the  fkin,  the 
iinews,  the  bones,  the  hoofs,  the  horns,  the  hair, 
the  flefh,  are  all  ufeful  articles.  The  richeft 
Laplanders  have  Hocks  of  four  or  five  hundred ; 
and  the  pooreft  have  ten  or  twelve.  They  are 
led  out  to  pafture,  and,  during  the  night,  they 
are  Ihut  up  in  inclofures,  to  protect  them  from 
the  wolves.  When  carried  to  another  climate, 
they  foon  die.  Steno  Prince  of  Sweden  lent 
fome  of  them  to  Frederic  Duke  of  Holftein  ; 
and,  more  recently,  in  the  year  1533,  Guftavus 
King  of  Sweden  tranfmitted  to  Pruffia  ten  male 
and  female  rain-deer,  which  were  let  loofe  in  the 
woods.  They  all  perifhed  without  producing, 
either  in  the  domeftic  or  free  ftate.  *  I  had  a 
4  great  defire/  fays  M.  Regnard,  *  to  carry  fome 
'  live  rain-deer  to  France.  This  experiment 
£  has  been  frequently  tried  in  vain.  Laft  year, 
'  fome    of    them    were   brought   to   Dantzick, 

*  where,  being  unable  to  endure  the  heat  of  that 

*  climate,  they  perifhed.' 

In  Lapland  there  are  both  wild  and  domeftic 
rain-deer.  During  the  rutting  feafon,  the  fe- 
males are  let  loofe  into  the  woods,  where  they 
meet  with  wild  males  ;  and,  as  the  latter  are 
fhonger  and  more  hardy  than  the  domeftic  kind, 
the  breed  from  this  commixture  is  better  adapt- 
ed for  drawing  fledges.  Thefe  rain-deer  are 
not  fo  mild  as  the  others  ;  for  they  fometimes 

not 


jj4  THE     ELK    AND 

not  only  refufe  to  obey  their  matter,  but  turn 
again!!  him,  and  itrike  him  fo  furioufly  with 
their  feet,  that  his  o  ilv  ^eiource  is  to  cover  him- 
felf  with  his  Ik  ge  riil  ,he  rage  of  the  animal 
abates.  This  carriage  is  fo  li;ht,  that  a  Lap- 
lander can  turn  it  with  eafe  above  himfelf.  The 
bottom  of  it  is  covered  with  the  (kins  of  young 
rain-deer,  the  hair  of  which  is  turned  backward, 
to  make  the  fledge  advance  eafily  up  the  moun- 
tains, and  prevent  its  recoiling.  The  rain-deer 
is  yoked  by  means  of  a  collar,  made  of  a  piece 
of  fkin  with  the  hair  on  it,  from  which  a  trace 
is  brought  under  the  belly  between  the  legs,  and 
fixed  to  the  fore  part  of  the  fledge.  The  only 
rein  ufed  by  the  Laplander  is  a  cord  tied  to  the 
root  of  the  animal's  horn,  which  he  fometime? 
lays  upon  the  one  fide  of  its  back,  and  fometimes 
on  the  other,  according  as  he  wants  it  to  turn  to 
the  right  or  the  left.  The  rain-deer  can  travel, 
in  this  manner,  at  the  rate  of  four  or  five  leagues 
in  an  hour.  But  the  quicker  he  goes,  the  mo- 
tion becomes  the  more  incommodious  ;  and  it 
requires  much  practice  to  be  able  to  fit  in  the 
fledge,  and  to  prevent  it  from  over- turning. 

Externally,  the  rain-deer  have  many  things 
in  common  with  the  flag  ;  and  the  itructure  of 
their  internal  parts  is  nearly  the  fame  *.  From 
this  natural  conformity,  many  analogous  habits 
and  fimilar  effects  remit.  Like  the  flag,  the 
rain-deer  annually  cafls  his  horns,  and  is  loaded 

wi 

*  Vide  Ranglfer.  anatom.  Bariliu  A&  1671.  No.  i] 


THE    RAIN-DEER.        335 

with  fat.  The  rutting  feafon  of  both  is  about 
the  end  of  September.  The  females  of  both  fpe- 
cies  go  eight  months  with  young,  and  produce 
but  one  fawn.  Daring  the  rutting  feafon,  the 
males  have  an  equally  difagreeable  odour  ;  and 
fome  of  the  female  rain-deer,  as  well  as  the 
hinds,  are  barren  f.  The  young  rain-deer,  like 
the  fawns  of  the  Mag,  are  varioufly  coloured,  be- 
ing firft  red  mixed  with  yellow,  and  afterwards 
become  of  a  blackifh  brown  colour  J.  The 
youn"-  follow  their  mothers  two  or  three  years  ; 
and  they  acquire  not  their  full  growth  till  the 
end  of  the  fourth  year.  It  is  at  this  age  alfo  that 
they  are  trained  to  labour.  At  the  age  of  one 
year,  they  are  caftrated  in  order  to  make  them 
tradable.  The  Laplanders  perform  this  opera- 
tion with  their  teeth.  The  uncaftrated  males 
are  fierce,  and  very  difficult  to  manage  ;  and, 
therefore,  are  not  ufed  for  labour.  To  draw 
their  fledges,  the  mod  active  and  nimble  geld- 
ings are  fele&ed,  and  the  heavier!  are  employed 
in  carrying  provifions  and  baggage.  One  un- 
mutilated  male  is  kept  for  every  five  or  fix  fe- 
males. Like  the  dags,  they  are  tormented  with 
worms  in  the  bad  feafon.  About  the  end  of 
winter,  fuch  vaft  numbers  are  engendered  under 

their 

I  Out  of  a  hundred  females,  net  above  ten  are  barren,  and, 
on  account  of  their  fterility,  are  called  raones.  The  Hefh  of 
thefe  is  very  fat  and  fucculent  in  autumn  ;  Schefer,  p.  204. 

X  The  colour  of  their  hair  is  blacker  than  that  of  the  ftag. 
....  The  wild  rain-deer  are  always  ftronger,  larger,  and 
blacker  than  the  domeftic  kind  i  Regnardt  torn,  up,  10S. 


336  THE     ELK     AND 

their  fkin,  that  it  is  as  full  of  holes  as  a  fieve. 
Thefe  holes  made  hy  the  worms  clofe  in  fum- 
mer  ;  and  it  is  only  in  autumn  that  the  rain- 
deer  are  killed  for  their  fur  or  their  hide. 

The  flocks  of  rain-deer  require  much  atten- 
tion. They  are  apt  to  run  off,  and  to  aflume 
their  natural  liberty.  They  mud  be  followed, 
and  narrowly  watched,  and  never  allowed  to 
pafture  but  in  open  places.  When  the  flock  is 
numerous,  the  afliftance  of  feveral  perfons  is 
neceilary  to  keep  them  together,  and  to  purfue 
thofe  which  run  off.  In  order  to  diftinguiih 
them,  when  they  wander  into  the  woods,  or 
mingle  with  other  flocks,  they  are  all  marked. 
In  fine,  the  time  of  the  Laplanders  is  totally 
confumed  in  the  management  of  their  rain- deer, 
which  conftitute  their  whole  riches,  and  they 
know  how  to  derive  all  the  conveniences,  or  ra- 
ther the  neceflities  of  life,  from  thefe  animals. 
They  are  covered  from  head  to  foot  with  their 
furs,  which  is  impenetrable  either  by  cold  or 
water.  This  is  their  winter  habit.  In  fummer, 
they  ufe  the  {kins  from  which  the  hair  is  fallen 
off.  They  likewife  fpin  the  hair,  and  cover  the 
finews  they  extract  from  the  animal's  body 
with  it.  Thefe  finews  ferve  them  for  ropes  and 
thread.  They  eat  the  flefli,  and  drink  the  milk, 
of  which  laft  they  alfo  make  very  fat  cheefe. 
The  milk,  when  churned,  inftead  of  butter,  pro- 
duces a  kind  of  fuet.  This  Angularity,  as  well 
as  the  great  extent  of  the  horns,  and  the  fatnefs  of 

the 


THE     RAIN-DEER.       337 

the  animal  at  the  commencement  of  the  rutting 
feafon,  are  ftrong  indications  of  a  redundance  of 
nourishment.  But  we  have  ftill  farther-  proofs 
that  this  redundance  is  exceiTive,  or  at  lead 
greater  than  in  any  other  fpecies  ;  for  it  is  pecu- 
liar to  the  rain-deer  alone,  that  the  female  has 
horns  as  well  as  the  male,  and  that,  even  when 
the  males  are  caftrated,  they  annually  fned  and 
renew  their  horns  *.  In  the  Hag,  the  fallow-deer, 
and  die  roebuck,  who  have  undergone  this  opera- 
tion, the  horns  remain  always  in  the  farrmcondition 
they  were  at  the  time  of  caftration.  Thus,  of  all 
other  animals,  the  rain-deer  affords  the  moil  con- 
Vol.  VI.  Y  fpicuous 

*   Uterque   fextis    cornibus   eft. -Caftratus    quotannls 

cornua  deponit ;  Linn.fyji.  ?iat.  p.  93.  It  is  upon  the  autho- 
rity of  Linnaeus  alone  that  1  have  advanced  this  fact,  of 
which  I  am  unwilling  to  doubt ;  becaufe,  being  a  native  of 
Sweden,  and  having  travelled  into  Lapland,  he  had  an  op- 
portunity of  being  well  informed  in  every  article  regarding 
the  rain-deer.  I  acknowledge,  however,  that  the  exception 
is  fingular,  as,  in  all  other  animals  of  the  deer-kind,  caftration 
prevents  the  renewal  of  the  horns.  Bclides,  a  pofitive  tefti- 
mony  may  be  oppofed  to  Linnaeus.  Caflratu  rangiferis  Lap- 
pones  utuntur.  Cornua  cq/iratorum  non  dicidunt,  et  cum  hirfuta 
flinty  femper  pills   lu:  .     Hidden,   Rangifer.    Jenae    1697. 

But  Hidden,  perhaps,  advances  this  fait  from  analogy  on- 
ly;  and  the  authority  of  fuch  a  fkillful  naturalift  as  Linnaeus 
is  of  more  weight  than  the  tcftimonies  of  many  people  who 
are  lefs  informed.  The  known  fad,  that  the  female  has  horns 
like  the  male,  is  another  exception  which  gives  fupport  to 
the  nrft  ;  and  it  is  ftill  farther  fupported  by  the  practice  a* 
mong  the  Laplanders,  of  not  cutting  away  the  tefticles,  but 
only  compreffing  the  feminal  veflels  with  their  teeth  j  for,  in 
this  cafe,  the  aclion  of  the  tefticles,  which  feems  neceflary  to 
the  production  of  horns,  is  not  totally  deftroytd,  but  only 
weakened. 


538  THE     ELK     AND 

fpicuous  exmaple  of  redundant  nutritive  matter  j 
and  this  efFcct  is  perhaps  lefs  owing  to  the  na- 
ture of  the  animal  than  to  the  quality  of  his 
I  food*;  for  the  fubftance  of  the  lichen,  or  rain- 
deer  liverwort,  which  is  its  only  nouriihment, 
efpecially  during  the  winter,  is  iimilar  to  that  of 
the  mufhroom,  very  nourifhing,  and  contains  a 
greater  number  of  organic  particles  than  the 
leaves  or  buds  of  trees  j\  This  is  the  reafon 
why  the  rain-deer  has  larger  horns  and  a  great- 
er quantity  of  fat  than  the  ftag,  and  why  the  fe- 
males and  geldings  are  not  deprived  of  horns :  It 
is  alfo  the  reafon  why  the  horns  c*f  the  rain-deer 
are  more  diverfified  in  fize,  figure,  and  number 
of  branches,  than  any  other  of  the  deer  kind, 
Thofe  males  who  have  never  been  hunted  or 
reftrained,  and  who  feed  plentifully,  and  at  their 
eafe,  upon  this  fubftantial  nourifhment,  have 
prodigious  horns,  which  extend  backward  as 
far  as  their  crupper,  and  forward  beyond  the 
muzzle.  The  horns  of  the  caftrated  males, 
though  fmaller,  often  exceed  thofe  of  the  flag  ; 
and  thofe  of  the  females  are  Prill  fmaller.  Thus  the 

horns 

*  See  article  Stag,  vol.  4. 

t  It  is  remarkable  that,  though  the  rain-deer  eat<  nothing 
during  winter,  but  great  quantities  of  this  mofs,  he  always 
fattens  better,  his  (kin  is  cleaner,  and  his  hair  finer  than  when  ha 
feeds  upon  the  bell  herbage,  at  which  time  he  makes  a  hide- 
ous appearance.  Their  being  unable  to  endure  heat  is  the 
reafon  why  they  are  better  and  fatter  in  autumn  and  winter, 
than  in  iurnmer,  when  they  have  nothing  but  fiucws,  ikin, 
and  bone  j  Scheffcr,  hijl.  de  la  Lappqnle^  />.'2o6. 


THE    RAIN-DEER.      339 

horns  of  the  rain-deer  are  not  only  fubject  to 
variation  from  age,  like  others  of  the  deer-kind, 
but  from  fex  and  caftration.  Thefe  differences 
are  To  great,  in  the  horns  of  different  individuals, 
that  it  is  not  furpriilng  to  fee  the  defcriptions 
given  of  them  by  authors  fo  exceedingly  different. 
Another  Angularity,  which  is  common  to  the 
rain-deer  and  the  elk,  muft  net  be  omitted. 
When  thefe  animals  run,  though  not  at  full 
fpeed,  their  hoofs  *,  at  each  movement,  make 
a  crackling  noife,  a3  if  all  their  limbs  were  dis- 
jointed. The  wolves,  advertifed  by  this  noife, 
or  by  the  odour  of  the  animal,  throw  themfelves 
in  his  way,  and,  if  numerous,  they  feize  and 
kill  him ;  for  a  rain-deer  defends  himfelf  againft 
the  attacks  of  a  iingle  wolf.  For  this  purpofe 
he  employs  not  his  horns,  which  are  more  hurt- 
ful than  ufeful  to  him,  but  his  fore-feet,  which 
are  very  ftrong.     With  thefe  he  itrikes  the  wolf 

Y  2  fu 

*  R.angiferum  cuiex  pipiens,  oeftrus  taraadij  can-anus  la.ia.ti  -. 
ad  Alpes  cogunt,  crepitantibus  ungulis;  Linn.fjifi.  fiat.  p.  93. 

• The  feet  of  the  rain-deer  are  lhorter  and  much' broad  j.r 

than  thofe  of  the  flag,  and  referable  the  feet  of  the  buiFaic;.. 
The  hoofs  are  cloven  and  almoft  round,  like  thofe  of  the  ox„ 
Whether  he  runs  or  gyes  flowly,  the  joints  of  his  limbs  make 
a  great  noife,  like  flints  falling  on  each  other,  or  like  the 
breaking  of  nuts.  This  noife  is  heard  as  far  as  the  animal 
can  be  £ttn ;  Schefftr,  p.  202. Fragor  ac  flrepitus  pe- 
dum ungularumque  tantus  eft  in  celeri  progrelfu,  ac  fi  filices 
vel  nuces  collidanturj  qualem   ftrepitum  articulorum   etiara 

in    alee  obfervavi. It   is   remarkable   in  the  rain-deer, 

that  all  his  bones,  and  particularly  thefe  of  his  feet,  make 
a  crackling  noife,  which  is  fo  loud  as  to  be  heard  as  far  as 
the  animal  can  be  feen ;  RegnarJ,  torn,  i.p,  108. 


34°  THE    ELK    AND 

i\)  violently  as  to  Run  him,  or  make  him  fly  off; 
and  afterwards  runs  with  a  rapidity  that  pre- 
vents all  further  attacks.  The  rofomack  or  glut- 
ton, though  not  fo  numerous,  is  a  more  dange- 
rous enemy.  This  animal  is  frill  more  voraci- 
ous, hut  not  fo  nimble  as  the  wolf.  He  purfues 
not  the  rain-deer,  but  lies  in  wait  for  it  conceal- 
ed in  a  tree.  As  foon  as  the  rain-deer  comes 
within  his  reach,  he  darts  down  upon  it,  fixes 
upon  its  back  with  his  claws ;  and,  tearing  its 
head  or  neck  with  his  teeth,  he  never  quits  his 
flation  till  he  has  cut  the  animal's  throat.  He 
employs  the  fame  artifices,  and  carries  on  the 
fame  war  againfl  the  elk,  which  is  ftill  ftronger 
than  the  rain-deer*.  This  rofomack  or  glutton 
of  the  North  is  the  fame  animal  with  the  carca- 

jou 

*  There  is  another  animal,  of  a  grayifh  brown  colour,  and 
about  the  fize  of  a  dog,  -which  carries  on  a  bloody  war  a- 
gair.ft  the  rain-deer.  This  animal,  which  the  Swedes  call 
Jacrt,  and  the  Latins  Guto,  conceals  itfelf  in  the  higheft  trees, 
hi  order  to  furprife  its  prey.  When  he  difcovers  a  rain-deer, 
whether  wild  or  domeftic,  pairing  under  the  tree  where  he  is 
watching,  he  darts  down  upon  its  back,  and,  fixing  his  claws 
in  the  neck  and  tail,  he  tears  and  ftretches  with  fuch  violence 
as  to  break  the  animal's  back,  then  (inks  his  muzzle  into 
its  body,  and  drinks  its  blood.  The  {kin  of  the  jacrt 
is  very  fine  and  beautiful,  and  has  even  been  compared  to 

t  of  the  fable;   Oeuvres  de  Regnardy  tern.  I.  /-.  154.-T 

The  caribou  runs  upon  the  fnow  almoft  as  nimbly  as  upon 
the  ground ;  becaufe  the  broadnefs  of  its  feet  prevents  it 
f;cm  linking.  The  caribou,  like  the  orignal,  travels  thro 
the  forefts  in  winter,  and  is  attacked  in  the  fame  manner  by 
the  carcajou;  Hi/}.  deVAcad.  des  Scicr.cej,  annJe  17 13,  p-  14. 
Note.  The  carcajou  is  the  fame  animal  with  the  jaert  or  glut 'tat:. 


THE    RAIN-DEER.        ^x 

jou  or  quincajou  of  North  America.  His  com- 
bats with  the  orignal  of  Canada  are  famous  ; 
and,  as  formerly  remarked,  the  orignal  of  Cana- 
da is  the  fame  with  the  elk  of  Europe.  It  is 
remarkable,  that  this  animal,  which  is  not  larger 
than  a  badger,  mould  kill  the  elk,  which  exceeds 
the  fize  of  a  horfe,  and  is  fo  ftrong  as 'to  flay 
a  wolf  with  a  fmgle  ftroke  of  his  foot  *.  But 
the  fact  is  attefted  bv  fuch  a  number  of  authori- 
ties  as  render  it  altogether  unquestionable  f . 

Y  3  The 

*  Lupl  et  ungulis  et  cornibus  vel  interimuntur  vol  effugan- 
turab  alee  ;  tanta  enim  vis  eft  in  i&u  ungulae,  ut  illico  tract  um 
lupum  interim  at  aut  fodiat,  quod  faepius  in  canibus  robuf- 
tiffimis  venatores  experiuntur  ;   QlaiMagnihift.de  gent,  fsptent. 

P-  13S- 

f  Qniefcentes  humi  et  erecti  ftantes  onagri  maximi  a  mi- 
nima quandoque  muftela  guttur  inliliente  mordentur,  ut  fan- 
guine  decurrente  iilicc  deficiant  morituri.  Adeo  infatjabilis 
eftliaec  beftiola  in  cruore  fugendo,  ut  v.ix  fimilem  fiiae  quan- 
titatis  habeat  in  omnibus  creaturis  ;  Olai  Magv.i  bift.  de  gent, 
fcpt.  p.  1 34.  Note.  1.  That  Glaus,  by  the  word  onager,  often 
means  the  elk;  2.  That,  with  much  impropriety,  he  compares 
the  glutton  to  a  fmall  weafel  ;  for  this  animal  is    larger  than 

<i badger. The  quincajou  climbs  trees,    and,   conceal!: 

himfelf  among  the  branches,  waits  the  approach  of  the  orig- 
nal. When  any  of  thefe  animals  comes  under  the  tree,  the 
quincajou  darts  down  upon  its  back,  fixes  his  claws  in  its 
throat  and  rump,  and  then  tears  the  creature's  neck,  a  littiq 
below  the  ears,  till  it  falls  down  ;  Defcript.  de   I'Jmerique  Sep- 

tentrionale,  par   Denys,  p.   329. The   carcajou  att  id 

kills  the  orignal  and  caribou.  In  winter,  the  orignal  fre- 
quents thofe  diilricls  where  the  anagyris  foetida,  or  ilinking 
bean-trefoil,  abounds  ;  becaufe  he  feeds  upon  it;  and,  when 
the  ground  is  covered  with  five  or  fix  feet  of  fnow,  he  makes 
roads  through  thefe  diltricts,  which  he  never  abandons,  unlefs 
when  purfued  by  the  hunters.    The  carcajou,  qbferving   the 

route 


J42  THE    ELK    AND 

The  elk  and  the  rain-deer  are  both  rumina- 
ting animal:,,  as  appears  from  their  manner  of 
feeding,  and  the  ftrudure  of  their  inteftines*  ; 
yet  Tornacus  Scoffer  f,  liegnard  J,  Hulden  §, 
and  feveral  other  authors,  have  maintained  that 
the  rain-deer  does  not  ruminate.  Ray  [|,  with 
much  propriety,  confiders  this  opinion  as  incre- 
dible ;  and,  in  facl,  the  rain-deer  **  chews  the 
cua  as  well  as  all  other  animals  which  have  ma- 
ny ftomachs.  The  duration  of  life,  in  the  do- 
meftic  rain-deer,  exceeds  not   fifteen  or    fixteen 

years, 

route  of  the  orignal,  climbs  a  tree  near  a  place  where  it  mufl: 
pafs,  darts  upon  it,  add  cut  its  throat  in  a  moment.  In 
vain  the  orignal  lies  down  on  the  ground,  or  rubs  himfelf 
againft  the  trees ;  for  nothing  can  make  the  carcajou  quit 
his  hold.  The  hunters  have  found  pieces  of  his  {kin,  as 
large  as  a  man's  hand,  fucking  on  the  tree  againft  which  the 
orignal  had  Gained  him  ;    Hift.    de  FAcad.    dts    Sciences,    annee 

*  The  elk,  in  its    internal   parts,    and  particularly   in  its 
vels,  and  four    ftomachs,  has  a  considerable    refemblance 
to  the  ox;  i  Pbijftoirs   dts  animaux,  part.     1. 

/••   184. 

mark  tble,   that,   though   the   rain-deer   is   cloven 
I,  he  does  not  rumin   ie;  &        .-,/>.  200. 

rd  makes  the  fame  obiervaiion,  torn.  1.  p.  109. 
'    5  ant  bifujei  et  corniger:',-  attamennon    ruminant  Rangi- 
feri  ;  Hidden,  Ra 

inquit  Peyerus)  mirum  videtur   animal    ilia d 

.1    bifculum,   cervrfque 

.    deftitui,  ut    ditmum  cenfeam 

arg\  .  -   curiofbrum,    qui  bus     Renones 

.  .  nus   Peyeriu  ;  mihi 

.  ...    ..  .  incredibUe  ;   i- 

89. 
**  R  aeque  ac    aliae  fpecies  fui  1  is  j 

!     . 


THE     RAIN-DEER.  343 

years  *.  But  it  is  probable,  that,  in  a  wild  irate* 
he  lives  much  longer ;  for,  as  he  is  four  years 
in  acquiring  his  full  growth,  he  ought,  when  in 
his  natural  ftate,  to  live  twenty  eight  or  thirty 
years.  The  Laplanders  employ  different  me- 
thods cf  hunting  the  wild  rain-deer,  correfpond- 
ing  to  the  difference    of;  In  the  rut: 

time,   they  ufe  domeftic  females  to    attract  wild 
males4'.     They  (hoot  thefe    animals  with  mnf- 
kets  or  with  bows,  and  they  let  fly  their   arr 
with  fuch   violence,    that,    notwith (landing    the 
great  thicknefs  and  ftrength  of  their   fkin,    c 
is  generally  fatal. 

We  have  collected   the   fadls  relating  to    f 
hiftory  of  the  rain -deer  the  more  care 

circumfpt  t 

*  /Etas  ad  tredecira   vel  ultra  c  s  non  i 
in  domeflicis  ;    H             Etas   fexdecim  a: 

■•■.'. p.    67. Thofe    rain-deer  v.  e    all   misfor* 

tunes  and                                   -  (rears; 
>.  209. 

f  The  Laplanders  b                          leer       th  nets,  halberd, 
arrows,   and     mufkets.        Th« 

and  fpring.     In   autumn,   when    rhe  r       -  in  i    \{ou, 

the  Laplai              _ -■  to  to     .  (Is    which 

know  leftic  females 

to  the  trees.     Thefe        .           its  the  :n  he  is  at 

the  point  of  co\  n   with  a  bullet 

or  an  arrow. ,-  begins  to  melt,  a] 

thefe  animals  are  en  Laplaj 

lhod  with  his  rack  .d  overtakes  them. A 

ther  times,  they  are  In  fine,  a 
kind  of  nets  are  employed,  which  .  wat- 
tled together  in  the  iorm  c:  two  .  ■  be- 
tween   them   of  perhaps    two  leagues    i:;   -  .... 

I  into  t        illey,  they  i 

into  a  large  ditch]    .  •-  w  th  :ha:  ?iew    tthe  .        . 

'•/'-   -'9* 


344  THE     ELK     AND 

circumfpeclion,  becaufe  it  was  not  poffible  for 
us  to  procure  the  live  animal.  Having  expref- 
fed  my  regret  on  this  fubjecl;  to  fome  of  my 
friends,  Mr  Collinfon,  member  of.  the  royal  fo- 
cieiy  of  London,  a  man  as  refpectable  for  his 
virtues  as  for  his  literary  merit,  was  fo  obliging 
as  to  fend  me  a  drawing  of  the  fkeleton  of  a 
rain-deer  ;  and  I  received  from  Canada  a  foetus 
of  a  caribou.  By  means  of  thefe  two,  and  of 
feveral  horns  which  were  tranfmitted  to  us  from 
different  places,  we  have  been  enabled  to  mark 
the  general  refemblanees  and  principal  differences 
between  the  rain- deer  and  the  flag. 

With  regard  to  the  elk,  I  faw  one  alive  about 
fifteen  years  ago.  But,  as  it  continued  only  a 
few  days  in  Paris,  I  had  not  fufficient  time  to 
have  the  drawing  completed  ;  and,  therefore,  I 
was  obliged- to  content  myfelf  with  examining 
the  defcription  formerly  given  of  this  animal 
by  the  gentlemen  of  the  academy,  and  to  be  fo- 
tisfied  that  it  was  exad,  and  perfectly  conform- 
able to  nature. 

'  The  elk,'  fays  the  digefter  of  the  Memoirs 
of  the  Academy  *, '  is  remarkable  for  the  length 
'  of  its  hair,  the  iargenefs  of  its  ears,  the  frnall- 
c  nefs  of  its  tail,  and  the  form  of  its  eye,  the 
6  larger!  angle  of  which  is  much  fplit,  as  well 
'  as  the  mouth,  which  is  much  larger  than  that 
*  of  the  ox,  the  flag,    or  other   cloven  footed  a- 

*  nimals. 

*  Mem.  pour  fervir  a  Phiftoire  des  animaus,  part,  i.  p.  178 


THE    RAIN- DEER.         345 

nimals The  elk   which  we   differed 

was  nearly  of  the  fize  of  a  ftag.  The  length 
of  the  body  was  five  feet  and  a  half  from 
the  end  of  the  muzzle  to  the  origin  of  the 
tail,  which  was  only  two  inches  long.  Be- 
ing a  female,  it  had  no  horns  ;  and  its  neck 
was  only  nine  inches  in  length,  and  as  much 
in  breadth.  The  ears  were  nine  inches  Ions: 
by  four  broad.  .  .  The  colour  of  the  hair 
was  not  much  different  from  that  of  the  afs, 
the  gray  colour  of  which  fometimes  approaches 
to  that  of  the  camel.  .  .  In  other  refpects, 
this  hair  differed  ereatlv  from  that  of  the  afs, 
which  is  morter,  and  from  that  of  the  camel, 
which  is  much  finer.  The  length  of  the  hair 
was  three  inches,  and  equalled  in  thicknefs 
the  coarfeft  hair  of  a  horfe.  This  thicknefs 
diminifhed  gradually  toward  the  extre  nity, 
which  was  very  lharp  :  It  diminifhed  like- 
wile  toward  the  root,  but  fuddenly  became 
like  the  handle  of  a  lancet.  This  handle  was 
of  a  diiferent  colour  from  the  reft  of  the  hair, 
being  white  and  diaphanous,  like  the  briftles 
of  a  hog.  .  .  The  hair  was  as  long  as  that 
of  a  bear,  but  ftraighter,  thicker,  fmoother, 
and  all  of  the  fame  kind.  The  upper  lip  was 
large  and  detached  from  the  gums,  but  by  no 
means  fo  large  as  Solinus  defcribed  it,  nor  as 
Pliny  has  reprefented  the  animal  he  calls 
machlis.  Thefe  authors  tell  us,  that  this  crea- 
ture is  obliged  to  go  backward  when  he  paf- 
tures,  to  prevent  his  lip  from  being  entangled 

'  between 


346  THE    ELK    AND 

between  his  teeth.  We  remarked,  in  the  dif- 
fedtion,  that  Nature  had  provided  again'1  this 
inconveniency  by  the  largeneis  and  itrengch 
of  the  mufcles  deilined  to  raife  the  upper  lip. 
We  likewife  found  the  articulations  of  the  legs 
clofely  embraced  by  ligaments,  the  hardnefs 
and  thicknefs  of  which  might  give  rife  to  the 
opinion,  that  the  alee,  after  lying  down,  was 
unable  to  raife  himfelf.  ....  His  feet  were 
fimilar  to  thofe  of  the  ftag  ;    only  they    were 

larger,  and  had  no  other  peculiarity 

We  remarked,  that  the  large  angle  of  the  eye 
was  much  more  flit  below  than  in  the  ftag, 
the  fallow  deer,  and  the  roebuck  :  It  is  fm- 
gular,  that  this  flit  was  not  in  the  direction 
of  the  opening  of  the  eye,  but  made  an  angle, 
with  the  line  which  goes  from  the  one  corner 
of  the  eye  to  the  other  ;  the  inferior  lachrymal 
gland  was  an   inch  and  a  half  long,    by   feven 

lines  broad In  the  brain  we  found 

a  part  whofe  magnitude  feemed  to  point  out 
fome  relation  to  the  fenfe  offmelling,  which, 
according  to  Paufanias,  is  more  exquilite  in  the 
elk  ihan  in  any  other  animal  ;  for  the  olfac- 
tory nerves,  commonly  called  the  mammillary 
procjffcs,  were  incomparably  larger  than  in 
any    other   animal   we    ever   diffj&ed,     being 

more  than  four  lines  in  diameter With 

regard    to   the  lump  of  fleih  which  fome  au- 
thors have  placed   on  his  back,  and  others  un- 
c  der  his  chin,   if  thev   have  not  been  deceived 

'or 


THE    RAIN-DEER.      347 

f  or  too  credulous,  it  muft  be  peculiar  to  the  elks 
'  they  mention. '  We  can  add  our  teftimony  to 
that  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  Academy ;  for,  in 
the  female  elk  we  had  alive,  there  was  no  bunch 
either  under  the  chin,  or  on  the  neck.  Linnae- 
us, however,  as  he  lives  in  the  country  inha- 
bited by  elks,  and  ought  to  have  a  more  com- 
plete knowledge  of  them  than  we  can  pretend  to, 
mentions  this  bunch  on  the  neck,  and  even 
makes  it  an  elTential  character  of  the  elk:  Alcesy 
cevuas  cornibus  acaulibus  palmatisi  caruncula  gut- 
turali\  Linn.  Syfi.  Nat.  p.  92.  There  is  no  o- 
ther  method  of  reconciling  the  aiTertion  of  Lin- 
naeus with  our  negative  evidence,  but  by  fup- 
pofmg  this  bunch,  guttural  caruncle*  to  be  pecu- 
liar to  the  male,  which  we  have  never  feeii. 
But.  though  this  were  the  cafe,  Linnaeus  ought 
not  to  have  made  it  an  eflential  character  of  the 
fpecies,  fince  it  exifts  not  in  the  female.  This 
bunch  may  likewile  be  a  difeafe,  a  kind  of  wen, 
common  among  the  elks ;  for,  in  Gefner's  * 
two  figures  of  this  animal,  the  firft,  which  wants 
horns,  has  a  large  fklhy  bunch  on  the  throat ; 
and,  in  the  fecond,  which  reprefents  a  male  with 
his  horns,  there  is  no  bunch. 

In  general,  the  elk  is  much  larger  and  ftrong- 
er  than  the  Mag  or  rain-deer  f.     His  hair   is   i'o 

rough, 

*  Gefner,  hift.  quad.  p.  i.  &  3. 

•f  The  elk  exceeds  the  rain-deer  in  magnitude,  being  equal 

to  the  largeft  horfe.     Betides,  the  horns  of  the  elk  are  much 

ter,  about  two  palms  broad,  and  have  very  few  branches. 

His 


348  THE    ELK    AND 

rough,  and  his  fkin  fo  hard,  that  It  is  hardly 
penetrable  by  a  mufket  ball  *.  His  limbs  are 
extremely  firm,  and  poflefs  fuch  agility  and 
ftrength,  that,  with  a  fingle  blow  of  his  fore- 
feet, he  can  flay  a  man,  or  a  wolf,  and  even 
break  a  tree.  He  is  hunted,  however,  by  men 
and  dogs,  in  the  fame  manner  as  the  ftag.  We 
are  aflured,  that,  when  purfued,  he  often  falls 
down  fuddenly  f ,  without  being  either  fhot   or 

wounded. 

His  feet,  efpecially  thofe  before,  are  not  round,  but  long,  and  he 
ftrikes  with  them  fo  furioufly  as  to  kill  both  men  and  dogs. 
Neither  does  he  more  referable  the  rain-deer  in  the  form  of 
his  head,  which  is  longer,  and  his  lips  are  large  and  pendu- 
lous. His  colour  is  not  fo  white  as  that  of  the  rain-deer,  but, 
oyer  the  whole  body,  it  is  an  obfeure  yellow,  mixed  with  a 
cinereous  gray.  When  he  moves,  he  makes  no  noife  with  his 
joints,  which  is  common  to  all  rain- deer.  In  fine,  whoever  ex- 
amines both  animals,  as  I  have  often  done,  will  remark  fo  many 
differences,  that  he  will  have  reafon  to  be  furprifed  how  any 
man  fhould  regard  them  as  the  fame  fpecies  ;  Scbeffer,  p.  310. 
*  Alces  ungula  ferit,  quinquaginta  milliaria  de  die  percflr- 
rit.  corium  globum  plumbeum  fere  eludit ;  Linn.  Syjl.  Nat. 

A  93- 

t  We  had  rot  advanced  a  piftol  (hot  into  the  wood,  when 
we  defcried  an  elk,  which,  when  running  before  us,  fuddenly 
dropped  down,  without  being  fo  much  as  fired  at.  We  afked 
cur  guide  and  interpreter  how  the  animal  came  to  fall  in 
this  manner.  He  replied,  that  it  was  the  falling  ficknefs,  to 
which  thefe  animals  are  fubjecl,  and  affigned  that  as  the  rea- 
fon of  their  being  called  ellenJs,  which  lignifies  miferahle ...  If 
this  difeafe  did  not  often  bring  them  down,  it  would  be  difficult 
to  fcize  them.  The  Norwegian  gentleman  killed  this  elk 
while  it  was  under  the  influence  of  its  difeafe.  We  purfued 
another  two  hours,  and  would  never  have  taken  him,  if  he 
had  not,  like  the  firft,  fallen  down,  after  having  killed  three 
tfrong  dogs  with  his  fore-feet This  gentleman  prefers 


tit 


THE    R  A  I  N  -  D  E  E  R.      349 

wounded.  From  this  circumftance  it  has  been 
premmed  that  the  animal  is  fubject  to  the  epi- 
lepfy;  and  from  this  prefumption  (which  is  not 
well  founded,  lince  fear  might  produce  the  fame 
effect)  the  abiurd  conclufion  has  been  drawn, 
that  his  hoofs  have  the  power  of  curing,  and 
even  preventing,  the  failing  ficknefs.  This  grofs 
prejudice  has  been  fo  generally  difiufed,  that 
many  people  flill  carry  pieces  of  the  elk's  hoof 
in  the  collets  of  their  rings. 

As  the  northern  parts  of  America  are  very  thinly 
inhabited,  all  the  animals,  and  particularly  the 
elks,  are  more  numerous  there  than  in  the  North 
of  Europe,  f  he  favages  are  not  ignorant  of  the 
art  of  hunting  and  feizing  the  elks  *.  They  fome- 
times  follow  the  tract  of  thefe  animals  for  feve- 
ral  days,  and,  by  mere  perfeverance  and  addrefs, 
accomplifh  their  purpofe.  Their  mode  of  hunt- 
ingin  winter  is  particularly  fingular.  'Theyufe,' 
fays  Denys,  'rackets,  by  means  of  which  they 
'  walk  on  the  fnow  without  finking.  .  .  The 
c  orignal  does  not  make  much  way,  becaufe  he 
1  finks  in   the  fnow,  which    iatigues  him.     He 

'  eats 

ed  me  with  the  left  hind  feet  of  the  elks  he  had  k'lled,  and 
told  me  they  were  a  fovereign  remedy  againit  the  falling  fick- 
nefs. To  which  I  anfwered,  fmiling,  that,  fince  this  foot  had 
fo  much  virtue,  I  was  furprifed  that  the  animal  to  which  it 
!  elonged  iuould  ever  be  afflic'ted  with  the  diieafe.  The  gentle- 
man likewife  laughed,  and  find  that  L  was  right  ;  that  he 
had  feen  it  adminiftered  without  effect  to  many  people  who 
were  troubled  with  the  epilepfy  ;  and  that  he  knew,  as  weil 
as  I  did,  that  it  was  a  vulgar  error  ;  Voyage  de  la  Martime're, 
$.  10. 

*  Defcript.  de  l'Amerique,  par  Denys,  torn.  2.  p.  425. 


35° 


THE    ELK    AND 


*  eats  only  the  annual  moots  of  trees.  Where 
4  the  Savages  find  the  wood  eaten  in  this  man- 

*  ner,  they  foon  meet  with  the  animals,  which 

*  are  never  very  diftant,  and  are  eafily  taken, 
'  becaufe  they  cannot  run  expeditioufly.  They 
'  throw  darts  at  them,  which  confiit  of  large 

*  ftaves,  pointed  with  a  bone,  which  pierces  like 

*  a  fword.     When  there  are  many  orignals  in  a 

*  flock,  the  Savages  put  them  to  flight.     The 

*  orignals,   in  this  cafe,   march  at  one  another's 

*  tails,  and  make  a  circle  fometimes   of  more 

*  than  two  leagues,  and,  by  their  frequent  turn- 
'  ing  round,  tread  the  fnow  fo  hard,   that  they 

*  no  longer  fink  in  it.  The  Savages  lie  in  am- 
'•  bufcade,  and  kill  the  animals  with  darts  as  they 
4  pafs.'  From  comparing  this  relation  with  thofe 
already  quoted,  it  is  apparent,  that  the  American 
Savage  and  the  orignal  are  exact  copies  of  the 
European  Laplander  and  the  elk. 


SUPPLEMENT. 


Addition  to  the  article  Elk  and  Rain- deer,  by 
ProfeJJbr  Allamand. 


M.  de  Buffon  is  of  opinion,  that  the  European 
elk  is  likewife  found  in  North  America  under 
the  appellation   of  Orignal.     If  any   difference 
exifts,   it  confifts  in  magnitude  only,  which  va- 
ries 


THE    R  A  I  N  -  D  E  E  R.        351 

ries  in  proportion  to  climate  and  food.  It  is 
not  even  afcertained  which  of  them  are  largeft. 
M.  de  Buffon  thinks  that  thofe  of  Europe  are 
larger  than  thofe  of  America,  becaufe  all  the 
animals  of  the  New  Continent  are  fmaller  than 
thofe  of  the  Old.  Moft  voyagers,  however,  re- 
preient  the  orignal  as  exceeding  the  elk  in  mag- 
nitude. Mr  Dudley,  who  fent  an  accurate  de- 
fcription  of  an  orignal  to  the  Royal  Society, 
fays,  that  the  hunters  killed  one  which  was  more 
than  ten  feet  high  *.  This  ftature  would  be 
necefTary  to  enable  the  animal  to  carry  its  enor- 
mous horns,  which  weigh  one  hundred  and  fifty, 
and,  if  we  believe  La  Hontan,  three  or  four 
hundred  pounds. 

The  Duke  of  Richmond,  who  delights  in  col- 
lecting, for  public  utility,  every  thing  that  can 
contribute  to  improve  the  arts,  or  augment  our 
knowlege  of  Nature,  has  a  female  orignal  in 
one  of  his  parks,  which  was  conveyed  to  him 
by  General  Carleton,  governour  of  Canada,  in 
the  year  1766.  It  was  then  only  one  year  old, 
and  it  lived  nine  or  ten  months.  Some  time  be- 
fore it  died,  he  caufed  an  exact  drawing  of  it  to 
be  made,  which  he  obligingly  fent  to  me,  and  of 
which  I  have  given  an  engraving  as  a  fupple- 
ment  to  M.  de  Buffon's  work.  As  this  female 
was  very  young,  it  exceeded  not  five  feet  in 
height.  The  colour  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
body  was  a  deep  brown,  and  that  of  the  under 
j"         -?as  brighter. 

I 
ma.  1721.  No.  368.  p.  165. 


3J2  THE    ELK    AND 

I  received  from  Canada  the  head  of  a  female 
orignal  which  was  more  advanced  in  years.  Its 
length,  from  the  end  of  the  muzzle  to  the  ears, 
is  two  feet  three  inches.  Its  circumference  at 
the  ears  is  two  feet  eight  inches,  and,  near  the 
mouth,  one  foot  ten  inches.  The  ears  are  nine 
inches  long.  But,  as  this  head  is  dried,  thefe 
dimenfions  muft  be  fmaller  than  when  the  ani- 
mal was  alive. 

M.  de  BufFon  is  likewife  of  opinion,  that  the 
caribou  of  America  is  the  rain-deer  of  Lapland  ; 
and  the  reafons  with  which  he  fupports  this  idea 
have  much  weight.  I  have  given  a  figure  of 
the  rain-deer,  which  is  wanting  in  the  Paris  edi- 
tion. It  is  a  copy  of  that  which  was  publiihed 
by  Ridinger,  a  famous  painter  and  engraver, 
who  dvew  it  from  the  life.  I  have  likewife  been 
obliged  to  the  Duke  of  Richmond  for  a  drawing 
of  the  American  caribou.  This  animal  was 
fent  to  him  from  Canada,  and  it  lived  a  long 
time  in  his  park.  His  horns  were  only  be- 
ginning to  fhoot  when  the  figure  was  drawn  ; 
and  it  is  the  only  true  reprefentation  we  have  of 
the  animal.  By  comparing  it  with  the  rain- 
deer,  there  appears,  at  fir  ft  light,  to  be  a  very 
confiderable  difference  between  the  two  figures  ; 
but  the  wTant  of  horns  in  the  caribou  greatly 
changes  its  afped. 

Addition 


THE    RA1N-DEER.      353 


Addition  by  the  Cpunt  de  Bujjon, 


I  here  give  an  engraving  of  a  rain-deer,  drawn 
from  a  living  female  in  the  pofleflion  of  the 
Prince  of  Conde.  It  was  fent  to  him  by  the 
King  of  Sweden,  along  with  two  males,  one  of 
which  died  on  the  road,  and  the  other  lived  on- 
ly a  mort  time  after  its  arrival  in  France.  The 
female  refifted  the  effects  of  the  climate  for  a 
coniiderable  time.  She  was  of  the  fize  of  a 
hind  ;  but  her  legs  were  fhorter,  and  her  body 
thicker.  Her  horns,  like  thofe  of  the  male, 
were  divided  into  antlers,  fome  of  which  point- 
ed forward,  and  others  backward.  But  they 
were  fhorter  than  thofe  of  the  males.  The  fol- 
lowing defcription  of  this  animal  was  corrimu- 
cated  to  me  by  M.  dc  Se"ve. 

*  The  length  of  the  whole  body,  frOrh  the 
1  muzzle  to  the  anus,  in  a  fuperficial  line,  is  five 

*  feet  0n6  inch.  The  height  of  the  withers  is 
'  two  feet  eleven  inches,  and  that  of  the  criip- 
'  per  two   feet  eleven  inches  nine  lines'.     The 

*  hair  is  thick  and  clofe,  like  that  of  the  ftag,> 
4  the   fhorteft   on   the  body  being  an  Inch  and 

*  three  lines  in  length.  It  is  longer  on  the  belly, 
4  very  fhort  on  the  limbs,   and   very  lon^  about 

the  fetlock.  The  colour  of  the  hair  which 
covers  the  body  is  a  reddiih  brown,  more  or 
Vol.  VI.  Z  '  lefs 


'54  THE    ELK    AND 


o 


lefs  deep  in  different  parts,  and  fprinkled  with 
a  kind  of  yellowifh  white.     Upon  part  of  the 
back,  the   thighs,  the  top   of  the  head,    and 
chanfrin,  the  hair  is  deeper  coloured,  efpeci- 
ally  above  the  eye-pits,  which  the  rain-deer 
has   as  well   as  the  flag.     The  circumference 
of  the   eye   is   black.     The  muzzle  is  a  deep 
brown,  and  the  circumference  of  the  noftrils 
is  black.     The  point  of  the  muzzle,   as  far  as 
the   noftrils,  as  well  as  the  end  of  the  under 
jaw,  are  of  a  bright  white  colour.    The  ear  is 
covered  above  with  thick  white  hair,  approach- 
ing to  yellowr,  and  mixed  with  brown.     The 
infide  of  the  ear  is  adorned  with  laige  white 
hairs.     The  neck  and  upper  part  of  the  body, 
as  well   as   the  large  hairs  which  hang  on  the 
breaft  below  the   neck,     are  of  a  yellowiih 
white   colour.      Upon   the  fides,    above   the 
belly,  there  is  a  large  band,  as  in  the  gazelle. 
The   limbs   are   flender   in   proportion   to  the 
body  ;  and  they,  as  well  as  the  thighs,  are  of 
a  deep  brown,  and  of  a  dirty  white  colour  on 
the  inlide.     The  ends  of  the  hairs  which  co- 
ver the  hoofs   are  likewife  of  a  dirty  white. 
The   feet  are  cloven,  like   thofe   of  the  ftag. 
The  two  fore-toes  are  broad  and  thin  :     The 
fmall  ones  behind  are  long,  pretty   thin,  and 
flat   on   the   infide.     They  are  all  extremely 
black.* 

By  the  figure  I  have  given,  no  judgment  muft 
be  formed  of  the  length  and  thicknefs  of  the 

rain- 


THE     RAIN-DEER.       355 

rain-deer's  horns,  fome  of  which  extend  back- 
ward from  the  head  as  far  as  the  crupper,  and 
project  forward  in  antlers  of  more  than  a  foot 
long.  The  large  foiTil  horns  found  in  different 
places,  and  particularly  in  Ireland,  appear  to 
have  belonged  to  the  rain-deer  fpecies.  Mr  Co- 
linfon  informed  me  that  he  had  feen  fome 'of 
thefe  foiTil  horns  with  an  interval  of  ten  feet  be- 
tween their  extremities,  and  with  brow  antlers, 
like  thofe  of  the  rain-deer. 

It  is  to  this  fpecies,  therefore,  and  not  to  that 
of  the  elk,  that  the  folhl  bones  of  the  animal 
called  moufe-detr  by  the  Britilh  are  to  be  refer- 
red. We  mull:  acknowledge,  however,  that  no 
rain-deer  now  exift  of  fuch  magnitude  and 
ftrength  as  to  carry  horns  fo  long  and  mafly  as 
thole  found  in  a  foflil  ftate  in  Ireland,  as  well 
as  in  feveral  other  parts  of  Europe,  and  even  in 
North  America  ** 

Befides,  I  knew  only  one  fpecies  of  rain-deer, 
to  which  I  referred  the  caribou  of  America,  and 
the  Greenland  fallow-deer,  defcribed  and  engra- 
ven by  Mr  Edwards  :  And  it  is  not  long  fince  I 
was  informed,  that  there  were  two  fpecies,  or 
rather  two  varieties,  the  one  much  larger  than 
the  other.  The  rain-deer,  of  which  I  have  gi- 
ven a  figure,  is  the  fmall  kind,  and  probably  the 

Z  2  fame 

*  In  North  America,  we  find  horns  which  muft  have  be- 
longed to  an  animal  of  a  prodigious  magnitude.  Similar 
horns  are  found  in  Ireland.  They  are  branched,  &c.  ;  Voyage 
de  P.  Kahu,  torn.  2.  p.  435. 


3S&  THE    ELK    AND 

fame  with  the  Greenland  fallow-deer  of  Mr  Ed- 
wards. 

Some  travellers  tell  us,  that  the  rain-deer  is 
the  fallow-deer  of  the  North  ;  that,  in  Green- 
land, it  is  wild  ;  and  that  the  largeft  of  them 
exceed  not  the  fize  of  a  two  year  old  heifer  *• 

Pontoppidan  allures  us,  that  the  rain-deer  pe- 
ri (h  in  every  part  of  the  world,  except  the  nor- 
thern regions,  where  they  are  even  obliged  to- 
inhabit  the  mountains.  He  is  lefs  to  be  credi- 
ted when  he  lells.us,  that  their  horns  are  move- 
able y  that  the  animal  can  turn  them  either  for- 
ward or  backward  j  and  that,  above  the  eye-lids, 
there  is  a  -final!  aperture  in  the  {kin,  through 
which  he  fees,  when  the  fnow  prevents  him 
from  opening  his  eyes.  This  laft  fadt  appears 
to  be  imaginary,  and  borrowed  from  a  prac- 
tice of  the  Laplanders,  who  covci  their  eyes 
with  a  piece  of  fplit  wood,  to  avoid  the  great 
fplendour  of  the  fnow,  which  renders  them  blind 
in  a  few  years,  if  this  precaution  is  negledted  f. 

It  is  remarkable,  that  thefe  animals,  in  all  their 
movements,  make  a  crackling  noife  :  Indepen- 
dent of  running,  even  when  furprifed  or  touch- 
ed, this  noife  is  heard.  I  have  been  afTured  that 
the  fame  thing  happens  to  the  elk  ;  but  I  can- 
not afcertain  the  truth  of  this  aiTertion. 


ObJervatio7it 


*  H'ifl.  gen.  des  voyages,  torn.  19.  p.  37. 
Pontoppidaa*s  Nat.  Hill,  of  Norway. 


THE     RAIN-DEER.        357 

Observations  on  the  Rain-deer,  by  Profejfor  Cam- 
per oj Croningen. 

The  rain-deer  Tent  to  me  from  Lapland  by  the 
way  of  Dronthcim  and  Arnfterdam,  arrived  at 
Groningen  the  21ft  day  of  June  1771.  It  was 
very  feeble,  not  only  on  accounr  of  the  heat  of 
the  climate  and  the  fatigue  of  the  voyage,  but 
chiefly  from,  an  ulcer  between  the  fecoud  fto- 
inach  and  the  diaphragm,  of  which  it  died  the 
next  day.  While  it  lived,  it  eat,  with  appetite, 
grais,  bread,  and  other  things  prefented  to  it, 
and  hkewife  drank  very  copioufly.  It  did  not 
die  for  want  of  nourtfhment  j  for,  upon  direc- 
tion, I  found  all  its  (lomachs  full.  Its  death  was 
flow,  and  accompanied  with  convuliions. 

It  was  a  male  of  four  years  old.  In  all  the 
bones  of  the  &eleton,  there  were  epiphyfes, 
which  proves  that  it  had  not  yet  acquired  its 
full  growth,  which  happens  not  till  five  years  oi 
age.  Hence  this  animal  may  live  at  leaft  twen- 
ty years. 

The  colour  of  the  body  was  brown,  mixed 
with  black,  yellow,  and  white.  The  hairs  on 
the  belly,  and  particularly  on  the  flanks,  were 
white,  and  brown  at  the  points,  as  in  other  deer. 
The  hair  on  the  limbs  was  a  deep  yellow  ;  and 
that  on  the  head  inclined  to  black.  The  hair 
on  the  flanks,  as  well  as  on  the  neck  and  tarealt, 
v/as  long  and  bufhy. 

Z  3  The 


35%  THE     ELK     AND 

The  hair  which  covered  the  body  was  (o 
brittle,  that,  when  (lightly  pulled,  it  broke  tranf- 
verlely.  It  lay  in  an  undulated  form,  and  its 
fubftance  refembled  the  pith  of  rufhes.  The 
brittle  part  of  it  was  white.  The  hair  on  the 
head  and  the  under  part  of  the  legs,  as  far  as 
the  hoofs,  had  not  this  fragility,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  was  as  ftrong  as  that  of  a  cow. 

The  coronet  of  the  hoofs  was  covered  on  all 
fides  with  very  long  hair.  Between  the  toes  of 
the  hind  feet  there  was  a  broad  pellicle,  com- 
pofed  of  the  fkin  which  covers  the  body,  but 
interfperfed  with  fmall  glands. 

In  the  hind  feet,  at  the  height  of  the  coronets, 
a  kind  of  canal,  fuflicient  to  admit  a  goofe  quill, 
and  rilled  with  very  long  hairs,  penetrated  as  far 
as  the  articulation  of  the  canen  with  the  fmall 
bones  of  the  toes.  I  difcovered  no  fuch  canal 
in  the  fore  feet;  neither  do  I  know  the  ufe  of  it. 

The  figure  of  this  animal  differed  much  from 
that  deicribed  by  other  authors,  becaufe  it  was 
extremely  emaciated.  The  length  of  the  body, 
from  the  muzzle  to  the  anus,  wTas  five  feet,- and 
its  height  before  three  feet. 

The  eyes  differ  not  from  thofe  of  the  fallow- 
deer  or  ftae.  The  pupil  is  tranfverfe  ;  and  the 
iris  is  brown,  inclining  to  black.  The  eye-pits 
refemble  thofe  of  the  ftag,  and  are  filled  with  a 
whitifh,  refinous,  and  fomewhat  tranfparent 
matter.  As  in  the  fallow-deer,  there  are  two 
lachrymal  du&s  and  canals.  The  upper  eye- 
lid 


T  H  E    R  A  I  N  -  D  E  E  R.      359 

lid  has  very  long,  black  cilia.  It  is  not  perfo- 
rated, as  fome  authors  have  fancied,  but  entire. 
The  BiJhop  of  Pontoppidan,  and,  upon  his  au- 
thority, Mr  Haller,  have  attempted  to  account 
for  this  fuppofed  perforation  :  They  thought  it 
neceflary,  in  a  country  perpetually  covered  with 
fnow,  to  defend  the  animal's  eyes  againft  the 
exceflive  glare  of  reflected  light.  Man,  who  is 
deftined  to  live  in  all  climates,  prevents  blind- 
nefs  as  much  as  poffible  by  veils,  or  fmall  per- 
forated machines,  which  weaken  the  fplendour 
of  the  light.  The  rain-deer,  who  is  made  for 
this  climate  alone,  has  no  occafion  for  fuch  me- 
chanifm.  But  he  is  furnifhed  with  a  nictitating 
membrane,  or  an  internal  eye-lid,  like  the  birds, 
and  fome  other  quadrupeds.  Neither  is  this 
membrane  perforated  :  It  is  capable  of  cover- 
ing the  whole  cornea. 

The  nofe  of  the  rain-deer  is  very  large,  like 
that  of  the  cow;  and  the  muzzle  is  more  or  lefs 
flat,  and  covered  with  long  grayifh  hair,  which 
extends  to  the  internal  part  of  the  noftril.  The 
lips  are  likewife  covered  with  hair,  except  a 
fmall  border,  which  is  blackiih,  hard,  and  very 
porous.  The  noftrils  are  very  diflant  from  each 
other.  The  under  lip  is  narrow,  and  the  mouth 
deep  cut,  as  in  the  fheep. 

He  has  eight  cutting  teeth  in  the  under  jaw  ; 
but  they  are  very  fmall,  and  loofely  fixed.  Like 
the  other  ruminating  animals,  he  has  no  cutting 
teeth  in  the  upper  jaw.     But  I  thought  I  peiv 

ceived 


\6o  THE    ELK    AND 

ceived  tufks,  though  they  had  not  yet  pierced 
the  gums  ;  and  I  obferved  no  fuch  appearance 
in  the  under  jaw.  Horfes  have  tufks  in  both 
jaws  ;  but  mares  feldom  have  any.  The  fallow- 
deer,  both  mal£s  and  females,  feldom  or  never 
have  tufts.  But  I  lately  procured  the  head  of 
a  hind  recently  brought  forth,  which  had  a  large 
tulle  in  the  left  fide  of  the  upper  jaw  :  Nature 
is  fo  various  in  this  article,  that  no  conftant  rule 
can  be  eftablifhed.  There  are  fix  grinders  in 
each  fide  of  both  jaws,  or  twenty-four  in  all. 

I  have  nothing  to  remark  concerning  the 
horns  ;  for  they  were  only  beginning  to  fhoot : 
One  of  them  was  an  inch,  and  the  other  an 
inch  and  a  half  high.  Their  bafe  was  fituated 
nearer  the  occiput  than  the  orbit  of  the  eye. 
The  hair  which  covered  them  was  beautifully 
turned-,  and  of  a  gray  colour,  inclining  to  black. 
In  viewing  the  two  (hoots  at  a  diftanCe,  they 
had  the  appearance  of  two  large  mice  fitting  on 
the  animal's  head. 

^he  neck  is  fhort,  and  more  arched  than  that 
of  the  fheep,  but  lefs  than  that  of  the  camel. 
The  body  feemed  to  be  naturally  robuft.  The 
back  is  a  little  elevated  toward  the  ihoulders,  and 
pretty  ftraight  every  where  elfe,  though  the  ver? 
tebrae  are  fomewhat  arched. 

Tbc-.tail  is  very  frnall,  bent  downward,  and 
ramifhed  with  long  bufhy  hair. 

The  te (tides  arc    very  fmall,  and  appear  not 

itliout   the  body,       The   penis   is   not    large. 

The 


THE    R  A  I  N-D  E  E  R«        361 

The  prepuce  is  naked,  like  a  navel,  full  of 
wrinkles  in  the  infide,  and  covered  with  a  cal- 
careous cruft. 

The  hoofs  are  large,  long,  and  convex  on  the 
outfide.  The  fpurs  are  alfo  very  long,  and  fome 
of  them  touch  the  ground  when  the  animal 
ftands.  They  were  hollow,  probably  becaUfe  he 
makes  no  ufe  of  them. 

The  inteftines  were  exactly  fimilar  to  thofe 
of  the  fallow-deer.  There  was  no  gall-bladder. 
The  kidneys  were  fmooth,  and  undivided.  The 
lungs  and  wind-pipe  were  very  large. 

The  heart  was  of  a  middle  fize,  and,  like  that 
of  the  fallow-deer,  contained  one  fmall  bonk 
only.  This  bone  fupported  the  bafe  of  the  fe- 
milunar  valve  of  the  aorta,  which  is  oppofed  to 
two  others,  from  which  the  coronary  arteries 
of  the  heart  derive  their  origin.  It  likewife 
gives  firmnefs  to  the  membranous  partition  be- 
tween the  two  cavities  of  the  heart,  and  to  the 
triglochine  valve  of  the  right  ventricle. 

In  this  animal  there  is  a  fingalar  pouch,  very 
large,  membranous,  and  fituated  under  the  ikin 
of  the  neck.  In  begins  by  a  conical  canal  be- 
tween the  os  hyoides  and  the  thyroide  cartilage. 
This  canal  gradually  enlarges,  and  is  changed 
into  a  kind  of  membranous  fac,  fupported  by 
two  oblong  mufcles,  which  derive  their  origin 
from  the  inferior  part  of  the  os  hyoides,  precife- 
ly  where  the  bafe,  the  piiiform  bene,  and  the 
rnua  unite. 

This. 


^2         THE     ELK     AND,  &c. 


j 


This  pouch  opens  into  the  larynx,  under  the 
root  of  the  epiglottis,  by  a  large  orifice,  which 
eafily  admitted  my  finger. 

When  the  animal  pufhed  the  air  forcibly  out 
of  the  lungs,  as  in  lowing,  the  air  paffed  into 
this  pouch,  fwelled  it,  and  neceffarily  produced  a 
confiderable  tumour,  which  greatly  changed  the 
found.  The  two  mufcles  drive  the  air  out  of 
the  pouch,  when  the  animal  ceafes  its  lowing. 

About  twenty  years  ago,  I  mowed  a  fimilar 
pouch  in  feveral  baboons  and  monkeys  ;  and, 
the  year  following,  I  demonftrated  to  my  pupils, 
that  there  was  a  double   pouch  in  the  Ourang- 


outang. 


The 


Plate    Cl.XXXVIIL 

I 


*TT,  «   lit,*.,!,,*.*,  ■  ,  >T*r,  i    *     *>     liiiiit    ■,■,■,.  W,    ,«     ■  i    »  i  «,.  *■.  fcTSJt- 

■  ■     - ^ — I   '■■  ."'■■... .  ...  , 


ELK. 


f- 


tMi.w   CLXXXIX. 


t  '///,//.  feu  /a/ 


I'KMALE  ttATNDEER  . 


The    WILD    GOAT*,   the     CHA- 
MOIS GOAT  **,  and  other  Goats. 

9      1HE  Greeks,  it  is  probable,  were  aequaint- 

M.     ed  with  the  wild  and  chamois  goats.    But 

they  have  neither  pointed   out   thefe  animals  by 

particular  denominations,  nor  by  characters   lb 

precife, 

*  The  wild  goat  has  large  knotted  horns,  reclining  back- 
ward, and  a  very  fmall  head.  On  the  chin  of  the  male  there 
is  a  dufky  beard  ;  the  relt  of  the  hair  is  tawny,  mixed  with 
afh  colour.  The  females  are  lefs,  and  have  fmaller  horns, 
more  like  thofe  of  the  common  fhe-goat,  and  have  few  knobs 
on  the  upper  furface.  They  bring  one  young,  feldom  two, 
at  a  time  ;    Pennant's  Synopf.  of  quad,  p.  13. 

In  French,  Bouquetin,  Bouccflain,  Boucjlcin  ;  that  is,  rock-goat ', 
Stein  denoting  rock  in  the  Teutonic  language  ;  in  Latin  Ibex  ; 
in  German  and  Swifs,  Steinbock. 

Ibex,  Plir.ii  lib.  8.  c.  53.  Gefner.  quad.  p.  303.  Raii  Synopf 
quad.  p.  77.  Brijfon,  quad.  p.  39. 

Bouc  eftain  ;  Belon,  obf.  p.  14. 

Bouc  Savage  ;  Gajlon  de  Foix,  p.  99. 

Capricorne  ;   Mu/.fer,  Gofmog.  p.  381. 

Steinbock  j  Kram.  Aujl.p.  321. 

Capra  Ibex,  cornibus  fupra  nodofis,  in  dorium  reclinatis, 
gula  barbata  ;  Linn.  Syfl.  Nat.  p.  95.     Klein,  quad.  p.  16. 

*  *  The  chamois  goat  has  (lender,  black,  upright  horns, 
hooked  at  the  end.  Behind  each  ear  there  is  a  large  orifice 
in  the  fkin.  The  forehead  is  white,  and  along  the  cheeks 
there  is  a  dufky  bar.  The  reft  of  the  body  is  of  a  deep  brown 
colour.  The  tail  is  fhort ;  the  hoofs  are  long  and  much  di- 
vided ;  Pennant's  Synopf.  of  quad.  p.  17. 

In  Latin  Rupicapra  ;  in  Italian  Camuza  ;  in  German,  Gemjf; 
in  old  French^  Vfard,  Tfarius,  Sarris. 

Chamois, 


364        THE    WILD     GOAT,  &c. 

precife,  as  to  enable  us  to  diftinguifli  them. 
They  have  denominated  them  in  general,  ivild 
goats  *.  They  perhaps  regarded  thefe  animals 
as  of  the  fame  f  jecies  witli  the  domeftic  kind  *f", 
having  never  bellowed  on  them  proper  names, 
as  they  have  done  to  every  other  fpecies  of  qua- 
druped. Our  modem  naturalifls,  on  the  contra- 
ry, have  confidered  the  wild  and  the  chamois 
goats  as  two  diilincl  fpecies,  and  both  different 
from  the  common  goat.  There  are  fads  and 
arguments  in  favour  of  both  opinions,  of  which 
we  (hall  only  give  a  detail,  till  we  learn  from 
experience  whether  thefe  animals  can  intermix 
together,  and  produce  fertile  individuals;  as  this 
circumftance  alone  can  determine  the  queftion. 

The 

Chamois,  Cemas,  Tfard  ;  Obf.  de  Belon.  p.  54.  Belon  pre- 
tends that  the  French  name  Chamois  comes  frqrn  the  Greek 
Cemas  of  iElian  ;  but  he  is  not  certain  that  Cemas,  or  rather 
Kemas,  denoted  the  Chamois  ;  $ee  Mem.  pour  firvir  a  Phi/},  des 
animaux,  part.  1.  p.  205. 

Rupicapra  ;  Plinii,  lib.  8.  c.  15.  Gefner,  quad.  p.  290.  Rait 
Eynopf.  quad.  p.  78.     Scheut.  It.  Alp.  torn.  I.  p-  1 55. 

Yfarus  on  Sarris  ;    Gaftonde  Foix,  p.  99.  Brijfon.  quad.  p.  4 1. 

Gemie  ;  Klein,  quad.  p.  18. 

Antilope  rupicapra;  Pallas  Mifcel.p.  4. 

Capra  rupicapra,  cornibus  ereftis  uncinatis ;  Linn.  Syfi. 
Nat.  p.  95. 

*  Rupicapras  inter  capras  fylveftres  adnumerare  libet,  quo- 
niamhoc  nomenapud  folum  PHnium  legimus,  et  apud  Grae- 
cos  £mp!iciter  ferns  caprae  dicuntur,  ut  conjicio  :  Nam  etmag- 
v.itudine  et  figur.i  turn  coruuum  turn  figura  corporis  ad  vilia- 
ticas  proxime  accedunt  ;  Gifner.  kijl.  quad.  p.  292. 

-  Caprae  qu:i  alimus  a  capris  feris  funt  ortae  a  queis 
propter  Italiam,  Capraria  toifula  efl  nomiData,  TWiro, 


T  H  E  \V  I  L  D  G  O  A  T,  &c.         365 

The  male  wild  goat  differs  from  the  chamois 
in  the  length,  thickneis,  and  figure  of  his  horns. 
His  body  is  alio  larger,  and  he  is  more  vigorous 
and  ftrong.  The  horns  of  the  female  wild  goat 
are  fmaller  than  thofe  of  the  male,  and  have  a 
great  refemblance  to  thofe  of  the  chamois  *. 
Befides,  the  manners  and  difpoiitions  of  thefe 
two  animals  are  the  fame,  and  they  inhabit  the 
fame  climate  ;  only  the  wild  goar,  being  ftrong- 
er  and  more  agile,  goes  to  the  fummits  of  the 
higheft  mountains,  while  the  chamois  never  rifes 
higher  than  the  fecond  ftage  j\  Bur  nether  of 
them  are  found  in  the  plains.  Both  of  them 
clear  roads  in  the  fnow,  and  leap  from  one  pre- 
cipice to  another.  Both  are  covered  with  a 
firm,  folid  fkin,  and  clothed,  in  winter,  with  a 
double  fur,  the  external  hair  being  coarfe,  and  the 
internal  finer  and  more  buffi  y  J.  Both  of  them 
have  a  black  band  on  the  oack,  and  taiis  of  near- 

'y 

*  Foemina  in  hoc  genere  mire  fuo  minor  eft,  minufque 
fufca,  major  Capra  villatica,  Rupicaprae  non  adeo  diffimilis  : 
Cornua  ei  parva,  et  ea  quoque  Rupicaprae  aut  vulgaris  caprae 
cornibus  fere  iimilia  ;  Stumpfim  apud  Gefr.er,  p.  305. 

f  Rupes  montiuin  colunt  Rupicaprae,  non  lumm.is  tamen 
ut  Ibex,  neque  tarn  alte  et  longe  faliunt;  defcendun.  aliquan- 
do  ad  inferiora  Alpium  juga;  Gefner,  Hiji.  p.  292. 

%  The  chamois  goa:  has  longer  legs  than  the  domeftic 
kind  ;  but  his  hair  is  fhorter.  That  which  covers  the  belly  and 
thighs  is  the  longeft,  and  exceeds  not  four  inches  and  a  halt. 
On  the  back  and  flanks  the  hair  is  of  two  kinds  ;  for,  as  in  the 
beaver,  befide  the  long  external  hair,  there  is  a  very  fhort,  line 
hair,  concealed  round  the  roots  of  the  longer  kind.  The 
head,  the  belly,  and  the  legs,  were  covered  with  coarfe  hair 
only;  Mm.  pour  fervlr  a  Vhiji.  det  Jnitnaux,  part,  i-p-  20*. 


366        T  H  E  W  I  L  D  G  O  A  T,  &c. 

]y  an  equal  fize.  The  number  of  external  refem- 
blances  is  fo  great,  and  the  conformity  of  the  in- 
ternal parts  is  fo  complete,  that  we  mould  he  in- 
duced to  conclude,  that  thefe  two  animals  are  not 
only  fimple,  but  permanent  varieties  of  the  fame 
lpccies.  Befides,  the  wild,  as  well  as  the  chamois 
goats  *,  when  taken  young,  and  reared  along 
,  with  the  domeftic  kind,  are  eafily  tamed,  aifume 
the  fame  manners,  go  in  flocks,  return  to  the 
fame  fold,  and  probably  couple  and  produce  to- 
gether. I  acknowledge,  however,  that  this  laft 
fact,  which  is  the  moft  important  of  all,  and 
would  alone  decide  the  queftion,  is  by  no  means 
eftablifhed.  We  have  never  been  able,  with 
certainty,  to  learn  whether  the  wild  and  chamois 
goats  produce  with  the  common  kind  "j~.  We 
only  fufpecl:  this  to  be  the  cafe.  In  this  refpeet, 
we  agree  with   the  ancients ;  and,  befides,  our 

conjecture 

*  The  inhabitants  of  the  ifland  of  Crete  might  take  the 
young  of  the  bouc-eftain  (of  which  there  are  great  numbers) 
wandering  in  the  mountains,  and  feed  and  tame  them  along 
with  the  domeftic  kind.  .  .  .  They  are  covered  with  yellow 
hair.  When  old,  they  become  gray,  and  a  black  line  runs 
along  the  fpine  of  fhe  back.  We  have  fome  of  them  in  the 
mountains  of  France,  and  chiefly  in  places  full  of  precipices. 
and  of  difficult  accefs.  .  .  .  The  bouc-eftain  leaps  from  one 
rock  to  another,  at  the  diftance  of  fix  fathoms.  An  exertion 
almoft  incredible  to  thole  who  have  not  feen  it ;  Objerv.  de 
JJe/o/!,  p.  14. — Audio  Rupicapras  aliquando  cicurari  ;  Ge/her, 
de  quad.  p.  292. — Vaflelli  ibicem  irf  prima  aetate  captam  om- 
nino  cicurari,  et  cum  viliaticis  capris  ad  pafcua  ire  et  redire, 
aiunt ;  progreffu  tamen  aetatis  ferum  ingenium  non  prorfus 
exuere  ;   Stumpfius  apud  Gcfner. <  Hiji.  quad.  p.  309. 

f  In  the  compilation  of  natural  hiftory  made  by  Meff. 
Arnault  de  Nobleville  and  Salerne,  it  is  faid,  (torn.  4.  p.  264.) 

that 


THE  WILDGOAT.&c,     367 

conjecture  feems  to  be  founded  on  ftrong  ana- 
logies, which  are  feldom  contradicted  by  expe- 
rience. 

Let  us,  however,  confider  the  oppofite  argu- 
ments. The  wild  and  chamois  goats  both  fub- 
fiit  in  the  ftate  of  nature,  and  yet  they  always 
remain  diftincl.  The  chamois  fometimes  mingles 
fpontaneoufly  with  the  flocks  of  the  domeftic 
kind  * ;  but  the  wild  goat  never  affociates  with 
them,  unlefs  when  tamed.  The  male  wild  goat 
and  the  common  he-goat  have  very  long  beards, 
and  the  chamois  has  none.  The  horns  of  the 
male  and  female  chamois  are  fmall :  Thofe  of 
the  wild  he-goat  are  fo  large  and  fo  longf,  that 

we 

that  the  chamois  goats  are  in  feafon  during  almoft  the  whole 
month  of  September ;  that  the  female  goes  with  young  nine 
months;  and  that  they  general!}-  bring  forth  in  June.  If 
thefe  facts  were  true,  they  would  demonftrate  that  the  cha- 
mois is  not  the  fame  fpecies  with  the  goat,  which  goes  with 
young  about  fix  months  only:  But  I  think  they  are  fufpi- 
cious,  if  not  falfe.  The  hunters,  as  appears  from  the  palfages 
already  quoted,  affure  us,  on  the  contrary,  that  the  chamois 
and  wild  goats  do  not  come  in  feafon  till  the  month  of  No- 
vember ;  and  that  the  females  bring  forth  in  May.  Thus  the 
time  of  geftation,  inftead  of  being  extended  to  nine  months, 
fliould  be  reduced  to  near  five,  as  in  the  domeilic  goat.  But 
this  matter  muft  be  decided  by  experience  alone. 

#  Rupicaprae  aliquando  accedunt  ufque  ad  greges  capra- 
rum  cicurum  quos  non  refugiunt,  quod  non  faciunt  ibices ; 
Gefne'r.  Hi/},  quad.  p.  292. 

f  Ibex  egregium  at  et  corpulentum  animal,  fpecies  fere 
cervina  minus  tamen,  cruribus  quidem  gracilibus  et  capite 
parvo  cervum  exprimit.  Pulchros  et  fplendidos  oculds  habet. 
Color  pellis  fufcus  eft.  Ungulae  bifulcae  et  acutae  ut  in  ru- 
picapris;  cornua  magni  ponderis  ei  reclinantur  ad  dorfum, 
afpera  et  nodofa,  eoque  magis  quo  grandior  aetas  procefferit ; 

augsntur 


363     THE  WILDGOAT,&c. 

we  could  hardly  imagine  they  belonged  to  an 
animal  of  his  fize.  The  chamois  feems  to  differ 
from  the  wild  goat,  and  the  common  he-goat, 
by  the  direction  of  his  horns,  which  incline  a 
little  forward  in  their  inferior  part,  and  bend 
backward  at  the  point  like  a  hook.  But,  as  we 
remarked  in  the  hiftory  of  the  ox  and  fheep, 
the  horns  of  domeftic  animals,  as  well  as  thofe 
of  wild  animals  living  in  different  climates,  vary 
prodigioufly.  The  horns  of  our  female  goat 
are  not  entirely  fimilar  to  thofe  of  the  male. 
The  horns  of  the  male  wild  goat  are  not  very 
different  from  thofe  of  our  he-goat :  And,  as  the 
female  wild  goat  approaches  the  domeftic  kind, 
and  even  the  chamois,  in  fize,  and  in  the  fmall- 
nefs  of  its  horns,  may  we  not  conclude,  that  the 
males  of  the  wild,  chamois,  and  domeftic  goats, 
are  only  one  ipecies  of  animal,  in  which  the 
nature  of  the  females  is  conflant  and  fimilar  a- 
mong  themfelves,  but  that  the  males  are  fubjecl: 
to  confiderable  variations?  In  this  point  of  view, 
which  is  not,  perhaps,  removed  fo  far  from  na- 
ture as  may  be  imagined,  the  wild  goat  would 
be  the  original  male  ftock,  and  the  chamois 
would  be  the  female  *■     I  fay,  that   this  point 

of 

augentur  enlm  quotannts  donee  jam  vetulis  tandem  nodi  cir- 
citer  vio-'mti  increverint.     Bina  cornna  ultimi    increment^   ad 

O 

pondus  fedecim  aut  oclodecim  librarum  accedunt.  .  .  .  Ibex 
faliendo  rupicapram  longe  fuperat ;  hoc  tantum  valet  ut  nifi 
qui  viderit  vix  credat;  Stumpfius  apud  Gejntrt  p.  305. 

*  The  want  cf  a  beard  in  the  chamois  is  a  female  charac- 
ter, which  ought  to  be  added  to  the  others.     The  male  cha- 
mois 


THE   WILD   GOAT,k      ^ 

of  view  is  not  imaginary,  fince  we  can  prove 
from  experience,  that  there  are  animals  in  na- 
ture, in  which  the  female  can  equally  ferve 
males  of  different  fpecies,  and  produce  from 
them  both.  The  fheep  produces  with  the  he-goat 
as  well  as  with  the  ram,  and  always  brings  forth 
lambs  which  are  individuals  of  its  own  fpecies. 
The  ram,  on  the  contrary,  produces  not  with  the 
me- goat.  The  fheep,  therefore,  may  be  regard- 
ed as  a  female  common  to  two  different  males; 
and,  confequently,  (he  conftitutes  a  fpecies  inde- 
pendent of  the  male.  The  lame  thing  will  hap- 
pen to  the  wild  goat.  The  female  alone  repre- 
fents  the  primitive  fpecies,  becaufe  her  nature  is 
conftant.  The  males,  on  the  contrary,  vary ; 
and  it  is  extremely  probable,  that  the  domeftic 
(he-goat,  which  may  be  confidered  as  the  fame 
female  as  thole  of  the  wild  and  chamois  kinds, 
would  produce  equally  with  thefe  three  different 
males,  which  alone  admit  of  vaiieties  in  fpecies; 
and,  confequently,  though  they  feem  to  change 
the  unity,  alter  not  the  identity  of  the  fpecies. 

Thele,  as  well  as  all  other  pofTibie  relations, 
rauft  neceffarily  exift  in  nature.  It  even  ap- 
pears, that  the  females  contribute  more  to  the 
fupport  of  the  fpecies  than  the  males  ;  for, 
though  both  concur  in  the  fir  ft  formation  of  the 

Vol.  VI.  A  a  foetus, 

mois  appears,  as  well  as  the  female,  to  participate  of  the  fe- 
minine qualities  of  the  flie-goat.  Thus  it  may  be  prefumed, 
that  the  domeftic  he-goat  would  engender  with  the  female 
chamois  ;  and  that,  oh  the  contrary,  the  male  chamois  could 
not  engender  with  the  female  dtaneflic  goat.  Time  will 
or  deftroy  this  conjecture. ' 


3;o     THE   WILD   GOAT,  Sec. 

foetus,  the  female,  who  afterwards  furnifhes 
every  thing  neceffary  to  its  growth  and  nutrir 
tion,  modifies  and  aifimilates  it  more  to  her  own 
nature,  and  mult,  therefore,  greatly  efface  the 
impreffion  of  the  parts  derived  from  the  male. 
Thus,  if  we  want  to  form  a  diilincT:  judgment 
pi:  a  fpecies,  we  ought  to  examine  the  females. 
The  male  bellows  one  half  of  the  animated  fub- 
flance :  The  female  gives  an  equal  portion,  and 
furnifhes,  befides,  all  the  matter  neceffary  for 
the  developement  of  the  form.  A  beautiful  wo- 
man feldom  fails  to  produce  beautiful  children. 
The  offspring  of  a  beautiful  man  with  an  ugly 
woman,  are  generally  11  ill  more  ugly. 

Hence,  even  in  the  fame  fpecies,  there  may 
fometimes  be  two  races,  the  one  mafculine  and 
the  other  feminine,  which,  by  both  fubfifting 
and  perpetuating  their  diftindive  characters,  ap- 
pear to  conftitute  two  different  fpecies  ;  and  this 
feems  to  be  the  cafe,  when  it  is  almoft  impoffible 
to  fix  the  limits  between  what  naturajifts  term 
fpecies  and  variety.  Let  us  fuppofe,  for  ex- 
ample, that  fome  fheep  were  always  ferved  with 
he-goats,  and  others  with  rams  ;  after  a  certain 
number  of  generations,  a  race  would  be  efta-, 
blifhed  among  the  fpecies  of  flxeep,  which  would 
partake  greatly  of  the  nature  of  the  goat,  and 
would  afterwards  perpetuate  its  own  kind  ;  for, 
though  the  firft  produce  of  the  he-goat  would 
be  little  removed  from  the  mother's  fpecies,  and 

ould  be  a  lamb,  and  not  a  kid ;  yet  this  lamb 

is 


THE   WILD   GO  AT,   &c.         371 

Is  already  covered  with  hair,  and  pofTefTes  fome 
other  characters  of  the  father.  Let  thcfe  fe- 
male mongrels  be  afterwards  ferved  with  a  he- 
goat  ;  the  produce  in  this  fecond  generation  will 
make  a  nearer  approach  to  the  fpecies  of  the 
father,  and  Mill  nearer  in  the  third,  &c.  In  this 
manner,  the  foreign  characters  would  foon  over- 
balance the  natural  ones ;  and  this  fictitious  race 
might  fupport  itfelf,  and  form  a  variety  in  the 
fpecies,  the  origin  of  which  it  would  be  difficult 
to  trace.  Now,  what  might  arife  from  the  influ- 
ence of  one  fpecies  on  another,  may  be  produced 
with  greater  eafe  in  the  fame  fpecies.  If  vigo- 
rous females  be  constantly  ferved  with  feeble 
males,  in  procefs  of  time,  a  feminine  race  will 
be  eftablifhed  ;  and,  if  very  ftrong  males  are  ap- 
propriated to  females  of  inferior  Strength  and 
vigour,  a  mafculine  race  will  be  the  refult,  lb 
different  in  appearance  from  the  firft,  that  we 
could  not  alTign  to  them  a  common  origin,  and, 
of  courfe,  would  regard  them  as  two  diftinct 
fpecies. 

To  thefe  general  reflections,  we  mall  add  fome 
particular  facts.    We  are  allured  by  Linnaeus  *, 

A  a    2  thai 

*  Capra  cornibus  depreffis,  incurvis,  minimis,  cranio  in- 
eumbentibus,  gula  barbata.  Magnitudo  haedi  hiici  :  Piii 
longi,  penduli  ;  cornua  lunata,  cralTa,  vix  d:oitum  longa,  cranio 
adprefla  ut  fere  cutem  perforent  :  Habitat  in  America.  Lin 
naeus,  I  fufped,  has  not  been  properly  infrymed  wub  regard 
to  the  country  of  this  animal,  and  I  believe  it  to  be  a  native 
©f  Africa.     My  reafons   are,     i.  That  no   author  mentions 


. 


3/2       THE   WILD   GOAT,   &c. 

that  he  /aw  in  Holland  two  animals  of  the  goat- 
kind,  of  which  the  one  had  very  ihort,  thick 
horns,  lying  almoit  flat  on  the  fkull  j  the  horns 
of  the  other  were  creel,  and  bended  backward 
at  the  points,  and  its  hair  was  fliort.  Thefc  a- 
nimals,  though  they  feemed  to  be  more  remote 
in  fpecies  than  the  chamois  and  common  goat, 
failed  not  to  produce  together  ;  which  demon- 
ftrates  that  thefe  differences  in  the  figure  of  the 
horns,  and  length  of  the  hair,  are  not  effential 
and  fpecific  characters  ;  for,  as  the  animals  pro- 
duced together,  they  muft  be  regarded  as  be- 
longing to  the  fame  fpecies.  From  this  example, 
it  may  be  concluded,  that  the  chamois  and  our 
goat,  whole  principal  differences  lie  in  the  form 
of  the  horns  and  the  length  of  the  hair,  are  pro- 
bably the  fame  fpecies. 

In  the  royal  cabinet,  there   is  the  fkeleton  of 
an  animal i  which   was   lent   under  the  name  of 

c  a  pr  iconic. 

this  fpecies  of  goat,  nor  even  the  common  goat,  as  being  ever 
found  in  America ;   2.    That  ail  travellers,  on  the  contrary, 
agree   in   aiiuring   us,  that  there  are  three  kinds  of  goats  in 
Africa,  a  large,  a  middle,  and  a  fmall  kind  ;   3.  That  we  have 
feen  an  animal,  which   we   received  under  the   name  of  the 
African  Buck,  and  of  which  we  have  given  a  figure,  that  re- 
fembled  fo  much  Linnaeus's  defcription  of  the  capra  cornibus 
ieprejfist    &c.  that   we   considered  it  to  be  the  very  fame  ani- 
mal.    For  thefe    reafons,   we  are  entitled  to  aihrm,  that  this 
fmall  goat  is  an  original  native  of  Africa,  and  not  of  America. 
Capra  cornibus   ereclis,   apice  recurvis.      Magnitude  haedi 
hire;  unius  anni.      Pili    breves,    cervini.     Cornua  vix  digitum 
longa,   antrorfum   recurvata  apice  :     Haec   cum    praecedenti 
ccibat,    et   pullum    npn  diu  fuperltitem  in  vivario  Cliffortiano 
producebat.     Faoies  utriufque    adeo   aliena,  ut  vix  fpeciem 
(em  at  diveriiffimam,  argueret ;  Linn.  Syjl.  Nat.  p.  96. 


THE  WILD   GOAT,   S&        373 

caprkornc.  In  the  form  of  the  body  and  pro- 
portions of  the  bones,  it  has  a  perfect  refern- 
blance  to  the  domeftic  he-goat ;  and  the  figure 
of  the  under  jaw  is  the  fame  with  that  of  the 
wild  goat.  But  it  differs  from  both  in  the  horns  : 
Thofe  of  the  wild  goat  have  prominent  tubercles 
or  knobs,  and  two  longitudinal  ridges,  between 
which  there  is  a  well  marked  anterior  face  : 
Thofe  of  the  common  he-goat  have  but  one1 
ridge,  and  no  tubercles.  The  horns  of  the  ca- 
priccrnc  have  but  one  ridge,  and  no  anterior 
face  :  Though  they  want  tubercles,  they  have 
rugoiities  which  are  larger  than  thofe  of  the  he- 
goat.  Thefe  differences  feem  to  indicate  an  in- 
termediate race  between  the  wild  and  the  do- 
meftic goat.  Befides,  the  horns  of  the  capri- 
corne  are  fhort,  and  crooked  at  the  point,  like 
thofe  of  the  chamois  ;  and,  at  the  fame  time, 
they  are  comprefied  and  have  rings  :  Hence  they 
partake  at  once  of  the  he-goat,  the  wild  goatj 
and  the  chamois  goat. 

Mr  Brown  *,   in  his  hiilory  of  Jamaica,  in- 
forms us,  that  there  are  in  that  illand,     1.  The 

A   a  3  common 

;  Capra   I.  cornibus   carinatis  arcuatis  ;  Linn.  Syfl.   Nat* 
The  nanny  goat. 

Capra  II.  cornibus  erectis  uncinatis,  pedibus  lohgioribus. 

Capra  cornibus   ereclis  uncinatis  ;  Linn.  Syjl.    Nat.     The' 
fupi  goat 

Neither   of  thefe  are   natives   cf Jamaica;    but    the   Eati 
is  often  imported  thither  from  the  Main  and  R.ubee  ifland  ; 
and    the  other  from   many  parts    of  Europe.     The  milk 
thefe  animals  is  very  pleafant  in  all  thofe  israrrh  cduntrie 


374        THE  WILDGOAT,    &c. 

common  domeftic  goat  of  Europe  ;  2.  the  cha- 
mois ;  3.  the  wild  goat.  He  allures  us,  that 
none  of  thefe  animals  are  natives  of  America, 
but  have  been  tranfported  from  Europe  ;  that, 
like  the  fheep,  they  have  degenerated  and  be- 
come fmaller  in  this  new  country  ;  that  the 
wool  of  the  fheep  is  changed  into  hair  as  coarfe 
as  that  of  the  goat  ;  that  the  wild  goat  feems  to 
be  a  baflard  race,  &c.  Hence  we  are  led  to 
believe,  that  the  fmall  goat  with  eredt  horns, 
and  crooked  at  the  points,  which  Linnaeus  faw 
in  Holland,  and  was  faid  to  have  come  from  A- 
merica,  is  the  chamois  of  Jamaica,  that  is,  the 
European  chamois  degenerated  and  diminifhed 
by  the  climate  of  America  ;  and  that  the  wild 
goat   of  Jamaica,  called   the   baflard  ivild-goat 

by 

for  it  lofes  that  rancid  tafle  which  it  naturally  has  in  Europe. 
A  kid  is  generally  thought  as  good,  if  not  better,  than  a 
lamb,  and  is  frequently  ferved  up  at  the  tables  of  all  ranks. 

Capra  III.  cornibus  nodofis  in  dorfum  reclinatis  ;  Linn. 
Syji.  Nat.  ....     The  ballard  ibex. 

This  fpecies  feems  to  be  a  baltard  fort  of  the  ibex  goat  ;  it 
is  the  molt  commond  kind  in  Jamaica,  and  efteemed  the  belt 
by  molt  people.  It  was  firft  introduced  there  by  the  Spa- 
niards, and  feems  now  naturalized  in  thefe  parts. 

Ovis  I.  cornibus  comprelfis  lunatis  ;  Lbin.  Syft.  Nat.  The 
fheep.  Thefe  animals  have  doubtlefs  been  bred  in  Jamaica 
ever  fince  the  time  of  the  Spaniards,  and  thrive  well  in  every 
quarter  of  the  iiland  ;  but  they  are  generally  very  fmall.  A 
iheep  carried  from  a  cold  climate  to  any  of  thole  fultry  re- 
gions, foon  alters  its  appearance  ;  for,  in  an  year  or  two,  in- 
ftead  of  wool,  it  acquires  a  coat  of  hair  like  a  goat.  The 
civil  and  natural  hiftory  of  Jamaica,  by  Patrick  Brorxn,  M.  D. 
chap.  5.  feci.  4. 


THE   WILD   GOAT,   &c.       375 

by  Mr  Brown,  is  our  capricorne,  which  feems 
to  be  nothing  elfe  than  the  wild  goat  degenera- 
ted by  the  influence  of  climate. 

M.  Daubenton,  after  fcrupuloufly  examining 
the  relations  of  the  chamois  to  the  he-goat  and 
ram,  fays,  in  general,  that  it  has  a  greater  refem- 
blance  to  the  he-goat  than  to  the  ram.  Next  to 
the  horns,  the  chief  differences  are  found  in  the 
figure  and  iize  of  the  front,  which  is  lefs  eleva- 
ted and  fhortcr,  and  the  form  of  the  nofe,  which 
is  more  contracted  in  the  chamois  than  in  the 
he-goat  ;  fo  that,  in  theie  two  articles,  the  cha- 
mois refembles  the  ram  more  than  the  he-goat. 
But,  by  ftippofing,  what  is  extremely  probable,- 
that  the  chamois  is  a  conftant  variety  of  the 
fpecies  of  the  he-goat,  as  the  bull-dog  and  grey- 
hound are  conftant  varieties  in  the  dog-kind,  we 
will  perceive  that  theie  differences  in  the  fize  of 
the  front  and  the  polition  of  the  note,  are  not 
nearly  fo  great  in  the  chamois,  when  compared 
with  the  he-goat,  as  in  the  bull-dog  and  grey- 
hound, which,  however,  produce  together,  and 
certainly  belong  to  the  fame  fpecies.  Befides^ 
as  the  chamois  refembles  the  he-goat  in  a  great- 
er number  of  characters  than  the  ram,  if  he  con- 
stituted a  particular  fpecies,  it  inuft  necefiarily  be 
an  intermediate  one  between  the  he-goat  and 
the  ram.  Now,  we  have  feen,  that  the  he-goat 
and  ewe  produce  together  :  The  chamois,  there- 
fore, which  is  an  intermediate  fpecies  between 
the  two,  and,  at  the   lame   time,  has  a  greater 

Burnt 


376        THE   WILDGOAT,   &c. 

number  of  refcmblanccs  to  the  he- goat  than  to 
the  ram,  ought  to  produce  with  the  (he- goat, 
and,  confequently,  fhould  be  regarded  as  only  a 
conftant  variety  of  this  fpecies. 

Hence,    as  the   chamois  was  tranfported  into 
America,    where   it    has    become    fmaller,    and 
produces  with  the  fmall  fhe-gcat  of  Africa,  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  he  would  alio  produce 
with   our   (he-goats.     The   chamois,   therefore, 
is   only   a   conftant  variety    in    the   goat-kind, 
like   the   bull-dcg   in   the   fpecies  of  dog.     On 
the  other  hand,  the  wild  goat  is  un que ftion ably 
the   primitive   goat   in  a  date  of  nature,  and  is, 
with  regard    to   the   domeftic   goats,  what    the 
mouflon   is   to   the   fheep.      The  wild  he-goat 
perfectly  refembles  the  domeftic  he-goat  in  fi- 
gure,  ftructure,   habits,    and    difpofitions  ;  and 
there  are  only  two  (light  external  differences  be- 
tween them.     The  horns   of  the  wild  he-goat 
are  larger  than  thoie   of  the   common  he-goat. 
The  former  have  two  longitudinal   ridges,   and 
the  latter  but  one.     They  have  alfo  large  tranf- 
verfe  protuberant  rings,  which  mark  the  years  of 
their  growth  ;  whilil  thofe  of  the  domeftic  he- 
goat   have   only   a   kind   of  tranfverie  ftriae  or 
furrows.     The  figure  of  their  bodies  is  preciftly 
the   fame.     Their   internal  ftru&ure  is  iikewiie 
perfectly   fimilar,    with   the   exception   of    the 
fpleen,   which   is  oval  in  the  wild  he-goat,  and 
approaches  nearer  to  the  fpleen    of  the  roebuck 
er   flag,  than   to   that  of  the  he- goat   or  ram. 


:&,        Ll««         -~         KH<*K        Vi         m^        ^_       &, 


This 


THE  WILD   GOAT,   &c.        377 

This  difference  may  proceed  from  the  violent 
exercife  of  the  animal.  The  wild  he-goat  runs 
as  fwiftly  as  the  flag,  and  leaps  more  nimbly 
than  the  roebuck.  His  fpleen,  therefore,  mould 
refemble  that  of  the  fwifteft  running  animals. 
Hence  this  flight  difference  depends  more  upon 
habit  than  nature  ;  and  it  is  probable,  that,  if 
our  domeftic  he-goat  mould  become  wild,  and 
were  obliged  to  run  and  leap  like  the  wild  he- 
goat,  his  fpleen  would  ibon  aflume  the  figure 
moft  conformable  to  this  exercife.  With  re- 
gard to  the  difference  of  his  horns,  though  very 
confpicuous,  they  fail  not  to  refemble  thofe  of 
the  domeftic  he-goat  more  than  thofe  of  any  o- 
ther  animal.  Thus  the  wild  and  common  he- 
goat  approach  nearer  each  other,  even  in  the 
form  of  their  horns,  than  any  other  animal ;  and, 
as  their  refemblance  is  complete  in  every  other 
article,  we  mould  conclude,  that,  notwithstand- 
ing this  flight  and  folitary  difference,  they  are 
both  animals  of  the  fame  fpecies. 

The  wild,  the  chamois,  and  the  domeftic  goat 
muft,  therefore,  be  confidered  as  the  fame  fpe- 
cies, the  males  of  which  have  undergone  great- 
er variations  than  the  females  :  I  find,  at  the 
fame  time,  in  the  domeftic  kind,  fecondary  va- 
rieties, which  are  the  lefs  equivocal,  becaufe  they 
belong  equally  to  the  males  and  females.  We 
have  feen  that  the  goat  of  Angora*,  though  very 

different 

*  See  Vol.  III.  p.  493. 


373       THE  WILDGOAT,   &c, 

different  from  ours  in  the  hairs  and  horns,  is  ne- 
verthelefs  of  the  fame  fpecies.  The  fame  thing 
may  be  faid  of  the  Juda  goat,  which  Linnaeus 
has  properly  confidered  as  a  variety  of  the  do- 
meftic  fpecies.  This  goat,  which  is  common  in 
G  uiney  *,  Angola,  and  other  parts  of  Africa,  may 
be  faid  to  differ  from  ours  only  in  being  fmaller, 
fatter,  and  more  fquat.  Its  flefli  is  excellent  ; 
and,  in  that  country,  it  is  preferred  to  mutton, 
as  we  prefer  mutton  to  goat's  flefh.  The  Le- 
vant or  Mambrina  goat  *f,  with  long  pendulous 
ears,  is  only  a  variety  of  the  goat  of  Angora, 
which  has  alfo  pendulous  ears,  though  they  are 
not  fo  long.  Thefe  two  goats  were  known  to  the 
ancients  .f ;  but  they  did  not  feparate  them  from 
the  common  fpecies.  This  variety  of  the  Mam- 
brina or  the  Syrian  goat  is  more  diffufed  than 
the  goat  of  Angora  ;  for  we  find  goats  with  long 

ears 

*  In  Guiney  there  are  great  numbers  of  goats  fimiiar  to 
thofe  in  Europe,  except  that,  like  all  the  other  cattle,  they 
are  very  fmall.  But  they  are  fatter  and  plumper  than  wed- 
ders  :  It  is  for  this  reafon  that,  fome  people  prefer  the  flefh 
of  thefe  fmall  he-goats,  which  the  natives  caftrate,  to  mut- 
ton ;    Voyage  de  Bofman,  f.  328. 

f    It  is  called  the  Mambrina  goat,  becaufe  it  is  found  on 

Mount  Mambrina  in   Syria. Capra   Indica  ;    Gejher,   hi/}. 

quad.    p.  267. Hircus   cornibus    minimis,    erectis,  parum- 

per  retrorfum  incurvis,  auriculis  longiffimis  pendulis.— -  Capra 
Syriaca  ;  La  ckevre  de  Syrie  ;  Brijbn,  regn.  anim.  p.  -ji. 

%  In  Syria  oves  funt  cauda  lata  ad  cubiti  menfuram  :  Ca- 
prae  auriculis  menfura  palmari  et  dodrantali,  ac  nonnullae 
deiniffis,  rta  ut  fpe<5tent  ad  terrain. —  In  Ciiicia  caprae  ton- 
dentur  ut  alibi  ovis  ;  Arifct.  bift.  anim.  lib.  8.  cap.  28. 


THE    WILD    GOAT,k        379 

ears  in  Egypt*,  and  in  the  Eaft  Indies f,  as 
well  as  in  Syria.  They  yield  a  great  deal  of 
fine  milk  J,  which  the  natives  of  the  eaft  prefer 
to  that  of  the  cow  or  buffalo. 

With  regard  to  the  fmallgoat  which  Linnaeus 
faw  alive,  and  which  produced  with  the  Ameri- 
can chamois,  it  muft,  as  formerly  remarked, 
have  been  originally  tranfported  from  Africa  ; 
for  it  fo  ftrongly  refembles  the  he-goat  of  Africa, 
that  it  is  unqueftionably  the  fame  fpecies;  or,  at 
leaft,  it  has  fprung  from  the  fame  flock.  In  A- 
frica  it  is  fmall;  and  it  would  become  ftill  lefs 
in  America  ;  and  we  learn,  from  the  teftimony 
of  travellers,  that  fheep,  hogs,  and  goats,  have 
frequently,  and  forfeveral  ages  back,  been  tranf- 
ported from  Africa,  as  well  as  Europe,  into  A- 
merica,  where  they  ftill  fubfift,  without  any- 
other  change  than  a  diminution  of  fize. 

After  examining  the  different  varieties  of  goats, 
of  which  the  nomenclators  have  made  nine  or 
ten  different   fpecies,   I  am  convinced   that  they 

ought 

*  Ex  capris  complures  funt  (  in  JEgypto  )  quae  ita  aures 
oblongas  habent,  ut  extremitate  terram  uique  contingant  ; 
Pro] per  Alpin.  hiji.  JEgypt.  lib.  4./.  229. 

\  At  Pondicherry,  there  are  kids  which  differ  much  from 
ours.  They  have  large  pendulous  ears  ;  and  their  aipedt  is 
mean  and  filly.  -Their  flelh,  though  bad,  is  fometimes  eaten  ; 
Nouveau  voyage,  par  le  Sieur  Luilier,  p.  30. 

X  Goats  are  remarkable  for  the  length  of  their  ears. . 

The  fize  of  the  animal  is  fomewhat  larger  than  ours ;  but 
their  ears  are  often  a  foot  long,  and  broad  in  proportion  ; 
they  are  chiefly  kept  for  their  milk,  of  which  they  yield  no  hx- 
confiderable  quantity  ;  and  it  is  fweet,  and  well  tailed  j  NaU 
hiji.  ofAleppQy  by  Alexander  Rufel.  M.  D. 


3S0         THEWILDGOAT,  &c. 

ought  to  be  reduced  to  one  :     i.  The  wild   he- 
goat  is  the  principal    ilock  of  the    fpecies.     2. 
The  capricorne  is  the  wild  he-goat  degenerated 
by  the    influence  of  climate.    3.    The   domeftic 
he -goat   derives   his  origin  from   the   wild    he- 
goat.     4.  The  chamois  is    only  a  variety  in  the 
fpecies  of  the  fhe-goat,  with  whom,  like  the  wild 
he-goat,  he  mould  be  able  to  mix   and  produce. 
5.  The  fmall  goat,  with  erect  horns,  crooked  at 
the  points,  mentioned  by  Linnaeus,  is  the  Euro- 
pean chamois  diminished  by  the  influence  of  the 
American  climate.  6. The  other  fmall  goat,  with 
horns  lying  flat  on  the  fkull,  and  which  produ- 
ced with  the  American  chamois,  is  the  fame  with 
the  African  he-goat  ;    the  fertility    of  thefe  two 
animals  is  a  proof  that  our  chamois,  and    dome- 
ftic goat  would  alio   produce  together,   and,   of 
courie,  that  they  belong  to  the  lame  fpecies.  7. 
The  dwarf  goat,  which  is    probably  the   female 
of  the  African  buck,  is  only,  as  well  as  the  male, 
a  variety  of  the   common  kind.      8.   The  fame 
thing  may  be  faid  of  the  buck   and  fhe-goat   of 
Juda  ;  for  they  are  only  varieties  of  our  dome- 
ftic goat.     9.  The  goat  of  Angora,  as  it  produces 
with  our   goats  *,  belongs  to  the   fame  fpecies. 
10.  The  Mambrina  or  Syrian   goat,    with   very 
long  pendulous  ears,  is  a   variety  of  the  goat  of 
Angora.     Thus  thefe   ten  animals  are  only  dif- 
ferent races  of    the  fame  fpecies,    which    have 

been 
*  See  vol.  III.  Article  Goat. 


THE    WILD   GOAT,  &c.         381 

been  produced  by  the  influence  of  climate.  Ca- 
prae  in  mult  as  fimihtu  dines  transjtgurantur,  fays 
Pliny  *.  Indeed,  from  this  enumeration,  it  is 
apparent,  that  the  goats,  though  effentially  fi- 
milar  among  themfelves,  vary  greatly  in  their 
external  form  ;  and,  if  we  comprehend,  like 
Pliny,  under  the  generic  name  of  Goats^  not 
only  thofe  we  have  mentioned,  but  likewife  the 
roebuck,  the  antilopes,  &c.  this  fpecies  would 
be  the  moft  extenlive  in  Nature,  and  contain 
more  races  and  varieties  than  that  of  the  dog. 
But  Pliny,  when  he  joined  the  roebuck,  anti- 
lopes, &c.  to  the  fpecies  of  the  goat,  betrayed 
his  ignorance  of  the  real  diltinc~tion  of  fpecies. 
Thefe  animals,  though  they  refemble  the  goat 
in  many  refpecls,  conltitute  two  different  fpe- 
cies ;  and  we  will  perceive  from  the  following 
articles,  how  greatly  the  antilopes  vary  both  in 
fpecies  and  in  races  ;  and,  after  enumerating  all 
the  antilopes  and  all  the  goats,  we  will  (till 
find  other  animals  which  participate  of  both. 
In  the  whole  hiftory  of  quadrupeds,  I  have  met 
with  nothing  fo  confufed,  fo  uncertain,  and  fo 
obfeure,  as  the  accounts  given  us  by  naturalifts 
and  travellers  concerning  the  goats,  the  anti- 
lopes, and  the  fpecies  which  have  a  relation  to 
them.     I    have   exerted  every  effort   to    throw 

light 

*  Caprae  iamen  in  plurimas  fimilitudines  transfigurantur  ; 
font  capreae,  funt  rupicaprae,  flint  ibices. — Sunt  et  origes. — 
Sunt  et  Damae  et  Pygargi  et  Strepficerotes,  multaque  alia 
baud  difllmilia;  lib.  8.  cap.  53. 


382         THEWILDOOAT,  &c. 

light  upon  this  u  >jecl  ;  and  fhall  not  regret  my 
labour,  if  what  I  now  wite  mould  contribute 
to  remove  error,  and  ,to  extend  the  views  of 
thole  who  incline  to  itudy  Nature.  But  to  return 
to  our  fubject. 

The  goats  are  fubjecl:  tovertigos  :  This  difeafe 
is  likewife  common  to  the  wild  and  chamois 
goats*,  as  well  as  the  inclination  to  climb  up- 
on rocks,  and  the  habit  of  perpetually  licking 
ftones  f,  efpecially  thofe  which  are  impregnated 
with  nitre  or  fait.  In  the  Alps,  we  find  rocks 
hollowed  with  the  tongues  of  the  chamois. 
They  are  generally  compofed  of  tender  and  cal- 
cinable  ftones,  in  which  there  is  always  a  cer- 
tain quantity  o^  nitre.  Thefe  conformities  in 
natural  difpontions  and   manners  appear  to    be 

infallible 

*   In  the  mountains  of  Switzerland,   the    chamois  or   wild 

goats  are  very  frequent. The  natives  inform  us,  that  thefe 

animals  are  fubjevH;  to  vertigos  ;  and  that,  when  attacked  with 
this  difeafe,  they  fometimes  come  down  to  the  meadows,  and 
mix  with  the  horfes  and  cows,  when  they  are  taken  with  eafe  ; 
Extrait  d:i  voyage  de  Jean-Jacques  Scbeuchzer  ;  Nouvelles  de  la  Re- 
publiqur  des  Lett  res,  p.  182. 

f  Conveniunt  faepe  circa  petras  quafdam  arenofas,  et  are- 
nam  inde  lingunt. Qui  Alpes  incolunt  Helvetii  hos  lo- 
cos fua  lingua  Fultzen  tanqnam  falarios  appellant  ;   Gcfner,  hiji. 

qua  I  p   292. What  is  lingular,  in  the  Alps  there  are  feve- 

ral  rocks  which  have  been  hollowed  by  the  conftant  licking  of 
the  chamois  goats.  This  licking  is  not  occafioned,  as  has  been 
alledged,  by  fait  contained  in  thefe  ftones,  which  is  very  rarely 
the  cafe;  for  the  rocks  are  porous,  and  compofed  of  grains 
of  fand,  which  are  eafdy  detached  ;  and  they  are  fwallowed 
by  the  animals  with  great  avidity  ;  Extrait  de  Scheuchzer,  ihil 
f.  18,-. 


THE    WILD    GOAT,    &c.       383 

infallible  indications  of  identity  of  fpecies.  The 
Greeks,  as  formerly  remarked,  did  not  divide 
thefe  three  animals  into  three  diftincl  kinds  ; 
and  our  hunters,  who  probably  never  confulted 
the  Greeks,  have  alfo  regarded  them  as  the  fame 
fpecies.  Gafton  Phoebus  *,  when  treating  of 
the  wild  goat,  points  him  out  under  the  name 
of  the  ivild  buck  ;  and  the  chamois,  which  he 
calls  yfarus  and  f arris,  in  his  eftimation,  is  only 
another  wild  buck.  I  acknowledge  that  all  thefe 
authorities  amount  not  to  a  complete  proof:  But, 
when  joined  to  the  facts  and  reafonings  already 
employed,  they  form  fo  ftrong  a  prefumption, 
with  regard  to  the  unity  of  fpecies  in  thefe  three 
animals,  as  leaves  no  room  for  hefitation. 

The  wild  and  chamois  goats,  which  I  confi- 
dercd,  the  one  as  the  male,  and  the  other  as  the 
female  flock  of  the  goat-kind,  are  only  found, 
like  the  mouflon,  which  is  the  ftock  of  the  fheep, 
in  the  deferts  and  in  the  higheft  and  moft  rug- 
ged mountains.  The  Alps,  the  Pyrennees,  the 
Grecian  mountains,  and  thofe  in  the  iflands  of 
the  Archipelago,  are  almoft  the  only  places  where 
the  wild  and  chamois  goats  are  to  be  found. 
Though  both  avoid  heat,  and  inhabit  the  regions 
of  fnow  and  froft  ;  yet  they  equally  avoid  the 
exceflive  rigours  of  cold.  In  fummer,  they  dwell 
on  the  northern  fides  of  the  mountains  ;  in  win- 
ter, they  frequent  the  fouthern  fides,  and  defcend 

from 

f  La  vencrie  de  Gafton  Phoebus,   p.  6S. 


3B4      THEWILDGOAT,   &c. 

from  the  fummits  into  the  plains.  Neither 
of  them  can  fupport  themfelvcs  on  fmooth 
fheets  of  ice  ;  but,  when  the  ice  is  rendered 
rough  by  the  fuow,  they  run  and  bound  with 
great  firmnefs  and  agility.  The  chafe  of  thofe 
animals  *,   efpecially  that  of  the  wild  he- goat, 

is 

*  There  are  two  kinds  of  bucks  ;  fome  are  called  nvild 
bucks.,  and  others  jjfarus  or  farris.  The  wild  bucks  are  as  large 
as  a  flag ;  but,  though  they  have  as  much  fielh,  they  are 
neither  fo  long,  nor  make  fuch  great  bounds.  The  years  of 
their  age  correfpond  with  the  number  of  rings  which  encircle 
their  horns. — When  old,  their  horns,  which  have  no  branches, 
are  as  thick  as  a  man's  leg.  They  never  cafi:  their  horns : 
but  they  continue  to  grow  in  length  and  thicknefs  as  long  as 
the  animal  lives.  They  have  a  large  beard,  and  their  hair 
is  brown  like  that  of  the  wolf.  A  black  bar  runs  along 
their  back  and  down  the  buttocks.  Their  belly  is  yellow,  and 
theirlegs  black,  and  yellow  behind.  Their  feet,  like  thofe  of 
the  domeflic  goat,  are  cloven  ;  and  their  tracks  are  large, 
and  rounder  than  thofe  of  the  flag.  The  female,  like  that  of 
the  hind,  or  common  fhe-goat,  produces  but  one  at  a  time. 

The  bucks  feed  upon  herbage   like   other  cattle. Their 

dung  refembles  that  of  the  domeflic  goat.  They  come  in 
feafon  about  All-Saints-day,  and  their  rutting  feafon  con- 
tinues a  month.  When  that  feafon  is  over,  they  are  much  e- 
maciated  ;  and  they  defcend  from  the  rocks  and  mountains, 
where  they  had  dwelt  during  the  fummer,  to  the  plains,  in 
<jueft  of  food.  They  remain  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains, 
till  toward  Eafter,  when  they  return  to  the  mofl  elevated 
places  they  can  find,  and  each  takes  poffeflion  of  his  bufh, 
like  the  flags.  The  females,  at  this  period,  feparate  from  the 
males,  and  retire  near  the  brooks,  in  order  to  fawn,  where 
they  remain  during  the  fummer.  When  the  bucks  are  thus 
feparated  from  the  females,  efpecially  at  the  approach  of  the 
rutting  feafon,  they  attack  both  man  and  beafr.  They  alfo 
fight   among  themfelves,  like   the    flags,   but   in   a   different 

manner ; 


THE  WILD   GOAT,  &c.     385 

is" very  laborious;  for  dogs  are  almoU  uielefs  in 
this  kind  of  hunting.  It  is  alfo  fometimes  dange- 
rous: When  the  animal  finds  himfelf  hard  puih- 
ed,  he  gives  the  hunter  a  violent  blow  With  hli 
head,  and  often  throws  him  over  a  precipice  ■ 
Though  not  fo'ftrong  as  the  wild  bucks,  the 
chamois  goats  are  equally  active  f.  They  are 
Vol.  VI.  B  b  more 

manner  ;  for  their  quarrels  are  more  formidable.  The  buck 
ftrikes  fo  furioufly  with  his  head,  that  he  often  breaks  the 
legs  of  thofe  whom  he  attacks;  and,  if  he  runs  a  man  againll 
a  tree,  or  throws  him  down  on  the  ground,  death  is  infalli- 
bly the  confequence.  Such  is  the  nature  of  the  buck,  that, 
though  a  ftrong  man  gives  him  a  blow  on  the  back  with  a 
bar  of  iron,  the  animal's  fpine  does  not  break.  In  theiealbn 
of  love,  his  neck  fwells  prodigiouily  :  And,  though  he  falls 
from  a  height  often  fathoms,  he  receives  no  injury. 

The  buck  called  Vjarus  is  ol  the  fame  figure  with  the  pre- 
ceding, and  is  not  larger  than  the  domeilic  hc-goat*  His  na- 
ture is  the  fame   with  that   of  the  wild  buck.— -Like  the 

hag,   both   come   in   feafon    about    All- Saints-day,  and  they 

ihould  be  hunted   till   that   period  arrives. When  they 

can  find  no  other  food  in  winter,  they  eat  the  leaves  of  the 
pine-tree,  which  are  always  green.  Their  (kin,  when  pro* 
perly  dreifed,  is  an  excellent  defence  againft  the  cold  ;  for, 
when  the  hair  is  outmoil,  neither  cold  nor  rain  can  pene- 
trate it.      Their  flefh  is    not   very   Wholefome;  for  it  produces 

fevers.  — The  hunting  of  the  buck  is  not  very   pleafant ; 

for  we  can  neither  accompany  the  dogs  on  foot  nor  on  horfe- 
back;   Gajlon  Phobias,    V'ftieVte  <te  DofdlhuXi  p.  6  :\ 

*   Ibex   veilatorem   expecla'c,    et    folicite   ol  i:    an  inter 

ipfum  et  rupem  minimum  interft  fpatium  ;  nam  fi  villi  dum- 
taxat  iritertueri  (ut  ita  Ibcjuafj  pbfiit;  irhpetu  facto  fe  tranf- 
fert  et  venatcrem  impulfurn  praecipitat ;  Stumpfiiii  apud  Gefner^ 

?■  3°5- 

+  M.  Perroud,  undertaker  of  the  chfyftal  mine:  in  the  Al   - 
brought  a  live  chamois  to  Versailles,  and  gave   us  the  follcw- 
Ecellent  remarks  on  the  nature  znd  manners  of  this  ?ui- 

.Ti 


336     THE  WILD   GOAT,  &c. 

more  numerous,  and  go  generally  in  flocks.     In 
the  Alps  and  Pyrcnnees,  however,  they  are  not. 

now 

mal.  "  The  chamois,  though  a  wild  animal,  is  very  docile. 
He  inhabits  only  the  mountains  and  rocks.  He  is  of  the 
fize  of  a  domeftic  goat,  which  he  greatly  refembles.  His 
vivacity  is  delightful,  and  his  agi-lity  truly  admirable.  His 
hair  is  as  fhort  as  that  of  a  hind :  In  fpring,  it  is  aili- 
coloured,  in  fummer  it  is  yellowilh,  in  autumn  yellowifh 
brown  mixed  with  black,  and,  in  winter,  browniih  black. 
The  chamois  goats  are  numerous  in  the  mountains  of  Upper 
Dauphiny,  Piedmont,  Savoy,  Switzerland,  and  Germany. 
They  are  very  focial  among  themfelves  :  We  find  them  go- 
ing in  pairs,  or  in  little  flocks  of  from  three  to  twenty;  and 
fometimes  we  fee  from  fixty  to  a  hundred  of  them  difperfed 
in  different  flocks  along  the  declivity  of  the  fame  mountain. 
The  large  males  keep  at  a  diftance  from  the  reft,  except  in 
the  rutting  feafen,  when  they  join  the  females,  and  beat  off 
all  the  young.  At  this  period,  their  ardour  is  dill  ftronger  than 
that  of  the  wild  bucks.  They  bleat  often,  and  run  from  one 
mountain  to  another.  Their  feafon  of  love  is  in  the  months 
of  October  and  November,  and  they  bving  forth  in  March 
and  April.  A  young  female  takes  the  male  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  months.  The  females  bring  forth  one,  but  rarely 
two,  at  a  time.  The  young  follow  their  mothers  till  Octo- 
ber, if  not  difperfed  by  the  hnnters  or  the  wolves.  We  arc 
allured  that  they  live  between  twenty  and  thirty  years.  Their 
flefli  is  very  good.  A  fat  chamois  goat  will  yield  from  ten 
to  twelve  pounds  of  fuet,  which  is  harder  and  better  than 
that  of  the  goat.  The  blood  of  the  chamois  is  extremely  hot, 
and  it  is  faid  to  have  qualities  and  virtues  nearly  equal  to 
thofe  of  the  wild  goat,  and  may  ferve  the  fame  purpofes ; 
for  the  effects  are  the  fame,  when  taken  in  a  double  dofe. 
It  is  good  againft  pleurines,  and  poiTeffes  the  property  of 
purifying  the  blood,  and  promoting  perfpiration.  The 
hunters  fometimes  mix  the  blood  of  the  wild  and  chamois 
goats :  At  other  times,  they  fell  the  blood  of  the  wild 
goat  for  that  of  the  chamois.  It  is  very  difficult  to  diftin- 
guilh  them;  which  fhows  that  the  blood  of  the  wild  goat 
differs  very  little  from  that  of  the  chamois.  The  voice 
of  the  chamois  is  a  very  low  and  almofl:  imperceptible  kind 

of 


T  H  E   W  I  L  D   G  O  A  T,  &c.      387 

now  fo  frequent  as  formerly.     The   term    Chd- 
moi/wrS)  which  was  applied  to  all  traiifporters  of 

B  b  2  ildns, 

of  bleating,  refemblihg  that  of  a  hoarfe  domeflic  goat.     It  is 
by  tliis  bleating  that  they  collect  together,  particularly  the  mo- 
thers and  their  young.    But,  when  alarmed,  or  when  they  per- 
ceive an  enemy,  or  any  thing  the  nature  of  which   they  can- 
not diffinguifh,  they  advertife  one  another  by  a  kind  of  whitt- 
ling noife,  which    1    (hall  afterwards   defcribe.     The  fight  o£ 
the  chamois  is  very  penetrating,  and  his  fenfe  of  fmelling   is 
acute.     When  be   fees   a   man   diftinctly,  he   ftops  for  fome 
time,  and   flies   off  when   he  makes  a  nearer  approach.     His 
fenfe  of  hearing  is  equally  acute   as   that   of  fmelling  ;  for  he 
hears  the  fmalleft  noife.     When  the  wind  blows  in  the   direc- 
tion between  him  and  a  man,  he  will  percieve  the  fcent  at  the 
diftance  of  more  than  half  a  league.     Hence,  when  he  fmells 
or  hears  any  thing  which  he  cannot  fee,  he   whiffles  or  blows 
with   fuch    force,  that    the    rocks    and    forefls    re-eccho   the 
found.     If  there   are   many   of  them  near,  they  all  take  the 
alarm.     This  whiffling  is  as  long   as   the   animal  can   blow» 
without  taking  breath.     It  is  at  rirfl  fharp,  and  turns   flat  to- 
wards the  end.     The  chamois  then  ffops  for  a  moment,  looks 
round  on  all  fides,  and  begins  whiffling  afrefh,  which  he  con- 
tinues from  time  to  time.    His  agitation  is  extreme.    He  ftrikes 
the  earth  with  his  feet.    He  leaps  upon  the  highefl  ftones  he  can 
find :  He  again   looks    round,  leaps  from   one  place  to  an- 
other, and,  when  he   difcovers   any  thing,  he  flies  off.     The 
Whittling  of  the  male  is  {harper  than  that  of  the  female.    This 
whiffling  is  performed  through  the  noftrils,  and  conlifts  of  a 
ftrong  blowing,   fimilar  to  the  found  which  a  man  may  make 
by  fixing  his  tongue  to  the  palate,  with  his  teeth  nearly  fhut, 
his  lips  open,  and  fomewhat  extended,  and  blowing  long  and 
With  great  force.     The  chamois  feeds  on  the  tineft  heibs.    He 
felecls  the  mofl  delicate  parts  of  plants,  as  the  flowers  and  the 
tendered  buds.     He   is  very  fond  of  fome  aromatic   herbs, 
particularly  cf'  the   carline  thiflle  and  genipay,  which  are  the 
hotteif  plants   that   grow  in   the   Alps.     When  he  eats  green 
herbs,  he  drinks  very  little.     He  is  very  fond  of  the  leaves  and 
tender  buds  of  flirubs.     He  ruminates  like  the  common  goat. 

The 


3S3     THE  WILD   GOAT,  &c. 

ns,   fccms  to  indicate,  that  the  chamois  fkins 
were  at  that  time  the  chief  article  of  their  cor/> 

merce  ; 

The  food  he  ufes  feems  to  announce  the  heat  of  his  conftitu- 
tion.  This  animal  is  admired  for  his  large  round  eyes, 
whole  fire  correfponds  with  the  vivacity  of  his  difpofition. 
His  head  is  adorned  with  two  fmall  horns,  from  half  a  foot 
to  nine  inches  in  length.  Their  colour  is  a  fine  black,  and 
they  are  placed  on  the  front  nearly  between  his  eyes  ;  and,  in- 
stead, of  being  reflected  backward,  like  thofe  of  other  animals, 
they  advance  forward  above  the  eyes,  and  bend  backward  at 
the  points,  which  are  extremely  {harp  He  adjufts  his  ears 
moft  beautifully  to  the  points  of  his  horns.  Two  tufts  of 
black  hair  defcend  from  the  horns  to  the  fides  of  his  face. 
The  reft  of  the  head  is  of  a  ye'lowim  white  colour,  which 
never  changes.  The  horns  of  the  chamois  are  ufed  for  the 
heads  of  canes.  Thofe  of  the  female  are  fmaller  and  le-fs 
crooked.  The  {kin  of  the  chamois,  when  dreffed,  is  very 
lirong,  nervous,  and  fupple,  and  makes  excellent  riding 
breeches,  gloves,  and  veils.  Garments  of  this  kind  la!l. long, 
and  are  of  great  ufe  to  manufacturers.  The  chamois  is  a  na- 
tive of  cold  countries,  and  always  prefers  rugged  rocks  and 
lofty  places.  They  frequent  the  Avoods  ;  but  it  is  only  thole 
in  the  higher  regions  of  the  mountains.  Thefe  woods  con- 
hit  of  pines,  larches,  and  beeches.  The  chamois  gnats  are  fo 
impatient  of  heat,  that,  in  fummer,  they  are  only  to  be  found 
under  the  {hades  of  caverns  iri  the  rocks,  among  maifes  of 
congealed  mew  and  ice,  or  in  elevated  Fortfts  on  the  northern 
declivities  of  the  moil  fcabrous  mountains,  where  the   rays  of 

inn    Mdom    penetrate.     They   pa  Dure   in   the   mornings 

and  evenings,  and    feldom    during   the   day.     They    tra\ 

the  rocks  and  precipices   with   great  facility,  where  the    dogs 

dare  not  follow  them.   There  is  nothing  more  .worthy  ol    ad- 

.    to   fee  thefi    animals    climbing   or  defcendmg 

iftac  i      •    .     ,;'hey  neither  mount  nor  defcend  perpendi- 

t  in  an  oblique    line.     \\  h  -n  defcendmg,   partieu- 

;  .  es  down  across  a  rock,  which  is  near- 

sr'pei     iciiiaf,  and  6f  Went?  or  thirty  ieet  in  heigh'',  with- 
out 


THE   WILD   GOAT,  &c.       389 

merce  ;  but  the  (kins  of  goats,  fheep,  flags,  roe- 
bucks, and  the  fallow-deer,  are  their  principal 
obje&s. 

With 

out  having  a  Angle    prop  to  fupport  their  feet.     In  defend- 
ing, they  ftrike  their  feet  three  or  four  times  againft  the  rock, 
till  they  arrive  at  a  proper  reftmg-place  below,     '[he  ipring 
of  their  tendons  is  fo  great,  that,  when  leaping  about  among 
the  precipices,  one  would  imagine  they  had  wings    "mftead 
limbs.     It  has  been  alledged,  that   the  chamois,   to  dii 
and  defcending  rocks,  fuppons  hirofclt'by  his  horns.     I  • 
feen  and  killed  many  of  thefe  animals  ;  but  I  never  faw  them 
ufe  their  horns  for  this  purpofc  ;  neither  did    I  ever  hear  tl 
fad  fupported  by  any  hunter.     It  is  by  the  ftrength  and   agi- 
lity of  his  limbs  that  the  chamois  is  enabled  to  climb  and  de- 
fcend  rocks.     His  legs  are  very  free  and   tall  ;  thofe    behind 
are  fomewhat  longer,  and  always  crooked,  which  favours  their 
Springing  to  a  great  diftance  ;  and,  when  they  throw  them- 
selves from  a  height,  the  hind  legs  receive  the  fhock,  and  per- 
form the  office  of  two  fprings  in  breaking  the  fall.     It  is  laid, 
that,  when  there  are  numbers  of  chamois  goats  together,   one 
is  deputed  to  Hand  fentinei,  for  the   protection  of  the  reft.     I 
have  feen  many  flocks  of  them,  but  never  obferved  this    part 
of  their  oeconomy.     It  is  true,  that,  when  there  are  many  of 
them,  fome  always  watch  while  others  eat  ;  but  1  remarked 
nothing  more  lingular  here  than  what  happens   in  a  flock   <i 
fheep  :   For   the   firft  who   perceives  any  thing  alarming,  ad- 
vertifes  the  reft,  and,  in  an  inftant,  the  lame  terror  is  communi- 
cated to  the  whole.     In  great  fnows,  and   during  the   rigo 
of  winter,  the  chamois   goats   inhabit   the  lower  forefts,  and 
live  upon   pine  leaves,  the   buds   of   trees,  bufhes,  and    fuch 
green   or  dry   herbs   as   they  can  y  fcratching  off  the 

fnow  with   their  feet.     The   forefts   that   delight    them  mofi, 
are    thofe    which    are    full    of   rocks    and    precipices. 
hunting  of  the  chamois  is  very  difficu-  laborious.     T 

mode  mod  in  ufe  is  to  kill  them  by  furprife.  The  hunters  con- 
ceal themfelves  behind  rocks  or  large  (tones,  taking  care  that 


■1 


go      THE  WILDGOA  T,  &c. 


With  regard  to  the  fpecinx  virtue  attributed 
to  the  blood  of  the  wild  goat,  again (l  certain 
difeafcs,  and  particularly  the  pleurify,  a  virtue 
which  is  thought  to  be  peculiar  to  this  animal, 
and  which,  of  courfe,  would  lead  us  to  think  it 
to  be  of  a  peculiar  nature  j  it  lias  been  discover- 
ed, that  the  blood  of  the  chamois  *,  and  like- 
wife  that  of  the  domeftic  he-goat  t,  have  the 
fame  properties,  when  the  animals  are  nourifhed 
with;  the  fame  aromatic  herbs  ;  fo  that  even  this 
property  feems  to  unite  thefe  three  animals  in 
the  lame  fpecies. 


SU.P.P-LEME     N     T. 


We  hear  give  a  figure  of  a  Juda  buck,  which 
appears  to  be  different  from  that  publiihed  in 
the  original   work.     M.  Bourgelat  had  it  alive, 

and 

the  wind  blows  cppofite  to  then*,  and,  when  a  favourable  op- 
portunity occurs,  fhoot  them  with  muflcet  balls.  They  are 
likewife  hunted  in  the  fame  manner  as  flags  and  other  ani- 
mals, by  polling  fome  of  the  hunters  in  narrow  paffages, 
while  others  beat  about  to  raife  the  game.  Men  are  prefer- 
able for  fys  purpofe  to  dogs  ;  for  dogs  too  quickly  dif- 
perfe  the  animals,  who  fly  off  fuddenly  to  the  diftance  of  four 
or  five  leagues."  See  alfo  on  this  fubjedt  La  Irpifteme  defcript. 
du  Voyage  dss  Alpes  de  Scheuchzer^  p.  n. 

*  See  above,  p.  386. 

\  See  1'Hift.  des  animaux,  par  Meff.  Arnault  de  Nobleville. 
&  Salerne,  torn.  4.  p.  243. 


THE   WILD   GOAT,  &c.       391 

and  ftill  keeps  its  fkin  in  his  anatomical  cabinet. 
It  was  confiderably  larger  than  the  one  former- 
ly engraved.  It  was  two  feet  nine  inches  long, 
and  one  foot  feven  inches  high,  while  the  o- 
ther  was  only  twenty-four  inches  and  a  half 
long,  and  feventeen  inches  high.  The  head 
and  whole  body  were  covered  with  large  white 
hairs.  The  points  of  the  noftrils  were  black. 
The  horns  nearly  touch  each  other  at  the  bafe, 
and  then  recede.  They  are  much  longer  than 
thofe  of  the  former,  which  the  prefent  one  re- 
fembles  in  the  feet  and  hoofs.  Thefe  diffe- 
rences are  two  flight  to  conftitute  two  diftincl: 
fpecies.  They  feem  to  be  only  varieties  of  the 
fame  fpecies. 

We  formerly  mentioned  Syrian  goats  with 
pendulous  ears,  which  were  nearly  of  the  fame 
iize  with  the  domeftic  kind,  and  produced  with 
them  even  in  our  climate.  In  Madagafcar 
there  is  a  goat  confiderably  larger,  with  pen- 
dulous ears  fo  long,  that,  when  they  fall  down, 
they  cover  the  eyes,  which  obliges  the  animal 
to  move  its  head  almoft  continually  in  throwing 
them  back.  Hence,  when  purfued,  it  always 
endeavours  to  afcend.  This  notice  was  com- 
municated to  us  by  M.  Comerfon  ;  but  it  is  too 
imperfect  to  enable  us  to  determine  whether 
this  goat  belongs  to  the  Syrian  race  with  pendu- 
lous ears,  or  to  a  different  fpecies. 

We   had   the   following  note  from  M.  le  Vi- 

comte  de  Querhoent. 

*  The 


392       THE   WILD   GOAT,  &c. 

The  goats  which  were  left  on  Afcenfion 
iilind  have  multiplied  greatly  ;  but  they  are 
very  meager,  efpecially  in  the  dry  feafon. 
The  whole  illand  is  beaten  with  their  tracks. 
Daring  the  night,  they  retire  into  the  excava- 
tions of  the  mountains.  They  are  not  fo  large 
as  the  common  goat.  They  are  fo  weak,  that 
men  fometimes  feize  them  in  the  chace.  Their 
hair  is  generally  of  a  deep  brown  colour.' 


The 


Tlafe   CXC. 


,'/ /A, //.>,-«//,  P 


"Wild-Goat. 


Flafe  CKCL 


£&£ 


y/j,//,  /tvf/ti  / 


CHAMOIS    GOAT. 


Plate    CXCIT. 


t  r//^\/A  <.„/,,  / 


ArBioAsr  He-Goat, 


.; 


Plate  C20CM. 


V  ,/M,-//<  >.„//!  ' 


DWARF    OOAT. 


Plate   rxcw. 


,<//,!.//  tt.ytfti. 


T.FCX    of    JFDA. 


Plate  CXCV. 


<&-&*//*  ><*<//!  .' 


SHE-GOAT   o£  JUBA. 


Plate    CXCVI 


W$W    **&%i$^M 


Buck  of  Juda. 


The    SAIGA,    or    SCYTHIAN 
ANTILOPii*. 


IN  Hungary,  Poland,  Tartary,  and  the  fou- 
thern  parts  of  Siberia,  there  is  a  fpecies  of 
goat,  called  Seigah  or  Saiga  by  the  Ruffians, 
which,  in  the  figure   of  the  body  and  the  hair, 

refembles 

*  The  Scythian  antilope  has  horns  a  foot  long,  bending 
a  little  in  the  middle,  the  points  inclining  inward,  and  the 
ends  fmooth  ;  the  other  part  is  iurrounded  with  very  promi- 
nent annuli.  They  are  of  a  pale  yellow  colour,  and  the  great- 
eft  part  femipellucid.  The  length  of  the  animal  is  four  feet 
nine  inches  and  a  quarter  ;  the  height  before,  two  feet  fix 
inches  and  a  half,  and  behind,  two  feet  feven  inches  and  a 
h;i!f.  The  tail  is  three  inches  long.  The  head  is  like  that  of 
a  fneep  ;  the  nofe  is  very  large,  arched,  and  marked  the 
whple  length  with  a  fmall  line,  caufed  by  the  elevation  of 
the  fcptun  narium.  The  noftrils  are  tubular  and  large.  The 
upper  lip  hangs  over  the  under.  The  nofe  is  foi;med  of  a 
mufcular  fubftance  mixed  with  fat.  The  cutting  teeth  are 
fo  loofe  in  their  fockets,  as  to  move  with  the  leaft  touch. 
The  male  is  covered  with  rough  hair,  like  the  he-goat,  and 
has  a  very  ftrong  fmell  :  The  female  is  fmoother.  The  hair 
on  the  bottom  of  the  fides  and  the  throat  is  long,  and  re- 
fembles wool  ;  that  on  the  fides  of  the  head  and  neck  is 
hoary.  The  back  and  fides  are  of  a  dirty  white  colour.  The 
breaft,  belly,  and  infide  of  the  thighs,  are  of  a  ihining  white. 
The  females  are  honilefs  and  timid  :  If  attacked  by  wolves 
or  dogs,  the  males  place  the  females  in  the  centre,  and  defend 
them  ftoutly.  They  bleat  like  fheep.  Their  common  pace 
is  a  trot  ;  when  they  go  fafter,  it  is  by  leaps,  and  they  are 
fwifter  than  roe-bucks.  When  they  fee*  •  ■•)  l*ft  UP  tlie 
upper  mandible,  and  go  backward  ;  Pennant's  Synopf.   of  quad. 


si- 


394         THE     SAIGA,     OR 

rcfcmbles  the  domeflic  goat.  But  the  form  of 
its  horns  and  the  want  of  a  beard  make  it  ap- 
proach nearer  to  the  antilopes;  and,  indeed  it 
ieems  to  conftitute  the  made  between  thefe  two 
kinds  of  animals  ;  for  the  horns  of  the  faigae 
are  perfectly  fimilar  in  figure,  tranfverfe  rings, 
longitudinal  furrows,  &c.  to  thofe  of  the  anti- 
lope,  and  they  differ  in  colour  only.  The  horns 
of  all  the  antilopes  are  black  and  opaque  ;  but 
thofe  of  the  faiga  are  whitim  and  tranfparent. 
This  animal  is  mentioned  by  Gefner  under  the 
name   of  coins  j* ,    and  Gmelin    under    that    of 

faiga  * 

Colus  :    Gefner,  quad.  p.  36 r. 

Suhak  ;  Rzaczin/k/,  Hijl.  Polov.  p.  224. 

Ibex  imberbis  ;  Nov.  Com.  Petrop.   torn.  5.  tab.   19.   torn.    7. 

f-  39- 

Sayga;   Phil.   Tranf.    1767,  p.    344.  Bell's   travels,   vol.    1. 

/••  43- 

Capra  Tartarica,    cornibus  teretibus,  re&iufculis,   perfecfte 

annularis,    apice    diaphanis,    gula   imberbi ;   Linn.   Syfl.  JYaf. 

p.  97. 

Antilope  Scythica  ;   Pallas  Spicil.  p.  9.  Faunul.  Sinenj. 

*  Apud  Scytas  et  Sarmatas  quadrupes  fera  eft  quam  Colon 
(KoAas)  appellant,  rnagnitudine  inter  cervum  et  arietem,  al- 
bicante    corpore  ;  eximiae    fupra  hos    levitatis   ad     curfum  ; 

Strabo  lib.  7 Sulac   (a  quo  litteris  tranfpoiitis  nomen 

Colus  faemm  videtur)  apud  Mofchovios  vulgo  nominatur  ani- 
mal fimile  ovi  fylveftri  candidae,  fine  lana :  capitur  ad  pul- 
ium  tympanorum  dum  faltando  delaffatur  .  .  .  Apud  Tar- 
laros  (inquit  Matthias  a  Michow)  reperitur  Snack,  animal 
rnagnitudine  ovis,  duabus  parvis  cornibus  praeditum,  curfu 
velociffimum,  carnes  ejus  fuaviiTimae  ...  In  defertis  campis 
circa  Boryfthenem  (  iniquit  Sigifmundus,  Liber  Baro  in  Her- 
berftain  in  commentariis  rerum  Mofcoviticarum)  Tanaim  et 
Rha  eft  ovis  iylveftris  quam  Poloni  Solhac,  Mofci  Seigak,  appel- 
lant, rnagnitudine  capreoli,  brevioribus  tamen  pedibus  ;  cor- 
nibus 


SCYTHIAN    ANTILOPE.       395 

faiga  *.     The  horns  in  the  Royal  cabinet  were 
lent  under  the    denomination  of  horns  of  the 

Hungarian 

nibus  in  alturn  porreclis,  quibufdam  circulis  notatis,  ex  qui-' 
bus  Mofci  manubria  cultcllorum  tranfparentia  faciunt,  velo- 
ciffimi  curfus  et  altiffimorum  faltuum ;  Gefner,  Hiji.  quad.  /<. 
361.  et  362.  ubi  vide  figuras. 

*  In  the  environs  of  Sempalat,  there  are  a  number  of  Sai±  i 
or  Saiga.  This  ani.nal  has  a  great  refemblance  to  the  roe- 
buck, except  that  its  horns  are  flraight.  It  is  known  in  no 
other  part  of  Siberia  ;  for  what  is  called  Saiga  in  the  province 
of  Irkutzk  is  the  mufk  ....  The  tafte  of  its  flefli,  it  is  faid, 
icfembles  that  of  the  flag  ;  Voyage  ds  Gmelin  a  Kamtfchatka, 
tern.  1.  p.  179. — Note.  M.  Gmelin  has  fmce  publifhed  a  more 
comprehenfive  defcription  of  the  faiga,  in  the  mil  volume  of 
the  New  Memoirs  of  the  Academy  of  Peterfburg,  under  the 
name  of  ibex  imberbis  ;  but  he  has  given  no  figure  of  it.  M. 
Gmelin  remarks,  that  this  animal  has  the  head  of  a  ram,  with 
a  higher  and  more  prominent  nofe,  and  the  body  of  a  (lag, 
but  fmaller  ;  for  it  never  reaches  the  fize  of  a  roebuck.  The 
horns  are  yellowiih  and  tranfparent,a  foot  in  length,  have  rings 
or  circles  toward  the  bafe,  and  are  fituated  above  the  eyes. 
The  cars  are  ereel,  pretty  large,  and  terminate  in  a  point. 
In  the  under  jaw,  there  are  four  cutting,  four  canine,  and  five 
grinding  teeth  each  of  the  lafl  having  two  roots.  In  the  up- 
per jaw  there  are  an  equal  number  of  cutting  and  canine  tee,th, 
but  only  four  grinders,  each  of  which  has  three  roots.  The 
neck  is  pretty  long.  ■  The  hind  are  longer  than  the  fore  legs. 
The  foot,  is  cloven.  The  female  has  four  paps.  The  tail  is 
thin,  and  about  three  inches  long.  The  hair,  like  that  of  the 
Hag,  is  of  a  yellowifti  brown  colour  on  the  body,  and  white 
under  the  belly.  The  female  is  fmaller  than  the  male,  and 
has  no  horns  .  .  .  Worms  breed  under  their  fkin .  .  .  Thefe 
animals  copulate  in  autumn,  and  bring  forth  one  or  two 
young  in  the  fpring.  They  live  upon  herbage,  and  are  very 
fat  when  the  rutting  feafon  commences.  In  fummer,  they 
inhabit  the  plains  along  the  banks  of  the  litis.  In  winter, 
they  go  to  the  higher  grounds  ;  and  they  are  found  not  only 
about  the  Irtis,  but  in  all  the  countries  watered  by  the  Borif- 
thenes,  the  Don,  and  the  Wolga  ;  Vide  Nov.  Coin.  Acad.  Petrop. 

tpm.  5.  p.  i\$ The  jfecretary  of  the  Peterfburg  Academy 

adds 


396  T  H  E    S  A  I  G  A,    &c.  • 

Hungarian  buck.  They  are  fo  tranfparent,  that 
they  are  ufed  for  the  Lime  purpofes  as  fhells. 
In  natural  diipolitions,  the  faiga  has  a  greater 
refemblance  to  the  antilopes  than  to  the  wild 
and  chamois  goats ;  for  he  does  not  frequent 
the  mountains,  but,  like  the  antilopes,  lives  on 
the  hills  and  plains.  Like  them,  he  is  extreme- 
ly fwift,  and  his  motion  confifts  of  bounds  or 
leaps.  His  flefti  is  alfo  better  than  that  of  either 
the  wild  or  domeftic  goat. 


The 


adds  to  what  M.  Gmelin  has  remarked,  that  the  faiga  goes 
backward  when  he  feeds.  .  .  .  That  their  horns  are  pur- 
chafed  by  the  Chinefe  to  make  lanthorns.  .  . .  That  they  are 
only  found  under  the  54th  degree  of  latitude  ;  and  that,  in 
the  Eaft,  there  are  none  beyond  the  river  Oby  ;  Ibid.  p.  35° 


The    ANTI  LOPES,     or    GA- 
ZELLES*. 

OF  the  animals  called  antilopes,  we  know 
thirteen  fpecies,  or  at  leaft  thirteen  diftincl: 
varieties.  In  this  uncertainty  with  regard  to 
ipecies  and  variety,  we  thought  it  belt  to  treat 
of  the  whole  under  one  article,  affigningto  each, 
however,  a  proper  name.  The  firft  of  thefe  ani- 
mals is  the  common  gazelle ,  or  Barbary  anti- 
lope  t»  which  is  found  in  Syria,  Mefopotamia, 
and  other  provinces  of  the  Levant,   as  well  as  in 

Barbary, 

*  In  Arabic  Gaza/,  a  generic  name  applied  to  feveral  fpe- 
cies of  animals. 

f  The  horns  of  the  Barbary  antilope  are  twelve  inches 
long,  round,  inclining  firft  backward,  bending  in  the  middle, 
and  then  reverting  forward  at  their  ends,  and  annulated  with, 
about  thirteen  rings  on  their  lower  part.  The  upper  fide  of 
the  body  is  of  a  reddifh  brown  colour ;  the  lower  part  and 
buttocks  are  white.  Along  the  (ides,  the  two  colours  are  fe- 
parated  from  each  other  by  a  ltrong  dufky  line.  On  each, 
knee  there  is  a  tuft  of  hair  ;  Pennant's  Synopf.  of  quad.  p.  33. 

Gazella  Africana,  cornibus  brevioribus,  ab  imoadfummum 
fere  annulatis  et  circa  medium  innexis  ;    Raii  SympJ.  quad.  p.  8c 

Capra  dorca,  cornibus  teretibus,  perfecle  annulatis,  recur- 
vatis,  contonis  ;  Linn.  Syjl.  Nat.  p.  96. 

Algazel  ex  Africa  ;  Hernand.  H:j}.  Mexic.    p.  893. 

Hircus  cornibus  teretibus,  arcuatis,  ab  imo  adiummumfere 
annulatis,  apice  tantummodo  levi  .  .  Gazella  Africana ;. 
La  Gazelle  d'Afrique  ;  Brijjon,  quad.  p.  45. 

Dorcas,  Dorcades  Libycae  ventre  funt  albo,  qui  color  cis 
ad  laparas  ufque  adfcendit,  ad  ventrem  vero  utiiuque  latera 
nigris  vittis  dillinguuntur  ;  reliqui  corporis  color  rtlfus  auC 
fiavus  eft,  et  pedes  quidem  eis  longi  funt,  ocuii  nigri,  cornibus 
caput  ornatur,  et  ior.gi'umas  aures  habent  ;  Elian,  dt  ■  .. 
auim.lib.  14.  cap.  14. 


393  THE     A  N  T  I  L  O  P  E  S, 

Barbary,  and  In  all  the  northern  parts  of  Africa. 
The  horns   of  this  antilope  are  about  a  foot  in 
length.  They  have  entire  rings  at  their  bafe,  and 
then  half  rings  till  within   a  fmall  diftance  from 
the  extremities,  which  are  fmooth  and  pointed. 
They  are  not    only  furrounded  with  rings,  but 
furrowed   longitudinally.     The  rings  mark  the 
years  of  growth,  and  they  are  commonly  from 
twelve  to  thirteen  in  number.       The   antilopes 
in  general,  and  this  fpecies  in  particular,  have  a 
crreat  refemblance  to  the  roebuck  in  hVure,  na- 
tural  functions,  nimblenefs  of  movement,  viva- 
city, largenefs   of  the    eyes,    &c.     And,    as  the 
roebuck  exifts    not   in  the    countries   inhabited 
by  the  antilope,  we  would  atfirft  be  led  to  con- 
clude, that  it  is  only  a   degenerated   roebuck,   or 
that  the   roebuck  is  an    antilope  whole   nature 
has  been  changed   by  the  effects  of  climate  and 
food.     But  the  antilopes  differ  from  the  roebuck 
in  the  fubflance  of  their  horns.     Thofe    of  the 
roebuck  are  a  kind  of  folid  ivpod,  which  falls  off 
and  is    renewed  annually,   like  that  of  the  ftag. 
The  horns  of  the  antilopes,  on  the  contrary,  are 
hollow  and  permanent,    like  thofe  of  the  goat. 
Befides,  the  roebuck  has   no  gall-bladder.     The 
antilopes,  as  well  as  the  roebucks,    have  hollows 
before  the  eyes.     They  refcmble  each  other  ftill 
more  in  the  quality   of  the  hair,    in  the    white- 
nefs  of  the  buttocks,  and  in   the  tufts  on   their1 
legs:  but,  in  the  roebuck,  thefe  tufts  are  on  the 
hind-legs,  and  on  the  fore  legs  of  the  antilopes. 
Hence    the   antilopes    feem  to  be    intermediate 

animals 


OF     GAZELLES.  399 

animals  between  the  roebuck  and  goat.  But, 
when  it  is  confidered  that  the  roebuck  exifts  e- 
oually  in  both  Continents,  and  that  the  goats, 
as  well  as  the  antilopes,  are  peculiar  to  the  Old 
Yvrorld,  we  are  led  to  think,  that  the  goats  and 
antilopes  are  more  allied  to  each  other  than  they 
are  to  the  roebuck.  Belides,  the  onlv  characters 
peculiar  to  the  antilopes  are  the  tranfverfe  rings 
and  longitudinal  furrows  on  the  horns;  the  tufts 
of  hair  on  the  fore-legs ;  a  thick  and  well  de- 
fined band  of  black,  brown,  or  reddifh  hairs  be- 
low the  flanks;  and,  lallly,  three  flripes  of 
whitifh  hairs,  which  extend  longitudinally  up- 
on the  internal  furfaceof  the  ears  *. 

The 

'  Algazel  ex  Africa,  animal  exoticum  ...  ex  Africa  Nea- 
polim  mi fiu m  ;  magnitudine  Capreae,  Capreoli  dicli,  cui  toto 
liabitu  prima  facie  fimile,  nifi  quodcornibus  nulli  magis  quam 
hirco  fimiliori'ous  fit  praeditum.  .  .  Pilo  eft  brevi,  levi,  flavi- 
cante,  at  in  ventre  et  lateribus  candicante,  ficut  in  internis  fe- 
morum  et  brachiorum,  illoque  capreolo  molliori.  Aititudo 
illias  in  pofterioribus,  quae,  fublimiora  funt  anterioribus  tibiis, 
tres  fpithamas  aequat.  Corpus  obefius,  et  collum  craflnis 
habet ;  cruribus  et  tibiis  admodum  gracile  :  Ungulis  bifulcis 
admodum  diifeclis,  illifque  tenuibus,  et  hircinis  oblongioribus, 
et  acutioribus  iimilitudine  alces,  et  nigricantibus.  Caudani 
habet  dodrantem  fere  pilofam,  hircinam,  et  a  medio  ulque  ad 
extremum  nigrefcentem,  .  .  Hilaris  afpec^u  facics  ;  oculi 
magni,  nigri,  lucidi,  laeti ;  aures  longae,  magnae,  patulae^  in 
profpectu  eiatae,  illaeque  intus  canaliculatae  quinquefido  flii- 
gium  ordine  nigricante,  extumentibus  circa  illas  ftriis  pilolis 
candicantibus,  et  linea  tenui  circumduct.  .  •  Cornua  pe- 
dem  Romanum  longa,  retrorfum  inclinata,  hircina,  ex  nigro 
callaneo  colore  cochleatim  ftriata,  et  interno  iitu  ad  invicem 
jinuata,  et  poft  dilatationem  reflexa,  atque  deinde  in  extremo 
parum  acie  refupinata.     .     .     Nafus  colore  magis  rufo,  ficuti 


ex 


4oo  THE     ANTILOPES, 

The  fecond  antilope  is  found  in  Senegal, 
where,  according  to  Mr  Adanfon,'  it  is  called 
kevel*.  It  is  lefs  than  the  common  kind,  and 
is  nearly  of  the  fize  of  our  fmall  roebucks.  Its 
eyes  are  alfo  larger  than  thofe  of  the  gazelle,  and 
its  horns,  inftead  of  being  round,  are  flattened 
on  the  fides.  This  compreffion  of  the  horns 
proceeds  not  from  a  difference  of  fex  ;  for,  in 
both  males  and  females,  the  horns  of  the  one 
fpecies  are  round,  and  of  the  other  flat.  In  every 
other  article,  the  refemblance  is  complete.  The 
kevel,  like  the  gazelle,  has  fhort  yellow  hair, 
a  white  belly  and  thighs,  a  black  tail,  a  brown 
band  under  the  flanks,  three  white  itripes  on  the 
ears,  black  horns  furrounded  with  rings,  longi- 
tudinal furrows  between  the  rings,  &c.  The 
number  of  thefe  rings,  however,  is  greater  in  the 
kevel  than  in  the  gazelle  ;  for  the  latter  has  ge- 
nerally twelve  or  thirteen,  and  the  former  at 
lead  fourteen,  and  often  eighteen. 

The 

ex  oculis  parallelo  ordine  linca  nigricans  dependet  ad  os  uf- 
que,  reliquiscandicantibus.  Nares  et  iabia,  os  et  iingua  ni« 
grefcunt,  quod  fatis  dum  ruminabat  obfervavimus  ;  dentibus, 
ovium  modo,  exiguis  et  vis  conipicuis  ;  vocem  edit  non  abfi- 
milem  fuillae.  Fab.  Columnae,  Annot.  et  Addit.  in  rerum 
Med.  nov.  Hifp.  Nardi.  Ant.  Recchi.  .  .  Hernaud.  kljl.  Msxt 
p.  893.  et  894. 

*  The  horns  of  the  kevel,  or  fLtt-horned  antilope,  are 
fhaped  like  thofe  of  the  laft,  but  flatted  on  their  fides.  The 
rings  are  more  numerous,  being  from  fourteen  to  eighteen. 
It  is  of  the  fize  of  the  roebuck  ;  and  in  colours  and  marks  re- 
fembles  the  preceding  fpecies  ;  Pennants  Sympf.  of  'quad;  p.  \  \, 

Antilope  kevella  ;    Pallas,  Mi/cell. Sj.Jjucili  11. 


OR     GAZELLES.  4oi 

The  third  antilope  we  (hall  denominate  corbie*, 
from  the  name  korin,  which  it  bears,  according 
to  M.  Adanfon,  in  Senegal.  It  has  a  great  re- 
femblance  to  the  gazelle  and  kevel.  But  it  is 
ftill  fmaller  than  the  kevel,  and  its  horns  are 
thinner,  fhorter,  and  fmoother,  the  rings  which 
encircle  them  being  hardly  perceptible.  M* 
Adanfon,  who  communicated  to  me  his  defcrip- 
tion  of  this  animal,  fays,  that  it  appeared  to  par~ 
take  fomewhat  of  the  chamois  goat,  but  that  it 
was  much  fmaller,  being  only  two  feet  and  a 
half  long,  and  lefs  than  two  feet  high  ;  that  his 
ears  are  four  inches  and  a  half  in  length,  the  tail 
three  inches,  the  horns  fix  inches,  long,  and  on- 
ly half  an  inch  thick  ;  that  they  are  two  inches 
afimder  at  the  bafe,  and  from  five  to  fix  at  their 
extremities ;  that,  innead  of  rings,  they  have  cir- 
cular rugae,  very  near  each  other  in  the  inferior 
part,  and  more  diftant  in  the  fuperior;  that  theie 
rugae,  which  hold  the  place  of  rings,  are  about 
fixteen  in  number  ;  that  the  hair  of  this  animalf 
which  is  ihort,  Alining,  and  clofe  fet,  is  yellow 
on  the  back  and  flanks,  white  on  the  belly  and 

Vol.  VI.  C  c  the 

*  The  corine,  or  fpotted  antilope,  has  very  (lender  horns, 
fix  inches  long,  and  furrounded  with  circular  rugae.  It  is 
lefs  than  a  roebuck.  Qn  each  fide  of  the  face  there  is  a  white 
line.  The  neck,  bod)',  and  flanks,  are  tawny  j  the  belly  and 
infide  of  the  thighs  white,  which  is  feparated  from  the  fides 
by  a  dark  line.  On  the  knees  there  is  a  tuft  of  hair.  Some 
are  irregularly  fpotted  with  white.  Perhaps  thefe  are  the 
fpotted  goats  of  Kolben,  torn.  2.  p.  115.;  Pennant,  Synopf,  of 
quad,  /-.  37. 


402  THE   ANTILOPES, 

the  infide  of  the  thighs;  that  the  tail  is  black  ; 
and  that,  in  the  fame  fpecies,  fome  individuals 
have  white  fpcts  fcattered  over  their  bodies 
without  any  order. 

Thefe  differences  between  the  gazelle,  the 
kevel,  and  the  korine,  though  very  confpicuous, 
feem  to  be  neither  effential,  nor  fufficient  to 
make  thefe  animals  three  diftinel:  fpecies.  In 
every  other  refpeel,  they  refemble  each  other  io 
ftrongly,  that  they  appear  to  be  of  the  fame  fpe- 
cies, varied  a  little  by  the  influence  of  climate 
and  food  ;  for  the  kevel  and  gazelle  differ  lefs 
from  one  another  than  from  the  corine,  whofe 
horns  refemble  not  thofe  of  the  other  two.  But 
all  the  three  have  the  fame  natural  habits  ;  they 
go  in  troops,  afibciate  together,  and  feed  in  the 
fame  manner  ;  their  difpofitions  are  gentle  ;  they 
are  eafily  accuftomed  to  a  domeftic  ftate  ;  and 
their  flefti  makes  excellent  eating.  We  may, 
therefore,  conclude,  that  the  gazelle  and  kevel 
certainly  belong  to  the  fame  fpecies,  and  that  it 
is  doubtful  whether  the  corine  be  a  variety  only 
of  the  fame,  or  really  conftitutes  a  diftinel:  fpe- 
cies. 

In  the  royal  cabinet,  there  are  fpoils,  either 
entire  or  partial,  of  thefe  three  analopes.  We 
have  likewife  a  horn,  which  greatly  refembles 
thofe  of  the  gazelle  and  kevel,  but  it  is  much  lar- 
ger. This  horn  is  alfo  engraven  by  Aldrovan- 
dus  *.    Its  thicknefs  and  length  feem  to  indicate 


an 


*  Lib.  i.  de  bifulcis,  cap.  21. 


OR     GAZELLES. 


403 


an  animal  of  greater  magnitude  than  the  com- 
mon antilope  ;  and  I  imagine  it  belongs  to  an 
antilope  called  tzelran  by  the  Turks,  and  ahu 
by  the  Perfians.  This  animal,  fays  Olearius  *, 
has  fome  refemblance  to  the  fallow-deer,  ex- 
cept that  it  is  reddiih,  inftead  of  yellow  j  that 
its  horns  have  no  antlers,  and  lie  on  the  back, 
&c.     According  to   Gmelin  |>  who   mentions 

C  c   2  this 

*  We  faw  daily  great  numbers  of  a  fpecies  of  ftag,  called 
Tzeiran  by  the  Turks,  and  Ahu  by  the  Perfians.  They  had 
fome  refemblances  to  our  fallow  deer ;  but  they  were  rather 
reddifh  than  yellow,  and  their  horns  want  antlers,  and  lie  on 
the  back.  They  are  exceedingly  fwift,  and  are  only  found, 
according  to  our  information,  in  the  province  of  Mokau,  and 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Scamachia,  Karraback,  and  Mer- 
rage  ;  Relation  d'  Oleariuj,    torn.  1.  p.  413. 

•f  I  was  ihown  a  kind  of  deer,  called  dfocren  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  country.  It  refembled  the  roebuck,  except  that 
it  had  tb,e  horns  of  a  wild  he-goat,  which  never  fall  otf. 
What  is  Angular  in  this  animal,  that,  in  proportion  as  his 
horns  grow,  the  lize  of  the  larynx,  or  pomum  Adami,  augments ; 
fo  that,  when  old,  he  has  a  conhderable  fwelling  on  his  throat. 
Dr  MefTerfchmid  aflerts  that  this  roebuck  has  an  abfolute 
averfion  to  water.  But  the  inhabitants  of  Tongus  aifured 
me,  that,  when  hunted,  he  often  takes  to  the  water,  in  order 
to  make  his  efcape  ;  and  Brigadier  Bucholz,  at  Selenginfck, 
told  me,  that  he  had  tamed  one  completely  ;  that  it  iollowed 
his  fervant  when  fwimming  ;  and  that  it  often  went  to  an, 
ifland  in  the  river  Selinga,  which  it  never  would  have  done, 
if  it  had  a  natural  averlion  to  water.  Thefe  roebucks  are  as 
fwift  as  the  faigas  on  the  borders  of  the  Irtis  ;  Voyage  de  M. 
Gmelin  en  Siberis,  torn.  2.  p.  103. — M.  Gmelin  has  iince  given 
a  more  complete  defcription  of  this  animal,  in  the  New  Pe- 
terlburg  Memoirs,  under  the  appellation  of  Caprea  Campeftris 
gutturofa,  of  which  the  following  is  an  abridgment  : — This 
animal  refembles  the  roebuck  in  figure,  fize,  colour,  and  man- 

ner 


404         THE   ANT  I  LOPES, 

this  animal  under  the  name  of  dfljeren^  it  re- 
fembles  the  roebuck,  except  in  its  horns,  which, 
like  thole  of  the  wild  he-goat,  are  hollow,  and 
never  fall  off.  This  author  adds,  that,  in  pro- 
portion as  the  horns  grow,  the  cartilage  of  the 
larynx  enlarges,  and  forms  a  confiderable  pro- 
minence when  the  animal  is  old.  According 
to  Kempfer  *,  the  figure  of  the  ahu  differs  not 

from 

ner  of  going.  .  .  It  has  no  cutting  teeth  in  the  upper  jaw. 
The  male  differs  from  the  female  by  having  horns  and  a  pro- 
tuberance on  the  throat.  The  horns  are  fomewhat  compref- 
{td  at  the  bafe.  They  have  rings  for  a  great  part  of  their 
length  ;  they  are  fmooth  at  the  points  ;  and  they  are  blackiih, 
but  perfectly  black  at  the  extremities.  They  are  permanent, 
and  ihed  not,  like  thofe  of  the  roebuck.  .  .  .  Upon  the  throat 
of  the  male,  there  is  a  large  protuberance  of  five  inches  in 
length,  and  three  in  breadth  :  It  is  fmaller  when  the  animals 
are  young,  and  is  not  perceptible  till  they  are  near  a  year 
old.  Its  growth  keeps  pace  with  that  of  the  horns.  .  .  This 
protuberance  is  occafioned  by  the  llruclure  of  the  larynx  and 
the  orifice  of  the  trachea,  which  are  very  large.  .  .  The  fe- 
male is  perfectly  fimilar  to  the  female  roe.  .  .  .  This  animal 
differs  from  the  Ibex  hnberbis,  or  faioa.  The  nofe  of  the  iaiga 
is  large  and  fplit  like  that  of  the  ram  ;  but  the  nofe  of  this  a- 

nimal   is  entire  and  pointed,  l'-ke  that  of  the  roebuck 

The  Monguls,  and  even  the  Ruffians,  call  the  male  dferen,  and 
the  female  ona,  &c.  ;  Nov.  Comment-  Acad.  Petropol.  torn.  5.  p. 
347. — The  Secretary  to  the  Peterfburg  Academy  adds,  that, 
in  the  manufcripts  of  MelTerichmid,  this  animal  is  mentioned 
under  the  names  of  ohna,  dferen,  and  fcharchoefchi  ;   Id  p.  $6. 

*  Ipfum  animal  (Ahu)  a  cervis  nihil  habet  diffimile  praeter 
barbam,  et  cornua  non  ramofa  quibus  fe  caprino  generi  adfo- 
eiat  ;  cornua  funt  fimplicia,  atra,  rotundis  annulis  ultra  me- 
dium ufque  longitudinem  diftin&a,  levia  et  quaii  ad  modulum 
tornata  ;  in  mari  quidem  furrecla,  pedalis  longitudinis,  in 
medio  levi  arcu  disjuncla,  faltigiis  reclis  mutuo  utcunque  im- 

minentibus ; 


OR     GAZELLES.  405 

from  that  of  the  flag  :  But  he  approaches  to  the 
goats  by  his  horns,  which  are  iimple,  black,  and 
encircled  with  rings,  for  more  than  one  half  of 
their  length,  &c. 

Some  other  travellers  *  have  likewife  men- 
tioned this  fpecies  of  antilope  under  the  name 
of  geiran  or  jairan,  which,  as  well  as  djljereny 
may  be  eafily  referred  to  the  original  name 
tzeiran.  This  antilope  is  common  in  South 
Tartary,  in  Perfia,  and  Teems  alio  to  be  found 
in  the  Eaft  Indies  ")". 

To  thefe  four  fpecies  or  races  of  antilopes,  we 
may  add  other  two,  which  have  a  great  refem- 
blance   to   them.     The  firit  is  called  Koba  ±  in 

C  c  3  Senegal, 

minentibus  ;  in  foemina  vero  praeparva  veil  nulla;  Koeinpfert 
a?)ioenitates,  p.  404. — Note.  The  defcriptions  here  given  by 
Koempfer  of  the  pafen  and  ahu,  correipond  not  with  the  figure;:. 
*  Upon  the  route  from  Tauris  to  Kom,  we  faw  a  kind  of 
wild  animals,  whofe  flefh  was  good,  and  the  Perfians  called 
them  gelrar.i  or  garzelles  ;  Voyage  de  Gemelli  Careri,  torn.  2.  p, 
63. — In  the  deferts  of  Mefopotamia,  there  are  vait  number:; 
of  antilopes,  which  the  Turks  call  Jairain  ;  Voyage  de  laBoul- 
/aye- Is- Gouz,  p.  247. 

f  In  the  forefts  of  Guzarat,  every  kind  of  game,  or  veni- 
fon,  abounds,  particularly  fallow-deer,  roebucks,  chui>  and 
wild  affes  ;    Voyage  de  Manddflo>  torn.  2.  p.  1 9  J. 

%  The  horns  of  the  Koba,  or  Senegal  antilope,  are  almoft 
clofe  at  the  bale,  and  bend  out  greatly  a  little  above;  the/ 
approach  again  towards  the  ends,  and  recede  from  each  other 
towards  the  points  which  bend  backwards.  The  diltance  in 
the  middle  is  fix  inches  and  a  half,  above  that,  four  inches, 
at  the  points  fix.  The  length  of  the  horns  is  feventeen  inches, 
and  the  circumference  at  the  bottom  eight.  They  are  fur^ 
rounded  with   fifteen    prominent    rings,    and  the   ends   are 

fmooth 


406  THEANTILOPES, 

Senegal,  where  the  French  give  it  the  denomi- 
nation of  the  great   broivn  coiv.     The  fecond, 
which   we   ihall  call  Kob  *,   is   alfo  a  native  of 
Senegal,  and  called  the  J  mall  broivn  coiv  by  the 
French.    The  horns  of  the  kob  have  a  great  re- 
iemblance   to  thofe   of  the  gazelle   and   kevel. 
But  the  form  of  the  head  is  different ;  the  muzzle 
is  longer,  and  there  are  no  pits  under  the  eyes. 
The  koba   is  much  larger  than  the  koh.     The 
latter   is   about   the   fize  of  a  fallow-deer  ;   and 
the   former   is   as   large  as  the  flag.     From  the 
information  of  M.  Adanfon,  it  appears,  that  the 
koba  is  five  fee:  long  from  the  extremity  of  the 
muzzle  to  the  origin  of  the  tail  ;  that  the  head 
is   fifteen   inches   long,   the  ears  nine,  and  the 
horns  from  nineteen   to  twenty  ;  and  that  the 
horns  are  compreffed  on  the  fides,  and  furround- 
ed  with  eleven  or  twelve  rings  ;   whilft  thole  of 
the  kob  have  only  eight  or  nine  rings,  and  ex- 
ceed not  a  foot  in  length. 

The 

fmooth  and  fliarp.      The  head  is  large  and  elqaify,    being 
eighteen  inches  in  length  ;  the  ears   are  feven  inches  long. 
The  head  and  body  are  of  a  light  reddiih  brown.     Down  the 
hind  part  of  the  neck,  there  is  a  narrow  black  lift.  The  rump 
is  a  dirty  white.     On  each  knee,  and  above  the  fetlock,  there 
is   a  dulky  mark.     The  hoofs  are  fmail.     The  tail  is  a  foot 
long,  covered  with  coarfe  black  hairs,  which  hang  far  beyond 
the  end.     The  length  of  the  whole  fkin,  which  I  bought  at 
Amfterdam,  was  feven  feet  ;  Pwnanfs  Synopf  of  quad.  p.  38. 
*  The  horns  of  the  kob,  or  Gambian  antilope,  are  thirteen 
inches  long,  five  inches  and  a  half  round  at  the  bottom,  very 
diftant  in  the  middle,  and  pretty  clofe  at  the  bafe  and  points, 
They    are    furrounded   with   eight  or  nine  rings,    and  are 
fmooth  at  their  upper  part  j  Pennant'}  Synopf  of  quad.  p.  39. 


OR    GAZELLES.  407 

The  feventh  antilope  is  found  in  the  Levant, 
and  ftill  more  commonly  in  Egypt  *  and  in  A- 
rabia.  We  fhall  call  it  by  its  Arabian  name, 
Algazel  |.  The  figure  of  this  animal  is  nearly 
the  fame  with  that  of  the  other  antilopes,  and  it 
is  about  the   fize   of  the  fallow  deer.     But  its 

horns 

*  Gazella  Indica  cornibus  retfis,  longiffimis,  nigris,  props 
caput  tantum  annularis  ;  cornua  tres  propemodum  pedes 
longa,  refta,  prope  imum  feu  bafin  tantum  circulis  feu  an- 
'  nulis  eminentibus  cincla,  reliqua  parte  tota  glabra  et  nigri- 
cantia.  Animal  ipfum  ad  cervi  platycerotis,  Damae  vulgo 
difti,  magnitudinem  accedit,  pilo  cinereo,  cauda  pedtm  cir- 
citer  longa,  pilis  longis  innafcentibus  hirta.  Haec  D.  Tancred 
Robin/on,  e  pefle  animalis  fuffulta  in  regiae  focietatis  mufeo 
fufpenfa.  Caeterum  hujus  animalis  cornua  pluries  vidimus 
in  mufeis  curiolbrum  ;  Rait fyn.  quad.  p.  79.  Note.  Naturaliits 
have  improperly  applied  the  appellation  of  hidian  antitype  to 
this  fpecies.  It  will  afterwards  appear,  from  the  evidence  of 
travellers,  that  it  is  only  found  in  Egypt,  Arabia,  and  the 
Levant. 

Gazellae  quibus  Egyptus  abundat ;  Pro/per  Alp.  Hijl.  Egypt, 
p.  232. 

f  The  bezoar  antilope  lias  very  long,  flender,  upright 
horns,  bending  at  the  upper  part  inward  towards  each  other ; 
fome  of  them  are  much  annulated,  others  fmoother.  It  is  of 
the  fize  of  a  goat,  and  is  red,  mixed  with  afh-colour.  It  in- 
habits the  inhofpitable  and  rough  mountains  of  Laar  in  Per- 
lia,  and  is  one  of  the  animals  which  produce  the  bezoar ; 
Pennant's  Synopf.  of  quad.  p.  26. 

Pafen,  capiicerva;  Kejnpftr.  Atnoen.  cxot.p.  398. 

Cornu  ignotum  ;   Gefner,  quad.  p.  309. 

La  Gazelle  ;  Belon.  Obfsrv.  p.  120./  Alpin.  Hift.  Egypt,  torn. 
I.  p.  232.  tab.  14. 

Animal  bezoarticum ;  Rati  Synopf.  quad.  p.  80. 

La  gazelle  du  bezoar;  Brijpm>  quad.  p.  54. 

Capra  bezoartica,  cornibus  teretibus,  arcuatis,  totis  annu* 
'aribus,  gula  barbata ;  Linn.  fyjl.  nat.  p.  96. 


408  THE  ANTILOPES, 

horns  are  very  long,  pretty  thin,  and  they  bend 
little  till  toward  their  extremities.  They  are 
black  and  almoft  fmooth,  the  rings  being  very 
flight,  except  near  the  bale,  where  they  are  bet- 
ter marked.  They  are  near  three  feet  in  length, 
while  thofe  of  the  gazelle  or  common  antilope 
exceed  not  one  foot  ;  thofe  of  the  kevel  are 
fourteen  or  fifteen  inches  ;  and  thofe  of  the  co- 
rine  are  only  fix  or  feven  inches. 

The  eighth  animal  is  commonly  called  the  he- 
zoar  antilope  *;  and  it  is  denominated  Pa/on  by 
the  eaftern  nations,  which  lait  name  we  mail 
preferve.  The  horns  of  this  antilope  are  very 
well  reprefented  in  the  German  Ephemerides  f, 

and 

The  Egyptian  antilope  has  flraight  {lender  horns,  near 
three  feet  long,  and  annulated.  At  their  bafe,  there  is  a  tri- 
angular black  foot,  bounded  on  each  fide  with  white.  A 
black  line  extends  from  the  neck  to  the  loins.  The  neck, 
back,  and  fides,  are  of  a  dark  gray  colour.  The  breaft  and 
belly  are  white.  The  tail  is  about  two  feet  long,  terminated 
with  black  hairs.  The  length  of  the  whole  fkin  is  fix  feet ; 
Pennanf  s  fynopf.  of  quad.  p.  25. 

Gazella  Indica  cornibus  reiflis,  longilTimis,  nigris,  prope 
caput  tantum  annulatis  ;  Rail  fynopf.  quad.  p.  79. 

Capra  gazella,  cornibus  teretibus,  recliffimis,  longiffimis, 
bad  annulatis;  Linn.  fyjl.  nat.  p.  96. 

La  gazelle  des  Indes  ;  Briffon,  quad.  p.  43. 

f   Miffum  mihi   Hamburgo   his   diebus  fuit  ab  amico 

Schellamero cornu capri   Bezoardici. Longitu- 

dinc  et  facie  qua  hie  depingitur,  durum  ac  rigidum,  fibris 
reclis  per  longitudinem  cornu  excurrentibus  tanquam  callis 
(nefcio  an  aetatis  indicibus)  ad  medium  circiter,  ubi  fenfum 
elanguefcunt  quafi,  aut  planiores  redduntur,  exafperatum  ; 
mtus   cavu m,    pendens   uncias    0^0   cum   duabus    drachmis. 

Jacobus 


OR     GAZELLES.  409 

and  the  figure  of  it  is  given  by  Koempfer  *.  But, 
in  this  figure,   the  horns  are  neither  fufficiently 
long  nor  ftraight.     Befides,  his  defcription  is  by 
no  means  exact  ;  for  he  fays  that  this  bezoar  a- 
nimal  has  a  beard  like  the  he-goat,  though  he 
has   given  it   no   beard  in  his  figure  ;   which  is 
more  confonant  to  truth,  the   want  of  a  beard 
being  the  chief  characleriftic  by  which  the  anti- 
lopes  are  diftinguifhed  from  the  goats.   This  an- 
tilope  is  of  the  fize  of  our  domeftic  he-goat,  and 
it  refembles  the  flag  in  figure,  colour,  and  agili- 
ty.    Befide  two  feparate  horns,   we  have  feen  a 
head  of  this  animal  to  which  the  horns  were  at- 
tached.    The   horns  engraven  in  Aldrovandus's 
work  have  a  great  refemblance  to  thofe  of  the 
pafan.     In  general,   the   algazel  and  pafan  feem 
to   be   very   near  allied.     They  likewife  belong 
to  the  fame   climate,   and  are  found  in  the  Le- 
vant, Egypt,  Perfia,  Arabia,  &c.     But  the  alga- 
zel inhabits  the  plains,  and  the  pafan  the  moun- 
tains.    The  flefh  of  both  is  excellent. 

The  ninth  antilope  is  an  animal,  which,  accor- 
ding to  M.  Adanfon,  is  called  Nangueur  or  Nan- 

guer 

Jacobus  Bontius   (lib.  I.  de  med.  Indorum,  notis  ad  cap. 

45.).  Videtur  figurae  Bezoardici  cormi  mei  propius  accedere 
dum  ita  fcribit  :  '  Caprae  iftae  non  abfimiles  valde  funt  capris 
*  Europaeis,  nifi  quod  habeant  eredra  ac  longiora  cornua,' 
&c.  De  cornu  capri  Bezoardici  ;  Obf.  Jo.  Dan.  Majoris  E- 
phemer.  ann.  8. 

*   Koempfer,  Amoenitates,  p.  398. In  Perfia,  this  kind 

of  antilope  is  very  numerous,  and  is  called  Bazar?,  and  the 
ftone  itfelf  Bazar  ;  Voyage  de  la  Ctmpagnk  des  Indes  de  Hollandc, 
torn.  2.  p.  izi. 


410  THE  ANTILOPES, 

gtier  in  Senegal  *,  It  is  three  feet  and  a  half 
in  length,  and  two  feet  and  a  half  in  height. 
It  is  of  the  figure  and  colour  of  a  roebuck,  be- 
ing yellow  on  the  upper  part  of  the  body,  white 
on  the  belly  and  thighs,  with  a  white  fpot  under 
the  neck.  Its  horns  are  permanent,  like  thofe  of 
the  other  antilopes,  and  they  exceed  not  fixorfe- 
ven  inches  in  length.  They  are  black  and  round  ; 
but,  what  is  fingular,  they  bend  forward  at  the 
points,  nearly  in  the  fame  manner  as  thofe  of 
the  chamois  goat  bend  backward.  The  nanguer, 
or  fwift  antilope,  is  a  very  handfome  animal, 
and  eafily  tamed.  All  thefe  characters,  and 
chiefly  that  of  the  horns  bending  forward,  in- 
cline me  to  think  that  the  nanguer  may  be  the 
dama  or  fallow  deer  of  the  ancients.  '  Cornua 
*  rupicapris  in  dorfum  adunca,  damis  in  adver- 
lum,'  fays  Pliny  t-  Now,  the  nanguers  are  the 
only  animals  whofe  horns  are  bended  in  this 
manner  ;  we  may  therefore  prefume,  that  the 
nanguer  of  Africa  is  the  dama  of  the  ancients, 
eipecially  as  we  learn  from  another  paiTage  of 

Pliny, 

*  The  Swift  antilope  lias  round  horns,  eight  inches  long, 
and  reverted  at  their  ends.  The  length  of  the  animal  is 
three  feet  ten  inches,  the  height  two  feet  eight  inches.  The 
general  colour  is  tawny.  The  belly,  lower  part  of  the  fides, 
rump,  and  thighs,  are  white.  On  the  fore  part  of  the  neck, 
there  is  a  white  fpot.     But  this  fpecies  varies  in  colour. 

Dama  ;  P\i nil  lib.  n.  c.  37. 

Cemas  ;  Elian.  An.  lib.  14.  c.  14. 

Antilope  dama  ;  Pallas  Mifcell.  5.  fpictl.  8. 

f  Hift.  Nat.  lib.  11.  cap.  37. 


OR    GAZELLES.         411 

Pliny*,  that  the  dama  was  found  only  in  Africa. 
In  fine,  from  the  teftimony  of  other  ancient  au- 
thors f,  we  fee  that  the  dama  was  a  timid,  gentle 
animal,  and  had  no  other  refources  but  in  the 
fwiftnefs  of  its  courfe.  The  animal  defcribed 
and  engraven  by  Caius,  under  the  name  of  dama 
Plhiii,  being  found,  according  to  the  teftimony 
of  the  fame  author,  in  the  North  of  Great  Bri- 
tain and  in  Spain,  could  not  be  the  dama  of 
Pliny,  fince  he  tells  us  that  it  was  only  to  be 
met  with  in  Africa  J.  Befides,  the  animal  drawn 
by  Cains  has  a  beard  like  a  goat ;  but  none  of 
the  ancients  mention  the  dama  as  having  a  beard. 
Hence  I  am  led  to  think,  that  the  dama  defcri- 
bed by  Caius  is  only  a  goat,  whofe  horns  being 
a  little  bended  at  the  points,  like  thofe  of  the 
common  antilope,  made  him  imagine  it  to  be 
the  dama  of  the  ancients.  Befides,  the  horns 
bended  forward,  which  is  the  diftinguifhing  cha- 
racter of  the  dama  of  the  ancients,  are  well  mark- 
ed in  the  nanguer  of  Africa  only.  We  are  like- 
wife  informed  by  M.  Adanfon,  that  there  are  three 

varieties 

*  Sunt  et  damae,  et  pygargi,  et  ftrepficerotes. Hacc 

tranfmarini  fitus  mittunt ;  Hijl.  Nat.  lib.  8.  cap.  5$. 

f  Horace,  Virgil,  Martial,    &c. 

\  Haec  icon  Damae  ell  quam  ex  caprarum  genere  indicat 
pilus,  aruncus,  figura  corporis  atque  cornua,  nifi  quod  his  in 
adverfum  adunca,  cum  caeteris  in  averfum  acta  fint.     Caprae 

magnitudine  eft  dama  et  colore  Dorcadis Eft  amicus 

quidam  meus  Anglus,  qui  mini  certa  fide  retulit  in  partibus 
Britanniae  feptentrionalibus  earn  reperiri,  fed  adventitiam, 
Vidit  is  apud  nobilem  quemdam  cui  dono  dabatur ;  accepi 
a  quibufdam  earn  in  Hifpania  nafci ;  Caius  et  Gefner,  bifi.  quad. 


4i2         THEANTILOPES, 

varieties  of  thofe  nanguers,  which  differ  only 
in  colour;  but  all  their  horns  are  more  more  or 
lefs  bended  forward. 

The  tenth  gazelle  is  an  animal  very  common 
in  Barbary  and  Mauritania,  and  is  called  the 
antilope*  by  the  Britifh,  which  name  I  mall  pre- 
ferve.  It  is  of  the  fize  of  our  largeft  roebucks. 
Though  it  has  a  great  refemblance  to  the  gazelle 
and  kevel ;  yet  it  differs  in  fo  many  characters, 
that  it  ought  to  be  regarded  as  a  diftincl:  fpecies. 
The  pits  below  the  eyes  are  larger  in  the  anti- 
lope  than  in  the  gazelle.  Its  horns  are  almoft 
fourteen  inches  long ;  and,  though  they  near- 
ly touch  at  the  bafe,  yet  their  points  are  fif- 
teen or  fixteen  inches  afunder.  They  are  fur- 
rounded  with  rings  and   half  rings,  which  are 

lefs 

*  The  common  antilope  has  upright  horns,  twilled  fpirally, 
and  furrounded  almoft  to  the  top  with  prominent  rings  : 
They  are  about  fixteen  inches  long,  and  twelve  inches  distant 
between  point  and  point.  In  fize,  it  is  rather  lefs  than  the 
fallow  deer  or  buck.  The  colour  is  brown  mixed  with  red, 
and  dufky.  The  belly  and  infide  of  the  thighs  are  white. 
The  tail  is  fhort,  black  above,  and  white  beneath.  The  fe- 
males want  horns  ;  Pennant's  Synopf.  of  quad.  p.  32. 

Strepficeros  ;   Pliriu  Nifl.  nat.   lib.  8.  c.  53.   &  lib.  II.  c.  37. 

Gazelle  ;  Mem. pour  ftrvir  a  Vhift.  des  animaux,  part.  I.  p.  95. 

fig'  \  1- 

Gazella  Africana,  the  antilope  ;  Rail  Synopf.  quad.  p.  79. 

Hircus  cornibus  teretibus,  dimidiato  annulatis,  bis  arcuatis; 
Brijjon.  quad.  p.  44. 

Tragus  ftrepficeros  ;   Klein,  quad.  p.  1 8. 

Capra  cervicapra,  cornibus  teretibus,  dimiato-annulatis, 
fiexuofis,  contortis  ;  Linn.  Syjl.  Nat.  p.  96. 

Antilope  cervicapra;  Pallas  Mi/cell.  p.  9.  fpicil.  18.  tab* 
I.  6"  2. 


OR     GAZELLES.         413 

lefs  raifed  than  thofe  of  the  gazelle  and  ke- 
vel;  and,  what  is  peculiar  to  the  antilope,  its 
horns  have  a  remarkably  beautiful  double  flexion, 
which  gives  them  the  appearance  of  the  ancient 
lyre.  The  hair  of  the  antilope,  like  that  of  the 
other  gazelles,  is  yellow  on  the  back,  and  white 
on  the  belly :  But  thefe  two  colours  are  not 
feparated  below  the  flanks  by  a  brown  or  black 
band,  as  in  the  gazelle,  kevel,  corine,  &c.  We 
have  only  a  fkeleton  of  this  animal  in  the  royal 
cabinet. 

In  the  antilope,  as  well  as  the  other  gazelles, 
there  feem  to  be  different  races.  1.  In  the  roy- 
al cabinet,  there  is  a  horn  which  can  only  be  at- 
tributed to  an  antilope  of  a  much  larger  fize 
than  that  we  have  been  defcribing.  We  fhall 
adopt  the  name  Lidmee*,  which,  according  to 
Dr  Shaw  j",  the  Africans  apply  to  the  Antilopes. 
2.  We  have  feen  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Marquis 
de  Marigny,  whofe  tafte  extends  both  to  the 
fine  arts  and  to  the  hiftory  of  Nature,  a  kind  of 

offenfive 

*  The  Lidmee,  or  brown  antilope,  is  lefs  than  a  roebuck  ; 
its  horns  refemble  thofe  of  the  laft.  Its  face,  back,  and  iides, 
are  of  a  very  deep  brown,  the  laft  bordered  with  tawny. 
The  belly  and  infide  of  the  legs  are  white.  Above  each  hoof, 
there  is  a  black  fpot.  The  tail  is  black  above,  and  white  be- 
neath;  Pennant's  fynopf.  of  quad.  p.  32. 

t  Befides  the  common  gazelle  or  antilope,  (which  is  well 
known  in  Europe,)  this  country  likewife  produceth  another 
fpecies,  of  the  fame  fhape  and  colour,  though  of  the  bignefs 
of  our  roebuck,  and  with  horns  fometimes  of  two  feet  long. 
This  the  Africans  cal;  Lidmee,  and  may,  I  prefume,  be  the 
Strepftceros  and  Adace  of  the  ancients ;  Shaiv's  iraveff,  p.  243. 


414         THE   ANTI  LOPES, 

ofFenfive  weapon,  compofed  of  two  fharp  horns, 
about  a  foot  and  a  half  long,  which,  from  their 
double  flexion,  appear  to  belong  to  an  antilope 
fmaller  than  the  others  *.  It  mult  be  very- 
common  in  India  j  for  the  Priefts  f  carry  this 
kind  of  weapon  as  a  mark  of  dignity.  We 
fhali  call  it  the  Indian  antilope,  becaufe  it  ap- 
pears to  be  only  a  fimple  variety  of  the  African 
fpecies. 

Thus,  among  the  gazelles  or  antilopes,  we 
have  difcovered  twelve  fpecies,  or  diftinct  va- 
rieties, i.  The  common  gazelle;  2.  The  ke- 
vel ;  3.  The  corine;  4.  The  tzeiran  ;  5.  The 
koba,  or  great  brown  cow;  6.  The  kob,  or 
fmall  brown  cow ;  7.  The  algazel,  or  Egyptian 
antilope;  8.  The  pafan,  or  pretended  bezoar 
animal ;  9.  The  nanguer,  or  dama  of  the  an- 
cients;  10.  The  antilope ;  11.  The  lidmee  ; 
12.  The  Indian  antilope.  After  a  careful  com- 
parifon   of  thefe   twelve  animals  among  them- 

felves, 

*  Mr  Pennant  calls  this  the  fmooth-horned  antilope ;  Synopf. 
of  quad.  p.  33. 

■f  The  Indian  antilopes  are  not  entirely  like  thofe  of  other 
countries.  They  have  more  fpirit ;  and  are  diftinguifhable 
by  their  horns.  In  the  common  antilopes,  the  horns  are  gray, 
and  not  half  fo  long  as  thofe  of  India,  which  are  black,  and 
more  than  a  foot  and  a  half  in  length.  They  are  twifted,  as 
far  as  the  points,  like  a  fcrew.  The  Faquirs  and  Santons 
generally  cany  two  of  them  joined  together  in  a  parallel  di- 
rection, and  ufe  them  as  fmall  batons;  Re/at.  du  voyage  de 
Thevenot,  torn.  3.  p.  111. — Thofe  in  the  Marquis  de  Marigny's 
cabinet  are  neither  twifted  nor  annulated :  They  feem  to  have 
been  polifhcd  from  one  end  to  the  other. 


OR     GAZELLES.  415 

felves,  we  are  led  to  conclude,  1.  That  the  com- 
mon gazelle,  the  kevel,  and  the  corine,  are  only- 
three  varieties  of  the  fame  fpecies;  2.  That 
the  tzeiran,  koba,  and  kob,  are  varieties  of  ano- 
ther fpecies ;  3.  That  the  algazel  and  pafan  are 
probably  two  varieties  of  the  fame  fpecies;  and 
that  the  name  of  bezoar  gazelle ,  which  has  been 
given  to  the  pafan,  is  not  a  di(lin<ftive  character  ; 
for  I  fhall  afterwards  prove,  that  the  Oriental 
bezoar  is  not  produced  by  the  pafan  alone,  but 
by  all  the  gazelles  and  goats  which  inhabit  the 
mountains  of  Afia ;  4.  That  the  nanguers, 
whofe  horns  are  bended  forward,  and  of  which 
there  are  two  or  three  varieties,  have  been  point- 
ed out  by  the  ancients  under  the  name  of  dama; 
5.  That  the  ant  dopes,  which  are  three  or  four 
in  number,  and  differ  from  all  the  others  by  the 
double  flexion  of  their  horns,  werelikewife  known 
to  the  ancients,  and  mentioned  under  the  names 
of  Strepficeros  *  and  Addax.  All  thefe  animals 
are  found  in  Afia  and  Africa.  To  thefe  five 
principal  fpecies,  which  contain  twelve  diftincT: 
varieties,  I  will  not  add  two  or  three  other  fpe- 
cies  of  the  New  World,  to   which   the  vap-ue 

o 

name  of  gazelle,  or  antilopc,  has  been  given, 
though  they  differ  from  all  thofe  formerly  ta- 
ken notice  of.  This  would  be  to  augment  a  con- 
fufion  which  is  already   too  great.     In  the  fub- 

fequent 

*  Ere&a  autem  ccrnua,  rugarumque  ambitu  contorta,  et  in. 
kve  faftigium  exacuta  (ut  Lyras  diceres)  Strepficeroti,  quern1 
Addacem  Africa  appellate  Plin.  Hijl.  nat.  lib.  n.  cap.  37. 


416         THE  ANTI  LOPES, 

fequent  article,  we  fliall  give  the  hiftory  of  thefe 
American  animals  under  their  true  names,  Ma- 
zone,  Temamafame,  &c.  and  fhall  here  confine 
ourfelves  entirely  to  the  animals  of  this  genus 
which  are  found  in  Africa  and  Afia :  For  the 
fame  reafon,  we  fhall  refer  to  the  following 
article  feveral  other  African  and  Afiatic  animals, 
which  have  been  regarded  as  antilopes  or  goats, 
though  they  appear  to  be  intermediate  fpecies, 
fuch  as  the  bubalus,  or  Barbary  cow,  the  con- 
doma,  the  guib,  the  grimm,  8cc.  without  inclu- 
ding the  chevrotains  or  muiks,  which  have  a 
great  refemblance  to  the  fmalleft  goats  or  anti- 
lopes :  Of  thefe  laft  we  fhall  likevvife  make  a 
feparate  article. 

It  is  now  eafy  to  perceive  the  difficulty  of  ar- 
ranging and  diftinguifhing  all  thefe  animals, 
which  are  thirty  in  number,  ten  goats,  twelve  or 
thirteen  antilopes,  three  or  four  bubali,  and  as 
many  mufks.  Many  of  them  were  unknown 
to  the  naturalifts,  or  exhibited  in  promifcuous 
groups;  and  the  whole  have  been  confounded 
with  each  other  by  travellers.  This,  indeed,  is 
the  third  time  I  have  written  the  hiftory  of 
thefe  animals  ;  and,  I  acknowledge,  that  the 
labour  overbalanceth  the  produce.  I  have  the 
fatisfaction,  however,  of  having  made  every 
poffible  ufe  of  the  knowledge  and  materials  I 
could  acquire. 

With  regard  to  the  gazelles,  from  comparing 
all  that  has  been  faid    of  them,  both  by  the  an- 
cients 


OR     GAZELLES.         417 

cients  and  moderns,  with  our  own  experience, 
we  find,  1.  That  the  &»{**«  of  Ariftotle  is  not  the 
gazelle,  but  the  roebuck  j  though  the  fame  word 
kg***  has  been  employed  by  ./Elian,  not  only 
to  denote  the  wild  goats  in  general,  but  parti- 
cularly the  Lybian  gazelle  or  Barbary  antilope  ; 
2.  That  the Jirepficeros  of  Pliny,  or  addax  of 
the  Africans,  is  the  antilope;  3.  That  the  da- 
ma  of  Pliny  is  the  nanguer  of  Africa,  and  not 
our  fallow  deer,  or  any  other  European  animal; 
4.  That  the  ^  of  Ariftotle  is  the  fame  with  the 
ZoS*ej  of  iElian,  and  the  srA«T«*igos  of  the  more  mo- 
dern Greeks  ;  and  that  the  Latins  have  ufed  this 
word  platyceros  to  denote  the  fallow  deer  : 
1  Animalium,'  fays  Pliny,  *  quorundam  cornua 
4  in  palmas  finxit  natura,  digitofque  emifit  ex 
*  iiis,  unde  platycerotas  vocant  \  5.  That  the 
*yy«?yo?  of  the  Greeks  is  probably  the  Egyptian 
or  Perfian  gazelle,  that  is,  the  algazel  or  pafaiu 
The  word  pygargus  is  employed  by  Ariftotle 
folely  to  denote  the  while  tailed  eagle  ;  and  Pliny- 
has  ufed  the  fame  word  to  denote  a  quadruped. 
Now,  the  etymology  of  pygargus  indicates,  1. 
An  animal  with  white  thighs,  fuch  as  the  roe- 
bucks, or  gazelles  ;  2.  A  timid  animal  ;  the  an* 
cients,  imagining  that  white  thighs  indicated  ti- 
midity, afcribed  the  intrepidity  of  Hercules  to 
his  having  black  thighs.  But,  as  almoft  all  the 
authors  who  fpeak  of  the  pygargus  as  a  qua- 
druped, mention  likewife  the  roebuck,  it  is  ob- 
vious, that  the  name  pygargus  can  only  apply 
Vol.  VI.  D  d°  to 


4i8         THE    ANT  IL  OPES, 

to  fome  fpecies  of  gazelle  different  from  the 
clorcas  Lybica,  or  common  gazelle,  and  from  the 
ftrepficeros  or  antdope,  which  are  alfo  mentioned 
by  the  fame  authors.  We  are,  therefore,  led  to 
conclude,  that  the  pygargus  denotes  the  algazel 
or  Egyptian  gazelle,  which  muft  have  been 
known  to  the  Greeks  as  well  as  the  Hebrews  ; 
for  we  find  the  name  pygargus  applied,  in  the 
Septuagint  verfion  *,  to  a  quadruped  which  is  rec- 
koned among  the  pure  animals  whole  flefh  might 
be  eaten.  Hence  the  Jews  eat  the  pygargus,  or 
that  fpecies  of  gazelle  which  is  moil  common  in 
Egypt  and  the  adjacent  countries. 

Dr  Ruffel,  in  his  Natural  Hiftory  of  Aleppo, 
tells  us,  that,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  that  city, 
there  are  two  kinds  of  gazelles  ;  the  one,  called 
the  mountain  gazelle,  which  is  the  mod  beauti- 
ful, and  whofe  hair  on  the  neck  and  back  is  of  a 
deep  brown  colour;  the  other,  called  the  gazelle 
df  the  plains ,  which  is  neither  fo  nimble,  nor  fo 
handfoine  as  the  nrft,  and  whofe  hair  is  of  a 
pale  colour.  He  adds,  that  theie  animals  are  fo 
fwift,  and  run  fo  long,  that  the  beft  hounds 
cannot  take  them,  without  the  affiftance  of  a 
falcon  ;  that,  though  the  gazelles  are  meager  in 
winter,  their  flefh  is  excellent  ;  that,  in  fummer, 
it  is  loaded  with  fat  like  that  of  the  fallow  deer; 
that  thofe  fed  in  houfes  are  not  fuch  good 
eating  as  the  wild  ones,    &c.  From  the  teftimo- 

nies 

*  Deu'teron.  chap.  14. 


OR     GAZELLES.  419 

nies  of  Mr  RufFel  and  of  HafTelquift  *,  we  learri 
that   the   gazelles   of  Aleppo    are  not  the  com- 

D  d  2  mod, 

*  Capra  Cervicapra.    The  rock  goat. 

This  is  larger,  fwiftcr,  and  wilder,  than  the  conimon  rock 
goat,  and  can  fcarcely  be  taken  without  a  falcon.  It  is  met 
with  near  Aleppo.  I  have  feen  a  variety  of  this,  which  is 
common  in  the  Eafl:,  and  the  horns  appear  different  ;  per- 
haps it  is  a  diftincT:  fpecies.  This  animal  loves  the  fmoke  of 
tobacco,  and,  when  caught  alive,  will  approach  the  pipe  of 
the  huntfman,  though  otherwife  more  timid  than  any  animal, 
This  is  perhaps  the  only  creature,  befide  man,  that  delights 
in  the  fmell  of  a  poifonous  and  (linking  plant.  The  Arabians 
hunt  it  with  a  falcon  (Falco  gehtilis,  Linn.)  I  had  an  ex- 
cellent opportunity  of  feeing  this  fport  in  Nazareth,  in  Ga- 
lilee. An  Arab,  mounting  a  fwift  couifer,  held  the  falcon  on 
his  hand  as  huntfmen  commonly  do  :  W  lien  we  efpied  the 
rock  goat,  on  the  top  of  a  mountain,  he  let  loofe  the  falcon, 
which  flew  in  a  direct  line,  like  an  arrow,  and  attacked  the  ani- 
mal, fixin"-  the  talons  of  one  of  his  feet  into  the  cheek,  of  the 
creature,  and  the  talons  of  the  other  into  its  throat,  extend- 
ing his  wings  obliquely  over  the  animal  ;  fpreading  on^  to- 
wards one  of  its  ears,  and  the  other  to  the  oppofite  hip.  The 
animal,  thus  attacked,  made  a  leap  twice  the  h-ight  of  a  man, 
and  freed himfelf  from  the  falcon;  but,  being  wounded,  and 
iofmg  its  ftrength  and  fpeed,  it  was  again  attacked  by  the 
falcon,  which  fixed  the  talons  of  both  its  feet  into  the  throat 
of  the  animal,  and  held  it  faft,  till  the  huntfman  coming; 
up  took  it  alive,  and  cut  its  throat  ;  the  falcon,  drinking  the 
blood,  as  a  reward  for  his  labour  ;  and  a  young  falcon  which 
was  learning,  was  likewife  put  to  the  throat  of  the  goat;  by 
this  means  are  \oun?  falcons  taught  to  fix  their  talons  in 
the  throat  of  the  animal,  as  being  the  propereiL  part;  for,  mould 
the  falcon  fix  them  in  the  creature's  hip,  or  fume  other  part 
of  the  body,  the  huntfman  would  not  only  lofe  his  game, 
but  his  falcon  alio  :  For  the  animal,  roufeJ  by  tlie  wound, 
which  could  not  prove  mortal,  would  run  to  the  deferts,  and 
the  tops  of  the  mountains,  whither  its  enemy  keeping  its 
hold,  would  be  obliged  to  follow  ;  and,  being  feparated  from 
its  mailer,  mail  of  courfe  perifh  ;  HdJJ'elqiiift,  p.  190, 


420  THE    ANTILOPES, 

monkind,butthe  Egyptian  gazelles,  whofe  horns 
are  upright,  long,  and  black,  and  whole  rlefh  is 
extremely  good  ;  and  that  they  are  half-do- 
meftic,  having  been  often  and  very  anciently 
tamed,  which,  of  courfe,  has  given  rife  to  a 
great  number  of  varieties,  or  different  races,  as 
happens  in  all  other  domeftic  animals.  Thefe 
Aleppo  gazelles,  therefore,  are  the  fame  with 
thole  we  have  called  algazcllcs.  They  are  ftill 
more  common  in  Thebaid  and  Upper  Egypt, 
than  in  the  environs  of  Aleppo.  They  feed  upon 
aromatic  herbs,  and  the  buds  of  trees  *.  They  ge- 
nerally go  in  flocks,  orrather  in  families,  confid- 
ing of  five  or  fix")*-  Their  cry  isfimilar  to  that  of 
the  goat.  They  are  not  only  hunted  with  hounds, 
who  are  affiled  by  falcons,  but  by  the  fmall 
panther  J,  which  we  have  called  ounce.  In  fome 

places* 

*  Relat.  da  Voyage  fait  ou  Egypt,  par  Granger,  p.  99. 

•f-   In   Egypt  there  are  a  number  of  antilopes. They 

commonly  traverfe  the  mountains  in  flocks.  The  hair  and 
tail  of  thefe  animals  refemble  thofe  of  the  hind  ;  and  their 
fore-feet,  which  are  fliort,  refemble  thofe  of  the  fallow  deer. 
Their  horns  are  flraight  as  far  as  the  extremity,  which  is 
crooked.  Their  cry  refembles  that  of  the  other  goats  y 
Voyages  de  Paul  Lucas,  torn.  3./*.  199. 

J  Venantur  non  minus  et  gazellas  quibus  Egyptus  abun- 
dat,  quarum  carnes,  bonitate  et  guftu,  crapreolorum  carnibus 
fimiles  exiftunt.  Bifulcum  animal  eft,  filveftre,  fed  quod  facile 
manfuefit,  caprae  fimile,  colore  igneo  ad  pallidum  inclinante,- 
duplici  cornu,  longo,  introverfo  lunae  modo,  et  nigra  ;  auribus- 
arreftis,  ut  in  cervis,  oculis  magnis,  oblongis,  nigris,  pulcher- 
rimis.     Unde   in    adagio    apud    Egyptos  dicitur    de  pulchris 

oculis 


OR    GAZELLES.  421 

places,   the  gazelles  are  take  by  means  of  ta- 

D  d  3  med 

oculis  ain  el  Gaze!,  id  eft,  oculus  Gazellae :  Collo  Iongo  et 
gracili,  cruribus  gracilibus  atque  pedibus  bifulcis  conftat. 
Pantherae  in  defertis  locis  Gazellas  vcnantur,  quibus  ali- 
quandiu  cornibus  duriflimis,  acutifque  refiftant ;  fed  vi<5lae 
eorum  praeda  fiunt.  Pili  quibus  conteguntur,  videntur  fane 
fimiles  iis  qui  in  Mofchiferis  animalibus  fpeclantur  :  Pul- 
cherrimum  eft  animal,  quod  facile  hominibus  redditur  cicur 
manfuetumque  ;  Pro/per.  Alpin.  Hift.  Nat.  Egypt,  p.  232.  tab. 
14.  Note.  From  the  figure  given  by  Profper  Alpinus,  it  is 
obvious,  that  it  is  the  algazel  of  which  he  is  treating  ;  and  his 
defcription  fhows  that  the  algazel  is  often,  as  well  as  the  com- 
mon gazelle  and  kevel,  marked  with  white  fpots,   like  the 

civet. In  India  there  are  numbers  of  gazelles,   which 

refemble  our  fawns.  They  generally  go  in  feparate  flocks, 
each  confiding  of  five  or  fix,  and  accompanied  with  a  male, 
who  is  eafily  diftinguilhed  by  his  colour.  When  the  hunters 
difcover  one  of  thefe  flocks,  they  endeavour  to  point  them  out 
to  the  leopard,  which  they  keep  chained  in  a  fmall  can. 
This  cunning  animal  does  not  run  ftraight  upon  them,  but: 
winds  about,  creeping  and  concealing  himfelf,  in  order  to  ap- 
proach and  furprife  them  ;  and,  as  he  is  capable  of  making 
five  or  fix  bounds  with  inconceivable  quicknefs,  when  he 
thinks  himfelf  near  enough,  he  darts  upon  them,  tears  open 
the  throat  and  breaft,  and  gluts  himfelf  with  their  blood, 
heart,  and  liver.  But,  if  he  miiTes  his  aim,  which  often  hap- 
pens, he  remains  fixed  on  the  fpot.  It  would  be  in  vain  to  at- 
tempt to  feize  them  by  running ;  for  they  run  much  fwifter 
and  continue  much  longer  than  he  can  do.  His  mafter  then 
comes  gently  up  to  him,  flatters  him,  and  throws  pieces  of  flefli 
to  him.  By  amufing  the  animal  in  this  manner,  he  is  enabled 
to  throw  a  cover  over  his  eyes :  After  which,  he  chains  him, 
and  replaces  him  on  the  cart.  In  the  courfe  of  our  march, 
one  of  thefe  leopards  exhibited  this  fport  to  us,  which  alarmed 
feveral  of  our  people.  A  flock  of  gazelles  rofe  in  the  midft  of 
the  army,  and,  as  often  happens,  they  accidentally  paffed 
near  the  two  leopards,  which  are  commonly  carried  along  on 
a  fmall  cart.     One  ci  them,  which  was  not  hood-winked, 

made 


422  THE   AN  TIL  OPES, 

ined  ones,  with  fnares   of  ropes  fixed   to   their 
horns  *. 

The  antilopes,  efpecially  the  larger  kinds,  ar? 
much  more  common  in  Africa  than  in  India. 
They  are  ftronger  and  fiercer  than  the  other 
gazelles  ;  and  they  are  eafily  diftinguifhed  hy 
the  double  flexion  of  their  horns,  and  by  the 
want  of  a  black  or  brown  band  below  the 
flanks.  The  middling  antilopes  are  of  the  fize 
pf  a  fallow  deer.  Their  horns  are  very  black  f, 
their  belly  pure  white,  and  their  fore  legs  are 
fhoiter  than  the  hind  legs.  They  are  very  nu- 
merous 

made  fuch  a  fpring,  that  he  broke  his  chain,  and  darted  aft- 
ter  them,  but  without  effect.  However,  as  the  gazelles  were 
terrified,  and  chafed  on  all  fides,  one  of  them  was  again  obli- 
ged to  pafs  near  the  leopard,  who,  notwithstanding  the  whole 
road  was  ernbaraffed  with  camels  and  horfes,  and  notwith- 
standing the  common  notion  that  this  animal  never  attacks  its 
prey  afcer  having  once  miffed  it,  he  fprung  upon  and  feized  it.; 
Relat.  de  Thevenot,  tan.  5.  p.  112. 

*  Inftead  of  a  leopard,  a  tamed  gazelle  is  employed  to 
catch  the  wild  ones.  Round  his  horns  a  rope  is  twilled  in 
various  directions,  and  the  two  ends  of  it  are  fixed  under  his 
belly.  When  the  hunters  difcover  a  flock  of  gazelles,  he  is 
allowed  to  go  and  join  them.  But  the  male  of  the  little  flock 
advances  to  prevent  him  :  This  opolition  he  makes  with  his 
horns,  which  are  loon  entangled  in  the  meih  of  ropes.     He  is 

then  feized  and  carried  off  by  the   hunters  ;  Id.   ibid - 

The  fame  art  is  employed  in  taking  the  females.  A  domeflic 
female  with  a  netting  of  cords  is  let  loofe  among  a  flock. 
The  wild  females  immediately  begin  to  fport  with  her  ;  and 
rrte  horns  of  one  of  them  are  foon  entangled  ;  and  fhe  falls 
an  eafy  prey  to  the  Indians  ;    Voyage  de  la  Boullaye-le-Gouze,  p. 

L'Afrique  de  Marrnol,  torn.  1.  p.  53.  and  Shaw's  travels. 


OR     GAZELLES.         423 

merous  in  Tremecen,  Duguela,  Tell,  and  Zaa- 
ra.  They  are  cleanly  animals,  and  never  lie 
down  but  in  dry  places.  They  are  alfo  extreme- 
ly nimble,  vigilant,  and  timorous.  In  open 
places,  they  look  round  on  all  fides ;  and,  as 
ibon  as  they  perceive  a  man,  a  dog,  or  any  other 
enemy,  they  fly  off  with  full  fpeed.  But,  not- 
withltanding  this  natural  timidity,  they  have  a 
kind  or  courage;  for,  when  furprifed,  they  (top 
ihort,  and  face  thofe  who  attack  them. 

In  general,  the  eyes  of  the  gazelles  are  black, 
large,  vivacious,  and,  at  the  fame  time,  fo  beau- 
tiful, that,  in  the  Eaftern  nations,  they  are  em- 
ployed proverbially  in  praifing  the  eyes  of  a 
fine  woman  *.  Their  limbs  are  finer  and  more 
delicate  than  thofe  of  the  roebuck.  Their  hair 
is  lhort,  fort,  and  luftrous.  Their  fore  legs  are 
not  fo  long  as  the  hind  ones,  which  enables 
them,  like  the  hare,  to  run  with  greater  facility  up 
than  down  hill.  Their  fwiftnefs  is  equal  to  that 
cf  the  roebuck ;  but  the  latter  rather  leaps  than 
runs,  wheieas  all  the  gazelles  run  uniform- 
ly f.     Moll  of  them  are  yellow  on  the  back  and 

white 

*  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Alexandria,  the  antilopes  are 
very  numerous.  This  animal  is  a  fpecies  of  roebuck,  whofe 
eyes  are  lb  large,  vivacious,  and  piercing,  that  tii-ey  are  ufed 
figuratively  in  praifing  the  eyes  of  the  ladies ;  Defcript.  de 
V Egypt,  par  Maillet,  torn.  2.  p.  125. 

f  The  hair  of  the  giercms  or  gazelks  is  like  that  of   the  fal- 
low-deer, and  they  run,  like   the   dog,  without   leaping-     In 
the  night,  they  come  to  feed  in  the  plains,  and,  in  the  rm 
ing,  return  to  the  mountains;   Vcyage  ds  Gemell't  Carer,,  ton    ■ 
ft.  64. 


424        THE  ANTIL  OPES, 

white  on  the  belly,  and  have  a  brown  band 
which  feparatcs  thefe  two  colours  below  the 
flanks.  Their  tails  are  of  different  lengths,  but 
always  garnifhed  with  pretty  long  black  hair. 
Their  ears  are  long,  erect,  pretty  open  in  the 
middle,  and  terminate  in  a  point.  Their  feet 
are  cloven,  and  fhaped  nearly  like  thofe  of  the 
fheep.  Both  males  and  females  have  perma- 
nent horns  ;  but  thofe  of  the  females  are  thin- 
ner and  fhorter. 

Thefe  are  all  the  facts  we  have  been  able  to 
collect  concerning  the  different  fpecies  of  ga- 
zelles, and  their  natural  dilpofitions  and  man- 
ners. We  fhall  now  inquire  with  what  proprie- 
ty naturaiifts  have  afcribed  to  one  of  thefe  ani- 
mals only,  the  production  of  the  famous  ftone, 
called  the  Oriental  bezoar,  and  whether  this  ani- 
mal be  the  pqfen  or  pazan,  which  they  have  men- 
tioned fpecihcally  under  the  name  of  the  bezoar 
gazelle.  In  examining  the  figures  and  defcrip- 
tion  *   given    by   Koempfer,  v/ho    has    written 

much 

*  Repertus  in  novenni  hirco  IapHltts  voti  me  fecit  quodam- 
modo  compotem ;  dico  quodammodo,  nam  in  beilia  quam  comes 
mens  fmdebat,  inteftina,  a  me  ipfo  diligentiffime  perquifita, 
nullum  lapidem  continebant.  Pronior  akeri  apparebat  for- 
tuna  qui  a  nobis  longius  remotus  feram  a  fe  transfofiam  dum 
rne  non   expectato  diirecaret,  iapillum   reperit  elegantiffimum, 

tametfi    molis  perexiguae. Adeptus  lapidem,  antequam 

adeffem Koempfer,  amoenit.  /.  392. Bezoard  orien- 

talis  legitimus.     Lapis  bezoard  orientalis    verus  et  pretiofus, 

perfice  Pafahr,  ex  quo  nobis  vox  bezoard  enataeft. — Patria  ejus 

praecipua  eftPerfidis  provinciaLaar. — Ferax  praeterea  Choraf- 

'.  eiTe  dicitur. —  Gcnitiix,  eft  fera  quaedam  montana  caprini 

eeneris 


OR    GAZELLES.         425 

much  on  this  fubjecl:,  it  is  doubtful  whether  he 
means  that  the  pazan  or  the  algazel  is  the  on- 

iy 

veneris  quam  incolae  pafen,  noftrates  capricervam,  nominant. 

Animal  pilis  brevibus  ex  cinereo  rufis  veftitur,  magni- 

tudine  caprae  domefticae,  ejufdemque  barbatum  caput  obtinens. 
Cornua  foeminae  nulla  funt  vel  exigua,  hircus  longiora  et 
liberalius  extenfa  gerit,  annulifque  diftinfta  iniignioribus,  quo- 
rum numeri  annos  aetatis  referunt :  Annum  undecimum  vel 
duodecimum  raro  exhibere  dicuntur,  adeoque  ilium  aetatis  an- 
,  num  haud  excedere.  Reliquum  corpus  a  cervina  forma,  colore, 
et  agilitate  nil  dittert.  Timidiffimum  et  maxime  fugitivum 
eft,  inhofpita  afperrimorum  montium  tefqua  incolens,  et  ex  fo- 
litudine  montana  in  campos  rarifllme  defcendens,  et  quamvis 
pluris  regni  regiones  inhabitet,  lapides  tamen  bezoardicos 
non  gignit.  Cajbini  (emporium  eft  regionis  Irak)  pro  coquina 
nobis  capricervam,  vel,  ut  rectius  dicam,  Hircocervum  prae- 
grandem  venebat  venator,  qui  a  me  quaefitus,  non  audiviife 
i'e  refpondebat  beftiam  jllic  lapidem  unquam  foviiTe,  quod  et 
civium,  quotquot  percuntfatus  fum,  tellimonia  confirmabant. 

Quae  vero  partes,  tametfi  capricervas  alant  promifcue, 

non  omnes  tamen  herbas  ferunt  ex  quibus  depaftis  lapides 
generari,  atque  ii  quidem  aeque  nobiles  poflint,  fed  folus  ex 

ear u in  numero  eft  mons  Baarii Nulla  ibi  ex  praediclis 

beftiis  datur  aetate  provecla  quae  lapidem  non  contineat ; 
cum  in  caeteris  hujus  jugi  partibus  (ductorum  verba  refero) 
ex  denis  in  montium  diftantioribus,  ex  quinquagenis  in  cae- 
teris, extra  Larenfem  provinciam  ex  centenis  vix  una  fit  quae 
lapide  dotetur,  eoque  ut  plurimum  exigui  valoris.  In  hircis 
lapides  majores  et  frequentius  inveniuntur  quam  in  foeminis. 
Lapidem   ferre  judicantur  annofi,  valde  macilenti,  colla  ha- 

bentes  longiora,  qui  gregem  praeire  geftiunt. Beftiae  ut 

primum  perfolfae  linguam  infpiciunt,  quae  fi  folito  deprehen- 
datur  afperior,  de  praefente  lapide  nihil  amplius  dubitant. 
Locus  natalis  eft  pylorus  five  produclior  quarti  quem  vocant 
ventriculi  fundus,  cujus  ad  latus  plica  quaedam  five  fcrobi- 
culus,  mucofo  humore  oblitus,  lapillum  fuggerit :  In  alia 
ventriculi   claffe    (prout   ruminantibus   diftinguuntur)  quam 

ultima  hac  inveniri  negabant,^ Credunt  quos  plicarum 

alveoli 


426  T  H  E   A  N  T  I  L  O  P  E  S, 

ly  animal  which  produces  the  Oriental  bezoar* . 
If  we  confult  the  otner  naturalifts  and  travellers, 
we  mall  be  tempted  to  believe  that  all  the  ga- 
zelles, wild  and  domestic  goats,  and  even  the 
iheep,  indifcriminately  produce  this  ftone,  the 
formation  of  which  depends  more,  perhaps,  on 

the 

alveoli  non  fatis  amplc&untur  elabi  pyloro  pofle,  et  cum  ex- 
crementis  excerni :  Q«in  formatos  interdum  dilfolvi  rurfus, 
praefertim  longiori  animalls  inedia.  Ciar.  Jagerur  mihi  teftatus 
eft  fe,  dum  in  regna  Golkonda  degeret,  gazellas  vivas  recen- 
ter  captas  manu  fua  perquifiviife,  et  contracto  abdomine  la- 
pillos  palpafie,  in  una  geminos,  in  altera  quinos  vel  fenos. 
Has  ille  bellias  pro  contemplatione  fua  alere  decreverat,  ca- 
mera hofpicii  fui  inclufas ;  verum  quod  ab  omni  pabulo  ab- 
ftinerent,  quafi  perire  quam  faginari  captivae  mallent,  maclari 
eas  juffit,  inedia  aliquot  dierum  macentes.  Turn  vero  lapillos 
ubi  exempturus  erat  eorum  ne  veltigium  amplius  invenit,  ex 
quo  illos  a  jejuno  vifcere,  vel  alio  quocumque  modo,  diflolutos 

credebat. Diifolutionem  nullo  poffe  negotio  fieri  perfua- 

deor,  fi  quidem  certum  eft  lapides  in  loco  natali  viventis  bruti 
dum  latent  nondum  gaudere  petrofa  quam  nobis  exhibent, 
duritie,  fed  molliores  eife  et  quodammodo  friabiles,  inftar  fere 
vitelli  ovi  fervente  aqua  ad  duritiem  longius  excocti.  Hoc 
propter  recenter  exfetfus  ne  improvide  frangatur,  vel  attreclus 
nitorem  perdat,  ab  inventoribus  confuevit  ore  recipi,  et  in  eo 
foveri  ahquandiu  dum  induruerit,  mox  gofiypio  involvi  et  af- 
fervari.  Aifervatio  ni  primis  diebus  caute  fiant,  periculum  eft 
ne  adhuc  cum  infirmior,  importuna  contreclatione,  rumpatur 
aut  labem  recipiat.  Generationem  fieri  conjiciunt  cum  re- 
fmofa  quaedam  ex  herbis  depaftis  concotfifque  fubuantia  ven- 
triculorum  latera  occupat,  quae,  egeftiscibis,  jejunoque  vifcere 
in  pylorum  conHuens,  circa  arreptum  cakulum,  lanam,  pa- 
leanive  confiftat  et  coaguletur;  ex  primo  circa  materiam  con- 
tentam  flamine  effbrmandi  lapidis  figura  pendet,  &c. ;  Idem, 
f.  389.  etfeq. 

*   At  Golconda,  the  King  has  great  (lore   of  excellent   be- 
s*>ars.     The  mountains  where  the  goats  feed  which  produce 

thefe 


OR     GAZELLES.         427 

the  temperature  of  the  climate,  than  on  the  na- 
ture or  fpecies  of  the  animal.     If  we  may  be- 
lieve 

thefe  ftones  are  about  feven  or  eight  days  journey  from  Bag- 
pagaar.  They  commonly  fell  at  forty  crowns  a  pound  ;  and 
the  longeft  kind  are  the  beft.  They  are  likewife  found  in 
certain  cows,  which  are  much  larger,  though  not  fo  valuable, 
as  thofe  produced  by  the  goats.  The  bezoars  extracted  from 
a  rare  kind  of  apes,  which  are  fmall  and  long,  are  m  the 
highefl  eftimation  ;  Voyage  de  Thevenot,  torn.  3.  p.  293. — Per- 
fia  produces  finer  Bezoar  (tones  than  any  other  country  of 
the  world.  They  are  extra&ed  from  the  fides  of  certain  wild 
he-goats,  to  the  livers  of  which  they  are  attached  ;   Voyage  de 

Feynes,  p.  44. The   bezoar,  that  famous  medicinal   Hone, 

ought  to  be  ranked  among  the  number  of  drugs.  It  is  a  ten- 
der ftone,  confuting  of  coats  or  pellicles,  like  an  onion.  It  is 
found  in  the  bodies  of  the  wild  and  domeftic  goats  along  the 
gulf  of  Perfia,  in  the  province  of  Coraifon,  which  is  the  an- 
cient Margiana,  and  is  incomparably  better  than  that  brought 
from  the  kingdom  of  Golconda.  But,  as  the  goats  were 
brought  from  a  diftance  of  three  days  journey,  we  found  be- 
zoars in  fome  of  them  only,  and  even  that  in  fmall  quantities. 
We  preferved  thefe  goats  alive  fifteen  days.  They  were  fed 
with  common  green  herbage  ;  but,  upon  opening  them,  no- 
thing was  found.  I  kept  them  during  this  time,  in  order  to 
difcover  whether,  as  is  alledged,  it  be  a  particular  herb  which 
heats  thefe  animals,  and  produces  this  ftone  in  their  bodies. 
We  are  told  by  the  natives  of  Perfia,  that  the  more  this  ani- 
mal paftures  in  parched  countries,  and  eats  dry  and  aromatic 
herbs,  the  bezoar  is  the  more  falutary.  Coraffon  and  the  bor- 
ders of  the  Perfian  gulf  are  the  drieft  countries  in  the  world.  In 
the  heart  of  thefe  ftones,  there  are  always  pieces  of  brambles, 
or  fome  other  vegetable,  that  ferve  as  a  nucleus,  round  which 
the  humour  that  compofes  this  ftone  coagulates.  It  is  wor- 
thy of  remark,  that,  in  India,  the  fhe-goats  produce  bezoar, 
qnd  that,  in  Perfia,  it  is  produced  by  the  wedders  and  he- 
goats.  The  Perfians  efteem  their  own  bezoar,  being  hotter 
and  better  conco&ed,  as  four  times  more  valuable  than  the  In- 
dian kind.     The  former  they  fell  at  fifty-four  livres  the  kou- 

rag* 


428  THEANTILOPES, 

lieve  Rumphius,  Seba,  and  fome  other  authors, 
the  true  oriental  bezoar    proceeds  from  apes, 

and 

fag,  which  is  a  weight  of  three  drachms  ;   Voyage  de  Chardin, 

torn.  2.  p.  1 6. The  oriental  bezoar  comes  from  a  northern 

province  of  the  kingdom  of  Golconda,  and  is  found  in  the 

ftomach  of  the  fhe-goats. The  peafants,  by  feeling  the 

belly  of  the  goat,  know  how  many  bezoars  fhe  has,  and  fell 
her  in  proportion  to  their  number.  This  number  they  dif- 
covei,  by  rubbing  the  fides  of  the  ftomach  with  their  hands 
in  fuch  a  manner  as  to  bring  all  the  contents  towards  the 

middle  of  it,  and  then  they  feel  the  ftones  diftin&ly. The 

bezoar,  like  the  diamond,  is  valued  according  to  its  fize  ; 
for,  if  five  or  fix  bezoars  weigh  an  ounce,  they  bring  from  fif- 
teen to  eighteen  francs.  But,  if  one  bezoar  weighs  an  ounce, 
it  fells  at  one  hundred  francs.     I  fold  one  of  four  ounces 

and  a  half  at  two  thonfand  livres. The  merchants  who 

traffic  in  bezoars,  brought  me  fix  of  thefe  goats,  which  I  ex- 
amined.     It  muft  be  acknowledged   that  thefe  animals  aie 

beautiful,  very  tall,  and  have  hair  as  fine  as  filk. 1  was 

told  that  one  of  thefe  goats  had  but  one  bezoar  in  its  fto- 
mach, and  that  others  had  two,  three,  or  four,  which  I  foon 
perceived  to  be  true-,  by  rubbing  their  bellies  in  the  manner  a- 
bove  defcribed.  Thefe  fix  goats  had  feventeen  bezoars  and 
a  half,  one  of  which  was  about  the  fize  of  half  a  hazel  nut. 
The  infide  refembled  the  foft  dung  of  a  goat.  Thefe  ftones 
grow  among  the  dung  in  the  animal's  belly.  Some  of  the 
natives  told  me,  that  the  bezoars  were  attached  to  the  liver, 
and  others,  that  they  were   fixed  in  the  heart.     From  thefe 

vague  affertions,  I  could  not  learn  the  truth. With  regard 

to  the  bezoar  produced  by  the  ape,  it  is  fo  ftrong  that  two 
grains  of  it  are  reckoned  equal  to  fix  of  that  produced  by  the 
goat  ;  but  it  is  very  rare,  and  is  found  principally  in  the 
illand  of  Macafiar.  This  kind  of  bezoar  is  round  ;  but  the 
other  is  of  different  figures.  Thefe  bezoars  which  are  fuppo- 
fed  to  come  from  the  apes,  are  much  rarer  than  the  other 
kind.  They  are  alfo  much  dearer,  and  in  greater  requeft  ; 
and,  when  one  is  found  of  the  fize  of  a  nut,  it  fometimes 
fells  at  more  than  a  hundred  crowns ;  Voyage  de  Tavernlsrt 
torn.  4.  p.  78. 


OR    GAZELLES. 


429 


and   not  from  gazelles,    goats,   or   wedders  *. 
But  this   notion   of  Rumphius   and  Seba  is  by 

no 

*  De  lapidlbus  hezoard  orient  alts.  Nondum  certo  innotuit, 
quibufnam  in  animalibus  hi  calculi  reperiantur  ;  funt  qui 
ilatuant,  eos  in  ventriculo  certae  caprarum  fpeciei  generari 
(Raius  fcilicet,  Gefnerus,  Tavernier,  Sec.)  .  .  .  Rumphius, 
in  Mufeo  Amboin.  refert  Indos  in  rifum  effundi  audientes, 
quod  Europaei  fibi  imaginentur,  lapides  bezoardicos  in  ventri- 
culis  caprai  um  fylveftrium  generari ;  at  contra  ipfos  affirmare, 
quod  in  Simiis  crefcant,  nefcios  interim,  quanam  in  fpecie 
fimiarum,  an  in  Bavianis  dictis,  an  vero  in  Cercopithecis.  At- 
tamen  id  certum  efle,  quod  ex  Succadana  et  Tambas,  fitis  in  in- 
fula  Borneo,  adferantur,  ibique  a  monticolis  conquifiti  vendan- 
tur  iis  qui  littus  accolunt ;  hos  vero  pofteriores  afTerere,  quod 
in  certa  Simiarum  vel  Cercopitkecorum  fpecie  hi  lapides  nafcan- 
tur  ;  addere  interim  Indos,  quod  vel  ipfi  illi  monticolae  origi- 
nem  et  loco  natalia  horumce  lapidum  nondum  prope  explorata 
habeant.  Scifcitatus  fum  faepiffime  ab  illis  qui  lapides  iftos 
ex  Indiis  Orientalibus  hue  transferunt,  quonam  de  animali, 
et  quibus  e  locis,  hi  proveniant ;  fed  nihil  inde  certi  potui  ex- 
pifcari,  neque  iis  ipfis  conftabat  quidpiam,  nifi  quod  faltem  ab 
aliis  acceperant.  .  .  .  Novi  efTe,  qui  longiufculos  inter  et 
fphaericos  feu  oblongo-rotundos,  atque  reniformes,  dari  quid 
difcrim'mis  ftatuunt.  At  imaginarium  hoc  eft.  Neque  enim 
ulla  ratione  intrinfecus  difFerunt,  quando  confringuntur  aut 
in  pulverem  teruntur,  modo  fuerint  genuini,  nee  adulteratf, 
five  demum  ex  fimiis  aut  capris  fylveftribus,  aliifve  proveniant 
animalibus.  .  .  Gaudent  hi  lapides  nominibus,  pro  varietate 
linguarum,  variis,  Lufitanis,  Pedratew  Caliga  de  Buzio  5  Sinen- 
iibus,  Gautsjo;  Maleitif,  Culiga-Kaka;  Perfis,  Pazar,  Pazan ; 
feu  Belfabar  ;  Arabibus,  Albazar  et  Berzuaharth  ;  Lufitanis 
Indiae  incolis,  Pedra-Bugiaizw  Lapides- Simiarum/juxta.  Koemp- 

feri  teftimonium,  vocantur Credibile   eft  nafci 

eofdem  in  ftomacho,  quum  plerumque  in  centro  ftrami- 
jium  lignorumve  particulae,  nuclei,  aut  lapilli,  et  alia 
fimilia,  inveniantur  tanquam  prima  rudimenta  circum  quae 
acris,  vifoofa   materies  fefe  lamellatim  applicat,  et  deinceps, 

cruftae 


43©         THEANTILOPES, 

no  means  well  founded.  We  have  feen  fevc~ 
ral  of  thefe  concretions,  which  are  called  ape 
bezoars.  But  they  are  totally  different  from  the 
oriental  bezoar,  which  unqueftionably  proceeds 
from  a  ruminating  animal,  and  is  eaiily  diftin- 
guifhed,  by  its  form  and  fubftance,  from  all  the 
other  bezoars.  Its  common  colour  is  a  greenifh 
olive,  and  browniih  within.  The  colour  of 
what  is  called  the  occidental  bezoai\  is  a  faint 
yellow,  more  or  lefs  dirty.  The  fubftance  of 
the  former  is  more  tender  and  porous,  and 
that  of  the  latter,  harder,  drier,  and  more  pe^ 
trified.  Befides,  as  prodigious  quantities  of  the 
oriental  bezoar  were  confumed  during  the  lad 
two  or  three  centuries,  being  ufed,  both  in 
Europe  and  Afia,  in   all  cafes  where  our  phyfi- 

cums 

cruftae  inftar,  magis  magifque  au&a  in  lapidem  durefcit.  Pro 
varietate  victus,  quo  utuntur  animalia,  ipfae  quoque  lamellae 
variant,  fucceffive  libi  rautuo  adpofitae,  feniimque  grande* 
fcentes.  Fracto  hae  facile  ieparantur,  et  per  integrum  faepe 
ftatum  ita  a  fe  mutuo  fuccedunt,  ut  decorticatum  relinquant 
lapidem,  laevi  iterum  et  quai'  expolita  luperficie  coni'picuum. 
Lapides  bezoard,  illis  e  Iocis  Indiae  Orientalis  venientes  quibus 
cum  Britannis  commercium  intercedit,  pro  parte  minuti  iunt, 
et  rotundi,  lllicumque  quandam  fpeciem  in  centro  gerunt. 
Alii  vero  teneriores,  et  oblongi,  iutus  continent  ibaminula, 
nucleos  daclylorum,  femina  peponum,  et  ejufmodi,  quibu:; 
fimplex  faltem,  aut  geminuni  veii  lapidis  (Iratum,  latis  tenue, 
circumpolitum  eft.  Unde  in  his  ultra  dimidiam  partem  reji- 
culi  datur  :  Et  nobis  quidem  lii  videntur  veri  eiFe  limiarunl 
lapides,  utpote  maturius  ab  hifce  animantibus  per  anum  ex- 
creti,  quam  ut  majorem  inmolem  potuerint  excrefcerej  Scbaj 
vol.  2.  p.  130. 


OR     GAZELLES.         431 


cians  now  employ  cordials  and  antidotes  againft 
poifon,  may  we  not  prefume,  from  this  great 
confumption,  which  ftill  continues  in  fome  de- 
gree, that  the  bezoar  proceeds  from  a  very  com- 
mon animal,  or  rather,  that  it  proceeds  not  from 
one,  but  from  feveral  fpecies  ;  and  that  it  is 
equally  extracted  from  gazelles,  goats,  and  wed- 
ders ;  but  that  thefe  animals  can  only  produce 
it  in  the  climates  of  India  and  the  Levant  ? 

From  all  that  has  been  written  on  this  fub- 
ject,  we  have  not  been  able  to  find  one  diftincl: 
obfervation,  nor  a  fingie  decifive  argument.  It 
only  appears,  from  what  has  been  faid  by  Mo- 
nard,Garcias,  Clufius,  Aldrovandus,  Hernandes, 
&c.  that  the  oriental  bezoar  animal  is  not  the 
common  domeftic  goat,  but  a  fpecies  of  wild 
goat,  which  they  have  not  fufficiently  characte- 
rifed.  In  the  fame  manner,  all  we  can  collect 
from  Koempfer  is,  that  the  bezoar  animal  is  a 
kind  of  wild  goat,  or  rather  gazelle,  which  is  e- 
qually  ill  defcribed.  But,  from  the  teftimonies 
of  Thevenot,  Chardin,  and  Tavernier,  we  learn, 
that  this  ftone  is  not  fo  often  extracted  from  the 
gazelles,  as  from  the  wedders,  and  the  wild  or 
domeftic  goats.  Thefe  travellers  merit  the  great- 
er credit,  becaufe  they  were  eye-witneiTes  to  the 
facts  they  mention,  and  becaufe,  when  treating 
of  the  bezoar,  though  they  take  no  notice  of  the 
gazelles,  yet,  as  they  are  well  acquainted  with 
thefe  animals,  and  mention  them  in  other  parts 
of  their  works*,  there  is  not  the  leaft  appearance 

of 

*  Voyage  de  Tavernier,  torn.  2.  p.  26 


432  THE  A  NT  I  LOPES, 

of  their  having  been  deceived.  We  mud  not, 
therefore,  conclude,  like  our  ancient  naturalifts, 
that  the  oriental  bezoar  is  produced  folely  by  a 
a  particular  fpecies  of  gazelle.  I  acknowledge, 
that,  after  having  examined  not  only  the  evi- 
dence of  travellers,  but  the  fads  themfelves 
which  might  decide  this  queftion,  I  am  inclined 
to  believe  that  the  bezoar  ftone  proceeds  equally 
from  the  raoft  part  of  ruminating  animals,  but 
more  commonly  from  goats  and  gazelles.  It 
is  formed  of  concentric  coats  or  ftrata,  and  fre- 
quently contains  foreign  fubftances  in  its  centre. 
I  endeavoured  to  inveftigate  the  nature  of  thefe 
fubftances,  which  ferve  as  a  nucleus  to  the  be- 
zoar, in  order  to  difcover  the  animal  that  1  wal- 
lowed them.  In  the  centre  of  thefe  ftones,  I 
found  fmall  flints,  ftones  of  plums,  and  of  ta- 
marinds, feeds  of  caffia,  and  efpecially  pieces  of 
flraw,  and  buds  of  trees.  Hence  I  could  no 
longer  hefitate  in  attributing  this  production  to 
animals  which  browfe  herbage  and  leaves. 

We  are  perfuaded,  therefore,  that  the  Oriental 
bezoar  proceeds  not  from  any  one,  but  from  a 
number  of  different  animals.  Neither  is  it  diffi- 
cult to  reconcile  this  opinion  with  the  teftimo- 
nies  of  travellers  ;  for,  though  each  of  them 
contradicts  his  neighbour,  yet  all  of  them  make 
near  approaches  to  the  truth.  The  bezoar  was 
unknown  to  the  ancient  Greeks  and  Latins. 
Galen  is   the  firft   who  mentions  its  virtues  a- 

gainft  poifon.     The  Arabians  fpeak  of  the  be- 
zoar 


OR     GAZELLES.  433 

zoar  as  poflefling  the  fame  virtues.  But  neither 
the  Greeks,  Latins,  nor  Arabians,  give  any  pre- 
cife  information  concerning  the  animals  by  which 
it  is  produced.  Rabi  Mofes,  the  Egyptian,  only 
re  arks,  that  fome  people  pretend  that  this  ftone 
is  formed  in  the  angle  or  the  eye,  and  others  in 
the  gall  bladder  of  the  eaftern  wedders.  Now, 
bezoars,  or  concretions,  are  actually  formed  in 
the  angles  of  the  eyes,  and  in  the  pits  below 
the  eyes  of  ftags  and  fome  other  animals.  But 
theie  concretions  are  very  different  from  the 
oriental  bezoar  ;  and  all  the  concretions  in  the 
gall-bladder  confift  of  a  light,  oily,  and  inflam- 
mable matter,  which  has  no  relemblance  to  the 
fubitance  of  the  bezoar.  Andreas  Lacuna,  a 
Spanilh  phyiician,  in  his  commentaries  on  D10- 
fcorides,  remarks,  that  the  oriental  bezodr  is 
extracted  from  a  certain  fpecies  of  wild  goat,  in 
the  mountains  of  Perfia.  Amatus  Luiitanus 
repeats  Lacuna's  remark  ;  and  adds,  that  this 
mountain  goat  refembles  the  (lag.  Monard, 
who  quotes  all  the  three,  affures  us  in  a  more 
pofitive  manner,  that  this  ftone  is  derived  from 
the  internal  parts  of  a  mountain  goat  in  India, 
to  which,  fays  he,  I  may  give  the  appellation  of 
ccrvi-capra;  becaule  it  partakes  both  of  the  frag 
and  the  goat,  is  nearly  of  the  fize  and  figure  of 
the  Mag,  and,  like  the  goat,  has  fimple  horns, 
very  much  bended  backward  *.  Garcias  ab. 
Vol.  VL  E  e  Horto 

*  Lapis  Bezaar  varias  habet  appellationes  ;  nam  Arabibus 
lloger  dicitui-j  Perfis  Bdzaar,  Iadis  Bezar.  .  .  Ifte  lapis  in  in-i 

teroU 


434  THE  AN  TIL  OPES, 

Horto  tells  us,   that,  in   Coraflbn  and  in  Perfia, 
thpre  is    a    ipecies    of    he-goats  *,    called   pa- 
Jan  ; 

tcrnis    partibus    cujufdam    animalis    Capra   montatm    appellati 

generator In  Indiae  fupra  Gangem  certis  montibus. 

Sinarum  regioni   vicinis,  animalia   cervis  valde  fimilia  reperi- 
untur,  turn  magnitudine,  turn  agilitate  et  aliis  notis,  exceptis 
quibufdam  partibus    quibus  cum  capris  magis  conveniunt,  ut 
cornibus  quae  veluti  caprae   in  dorfum  reflexa  habent  et  cor- 
poris  forma,  unde  nomen   illis  inditum  cervicaprae,   propter 
partes   quas   cum  capris  et  cervis  fimiles  obtinent.  .  .  .     Ell 
autem   animal   (ex   eorum  relatu  qui  ex  ilia  regione  redeuntes 
animal    confpcxerunt)   in   quo   reperiuntur   ifti   lapides,   cervi 
magnitudine  et   ejus   quau  formae  ;  binis  dumtaxat  cornibus 
praeditum,   latis  et  extremo  mucronatis  atque  in  dorfum  val- 
de recurvis,   breves  pilos  habens  cineracei  coloris  ceu  admixta 
rufedo  :  In  iifdem  montibus  aliorum  etiam  colorum  reperiun- 
tur.    Indi  vel  laqueis  vel  decipulis  ilia  venantur  et  maclant. 
Adeo  autem  ferocia  funt  ut  interdum    Indos  etiam  occidant, 
agilia  praeterea  et  ad  faltum  prona  :     In  antris  vivunt  grega- 
timque  eunt  ;  utriufque  fexus  mares  fcilicet  et   foeminae  in- 
veniuntur,  vocemque  gemebundam  edunt,     Lapides  autem  ex 
interioribus   inteftinis  aliifque  cavis  corporis  partibus  educun- 
tur.  .  .  .  Dura  haec  fcriberem  quoddam  animal  confpectu  ivi 
liuic    (ni   fallor)   fimile,  quia   omnes   notas  mihi  habere  vide- 
batur  quibus  modo  defcripta  praedita  funt  ;  ell  autem  ex  Ion- 
ginquis  regionibus  per  Africam  Generofo   Archidiacono  Ne- 
bienfi   delatum  :     Magnitudine   fervi,    capite  et   ore  cervino, 
agile  inftar  cervi,  pili   et  color  cervo  Hmiles  ;  corporis  forma 
capra    refert,    nam    magnq    hirco    fimile   eft,    hircinos    pedes 
habens  et  bina  cornua  in  dorfum  inHexa,    extrema  parte   con- 
torta   ut   hircina   videantur,  reliquis   autem   partibus  cervum 
aemulatur.     Illud  autem  valde  admirandum  quod  ex  turre  fe 
praecipitans    in  cornua  cadat  fine  ulia  noxa  :  Vefcitur  herbis, 
pane,    leguminibus,    omnibufque  cibis   quae   illi    praebentur  : 
Robuftum  eft   et  ferrea   catena    vinclum,    quia  omnes  funes 
quibus  ligabatur  rodebat   et   rumpebat  ;  Nic.  Mor.ardi  d;  La- 
pjde  Bezoar.  lib.  interprete  Carolo  Ciufw. 

*  Eft  in  Cprafpne  et  Perfia  Hirci  quoddam  genus,   quod 

Pdzjn 


ORGANELLES.         435 

fan  *  ;  that  the  oriental  bezoar  is  generated  in 
their  ftomachs  ;  that  this  ftone  is  found,  not  on- 
ly in  Perfia,  but  Hkewife  in  Malacca,  and  in  the 
llland  of  Cows  near  Qipe  Comorin  ;  and  that,  in 
great  numbers  of  thefe  goats,  flainforthe  fubfift- 
ence  of  the  troops,  thefe  ftones  were  very  com- 
monly found.  On  this  fubje<ff,  Chriftopher  A- 
coftat  repeats  what  had  been  laid  by  Garcias  and 

Monard, 

Pazan  lingua  Perfica  vocant,  rufi  aut  alterius  coloris  (ego  ru- 
fum  et  praegrandem  Goae  vidi)  medioeri  altitudine,  in  cujus 
ventriculo  fit  hie  lapis  bezar.  .  .  .  Caeterum  non  folum  gene- 
ratur  liic  lapis  in  Perfia,  fed  etiam  nonnullis  Malacae  locis,  et 
in  infula  quae  a  Vaccis  nomen  fumpfit,  baud  procul  a  pro- 
montorio  Comorim.  Nam  cum  in  exercitus  annonam  macla- 
rentur  ijlic  t/iulti  praegrandes  kirci,  in  eorum  ventriculis  rnavna  ex 
parte  hi  lapides  reperti  funt.  Hinc  factum  eft,  ut  quotquot  ab  eo 
tempore  in  hanc  infulam  appellant,  hircos  obtruncent,  lapi- 
defque  ex  iis  tollant.  Verum  nulli  Perficis  bonitate  compa- 
rari  poftunt.  Dextri  autem  adeo  funt  Mauritani,  ut  facild 
qua  in  regione  nati  fint  fmguli  lapides,  diicerrtere  et  dijudi- 
care  poiiint*  .  .  .  Vocatur  autem  hie  lapis  Pazar  a  Paza/ij 
id  eft,  hircorum  Arabibus,  turn  Perils  et  Corafone  incolis  : 
Nos  corrupto  nomine  Bezar,  atque  Indi  magis  corrupti  Bazar 
appellant,  quail  dicas  lapidem  forenfem  :  Nam  Bazar  eorum 
lingua  forum  eft  ;  Garcias  ab  Hortc,  Aromat.  Hifii  iv.terprete 
Carolo  Clujh,  p.  216. 

*  Koempfer  feems  to  have  borrowed  from  Monard  and 
Garcias,  the  names  cervi-capra,  capri-cervd,  and  pafa/i,  which 
he  has  given  to  the  oriental  bezoar  animal. 

f  Gcneratur  ifte  lapis  in  ventriculis  animaiium  hirco  fere 
fimilium,  arietis  praegrandis  magnitudine,  colore  rufo,  uti 
cervi  propemodum  agili,  et  acutillimi  aUditus,  a  Perfis  Pazan 
appellato,  quod  variis  Indiae  provinces,  uti  in  promontorio 
Comorim,  et  nonnullis  Malacae  locis,  turn  etiam  in  Perfia  et 
Corafone,  infulifque  quae  a  Vacca  cognomen  adeptae  funt, 
ihvenitur:  ChrtfiophcH  Acofta,  Aromat,  libir>  cop.  36.  interprets 
Carolo   Che/io,  p.  279. 


436  THE    ANTILOPES, 

Monard,  without  offering  any  thing  new.  In  fine, 
to  omit  nothing  relative  to  the  hiftory  of  this 
ftone,  Koempfer,  an  intelligent  man,  and  an  ex- 
act obferver,  tells  us,  that,  when  in  the  province 
of  Laar  in  Perfia,  he  went  with  the  natives  of 
the  country  to  hunt  the  buck  pafan,  which  pro- 
duces the  bezoar  ;  and  that  he  faw  the  ftone 
extracted  ;  and  he  allures  us,  that  the  true  ori- 
ental bezoar  proceeds  from  this  animal ;  that  the 
buck  ahu,  of  which  lie  alfo  gives  a  figure,  like- 
wife  produces  bezoar,  but  that  it  is  of  an  inferi- 
or quality.  From  the  figures  he  has  given  of  the 
pafon  and  ahu,  we  would  be  induced  to  think, 
that  the  firft  reprefents  the  common  gazelle  ra- 
ther than  the  true  pafan  ;  and,  from  his  defcrip- 
tion,  we  fhould  imagine  his  pafan  to  be  a  he-goaf, 
and  not  a  gazelle,  becaufe  he  has  given  it  a  beard 
like  the  goats.  Laftly,  from  the  name  ahut 
which  he  gives  to  his  other  buck,  as  well  as  from 
his  fecond  figure,  we  recognife  the  wild  he-goat 
rather  than  the  genuine  ahu,  which  is  our  tzeiran 
or  large  gazelle.  What  is  dill  more  fingular, 
Koempfer,  who  feems  willing  td  determine  the 
fpecies  of  the  oriental  bezoar  animal,  and  who 
afTures  us  that  it  is  the  wild  buck  called  pafan, 
quotes,  at  the  fame  time,  a  man  who,  he  fays, 
is  very  worthy  of  credit,  and  who  affirms,  that 
he  felt  the  bezoars  in  the  belly  of  the  gazelle,  at 
Golconda.  Thus  all  the  pofitive  evidence  which 
can  be  derived  from  Koempfer  is  reduced  to  this, 
thatthereare  two  fpecies  of  wild  mountain-goats, 

the 


OR    GAZELLES.        437 

the  pafan  and  ahn,  which  produce  the  bezoar  in 
Perfia,   and  that  in    India  this  Hone   is   likewife 
found  in  the  gazelles.  Chardin  remarks,  that  the 
oriental  bezoar  is  found    in  the  bucks    and  fhe- 
goats,  both  wild  and  domeftic,    along  the  Periic 
Gulf,  and  in  feveral  provinces  of  India  ;  but  that, 
in  Perfia,   it  is  alio  extracted  from   the  wedders. 
The  Dutch  travellers  alfo  affert  *,  that  it  is  pro- 
duced in  the  ftomachs  of  ihtep  and  goats.      Ta- 
vernier,  who    is  flill    more  politive   in  favour  of 
the  domeftic  goats,  fays,  that  their  hair  is  as  fine 
as  filk,   and  that,    having  purchafed  fix  of  thefe 
goats  alive,    he  extracted  from   them    feventeen 
entire  bezoars,   and  a  piece  of  another  as  large 
as  half  a  filberd  nut.     He  then  adds,    that  there 
are  other  bezoars  fuppofed  to  proceed  from  apes, 
whofe  virtues  are  Mill  ftronger  than  thofe  of  the 
goat-bezoars ;  that  they  are  alfo  extracted  from 
cows  ;    but  the  virtues  of  thefe  are  inferior,  &c. 
What  can  be  inferred  from  this  variety  of   evi- 
dence and  opinions,  unlefs  it  be  allowed  that  the 

oriental 

*   In  the  ifland  of  Bofner,  we  find  the  famous  bezoar  ftonc, 
which  is  very  precious  and  in  great  requeft,  on  account  of  its 
virtue  againlt  poifon.     It  is  formed,  in  the  ftomachs  of  fheep 
or  goats,  round  a  fmall  puftule  or  protuberance  in  the  middle 
of  the  ftomach,  and  which  is  found  in  the  ftone  itfelf.    .     .     . 
A  conjecture  has  been  formed,  that  the  bezoar  which  proceeds 
from  the  ftomach  of    the  flieep,   and    the  gall  bladder  ftone 
of  the  hog,    are  produced  by  the  operation    of  fome  particu- 
lar herbs  eaten  by  thefe    animals.    But  they   are  found  in  all 
the  countries  of  the  Eaft-Indies,  though    thefe    animals  feed 
promifcuoufly  upon  herbage  of  every   kind.    See  Voyage    de  la 
Compagn.  des  Indes  de  Hollande,  torn.  z.p.  121.  and  alfo    Le  Voy- 
age ae  Mandeljlo,  torn.  Z.p  364. 


438         THE    AN  TIL  OPES, 

oriental  bczoar  proceeds  not  from  one  fpecies, 
but  from  a  number  of  different  animals,  and 
efpecially  from  the  gazelles  and  goats  ? 

With  regard  to  the  occidental  bezoars,  we  he- 
fitate  not  to  pronounce,  that  they  are  produced 
neither  by  goats  nor  gazelles  ;  for  it  will  be 
fhown,  in  the  fubfequent  articles,  that  there  are 
neither  goats,  gazelles,  nor  even  any  animal 
which  approaches  to  this  genus,  throughout  the 
whole  extent  of  the  New  World.  Inftead  of  ga- 
zelles, we  find  roebucks  alone  in  the  woods  of 
America  ;  inftead  of  wild  goats  and  fheep,  lamas 
and  pacos  *,  animals  totally  different,  are  to  be 
found  in  the  mountains  of  Peru  and  Chili.  The 
ancient  Peruvians  had  no  other  cattle  ;  and,  at 
the  fame  time  that  thefe  two  fpecies  were  partly 
reduced  to  a  domeftic  ftate,  they  exifted,  in  ftill 
greater  numbers,  in  their  natural  condition  of 
liberty  on  the  mountains.  The  wild  lamas  were 
called  huanacus,  and  the  pacos  vicunnas,  from 
which  has  been  derived  the  name  vigogne,  that 
denotes  the  fame  animal  with  the  pacos.  Both 
the  lamas  and  the  pacos  produce  bezoars ;  but 
the  domeftic  kind  produce  them  more  rarely 
than  the  wild. 

M.  Daubenton,  who  has  inveftigated  the  na- 
ture of  bezoar  ftones  more  clofely  than  any  other 
perfon,  thinks  that  they  are  compofed  of  the 
fame  matter  as  that  mining  coloured  tartar  which 

adheres 

*  See  vol.  V.  art.  Of  the  animals  peculiar  to  ike  Neiv  Continent. 


OR    GAZELLES.         439 

adheres  to  the  teeth  of  ruminating  animals  ; 
and  it  appears,  from  the  numerous  collection 
of  bezoars  in  the  royal  cabinet,  that  there 
are  elTential  differences  between  the  oriental  and 
occidental  bezoars.  Hence  the  goats  of  the 
Eaft  Indies,  and  the  gazelles  of  Perfia,  are  not 
the  only  animals  which  produce  the  concre- 
tions called  bezoars.  The  chamois  *,  and  per- 
haps the  wild  goat  of  the  Alps,  the  he-goats 
of  Guiney  t,  and  feveral  American  animals  J, 
like  wife  produce  bezoars  :  And,  under  this  name, 

if 

*  In  the  county  of  the  Grifons,  balls  as  large,  and  fome- 
times  larger,  than  a  tennis-ball,  are  found  in  the  ftomach  of 
the  chamois  goat.  They  are  called  kemfkougnel  by  the  Ger- 
mans, "«ho  alledge  that  they  are  as  ufeful  as  the  bezoar, 
which  likewiie  proceeds  from  the  ilomachs  of  certain  Indian 
goats  ;  Travels  to  Italy,  <&c.  by  Jacob  Spon  and  George  H' heeler. 
Near  Munich,  in  a  village  called  Lagreni,  which  is  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountains,  our  hoft  ihewed  us  certain  balls  or  brown 
maiTes,  nearly  of  the  fize  of  a  hen's  egg,  which  were  a  kind  of 
tender,  imperfect  bezoar,  commonly  found  in  the  ftomachs  of 
the  roebucks.  He  affured  us,  that  thefe  balls  had  great  vir- 
tues, and  that  he  often  fold  them  to  (hangers  at  ten  crowns 
a  piece  ;    Voyage  des  Mijftonaires ,  tow.  l.  p.  129. 

f  In  Congo  and  Angola,  when  the  wild  goats  begin  to 
grow  old,  lfones,  refcmbling  the  bezoar,  are  found  in  their 
bellies.  Thofe  found  in  the  males  are  fuppofed  to  be  belt ; 
and  the  Negroes  boat!  of  them  as  fpecifics  againll  many  dif- 
tempers,  and  particularly  againft  the  cffecls  of  poifon  ;  Hiji. 
gen.  dss  Voyages  par  M.  f  Abbe  Prjvqft,  torn.  5.  p   83. 

%  Accepimus  a  peritis  venatoribus,  reperiri  lapides  bezoard 
inovibus  illis  Peruinis  cornuum  expertibus,  quas  B'tcuinas  vo- 
cant  ;  (funt  enim  alia  cornuta,  Tarucae  vocatae,  et  alias  quas 
dicunt  Guatiacas)  praeterea  in  Teuhtlalmagame  quae  caprarum 
piediocrium  paulove  majori  conftant  magnitudine.  .  .  .  Delu- 
de 


440  THE     ANTILOPES, 

if  we  comprehend  all  fimilar  concretions  found 
in  the  inteflines  of  animals,  we  may  affirm,  that 
mod  quadrupeds,  except  thofe  of  the  carnivo- 
rous kinds,  and  even  the  crocodiles  and  large 
ferpents,  produce  bezoars  *. 

To 

de  in  quodam  damarum  genere  quas  Wacatkbichiltic  aut   Te- 
mamacame  appellant.  .      .  Necnon  in  ibicibus  quorum  hie  re- 
dundat  copia,   ut  Hifpanos  et  apud   banc   regionem  frequen- 
tes  cervos  taceam,  in  quibus  quoque  eit  lapidem,  de  quo  prae- 
fens  efl   inftitutus  fermo,   reperire  :    Capreas  etiam  cornuum 
expertes,  quas  audio  pathm  reperiri  apud  Peruinos,  et  ut  fum- 
matim  dicam,   vix  eft  cervorum  caprearumque  genus  ullum, 
in  cujus  ventriculo,  aliave  interna  parte,  fua  fponte,   ex   ipfis 
alimoniae  excrementis,  lapis  hie,  qui  ttiam  in  tauris  vuccifque 
folet    ofFendi,   non   paulatim   concrefcat  et  generetur,  multis 
fenfim   additis   et   cohaerefcentibus  membranulis,  quates  funt 
caeparum       Ideo   nbn   niii  yetuftiffimis  et  fenio  pene  confeclis 
lapides  hi  reperiuntur  ;  neque  ubique,  fed  certss  ftatifque  locis. 
....    Variis  hos   lapides  reperies  formis  et   coloribus  ;    alios 
cempe  candefcentes,  fufcos  alios,   alios  luteos,   quofdam  cine- 
reos  nigroique,   ct  vitri  aut  obfidtani   lapidis  modo  micantes.. 
Kos  ovi  illos  rotunda  fignra,  ct  alios  tnangula,  &c.  Nard.  Ant. 
Recchi.  apud  Hernand.  p.  325.  et  326. — In  the  ftomach  of  a  wild 
goat,    called  Cornera  de  terra  by  the  Spaniards,  Wafer  found 
thirteeen  bezoar  (tones  of  different  figures,  fome  of  which  re- 
iembkd  coral.     Though  perfectly   green  when  firft  expofed 
to  the  air,   they   aftei  wards  turned  alh-coloured ;    Hijl.  gen. 
des  voyages  par  M.  I* Abbe  Prevoj?,   torn-  12.  p.  638.    Nota.  This 
cornera  de  terra  is  neither  a  goat  nor  gazelle,  but  the  la?na  of 
Peru. 

*  There  is  another  ftone,  called  the  fione  of 'the  hooded  ferpent , 
a  fpecies  of  ferpent  which  has  a  kind  of  hood  hanging  behind 
its   head.  .  .  .  and,  behind  this  hood,  the  ftone  is  found,  the 

(mailed  being  as  large  as  a  hen's  egg Thefe  ferpents 

frequent  the  coafts  of  Melinda,  and  the  ftones  might  be  brought 
by  the  Portuguefe  failors  or  foldiers,  when  they  return  frost 
Mofambique  ;  Voyage  ds  Tavertiier,  torn.  4.  p.  80. 


OR    GAZELLES.         441 

To  obtain  a  clear  idea  of  thefe  concretions, 
they  muft  be  diftributed  into  feveral  dalles,  re- 
ferring to  the  animals  which  produce  them,  and 
the  climates  and  food  that  are  favourable  to  their 
production. 

1.  The  ftones  formed  in  the  bladder  and  kid- 
neys of  men  and  other  animals  mud  be  fepa- 
rated  from  the  clafs  of  bezoars,  and  denominated 
by  the  appellation  of  calculi,  their  fubftance  be- 
ing totally  different  from  that  of  the  bezoars. 
They  are  eafily  diitinguifhed  by  their  weight, 
their  urinous  odour,  and  their  ltru&ure,  which 
is  neither  regular,  nor  compofed  of  thin  con- 
centric circles,  like  that  of  the  bezoars. 

2.  The  concretions  fometimes  found  in  the 
gall-bladder  and  liver  of  men  and  animals  ihould 
not  be  regarded  as  bezoars.  They  may  be  di- 
ftinguifhed  by  their  lightnefs,  their  colour,  and 
their  inflammability  ;  befides,  they  are  not  form- 
ed of  concentric  circles  round  a  nucleus. 

3.  The  balls  frequently  found  in  the  ftomachs 
of  animals,and  efpeciallyof  the  ruminating  kinds, 
are  not  true  bezoars.  Thefe  balls,  which  are 
called  JEgagropili,  are  compofed,  internally,  of 
hairs  fwallowed  by  the  animal,  when  licking  ltfelf, 
or  of  hard  roots  which  it  was  unable  to  digeft  ; 
and,  externally,  moft  of  them  are  covered  with 
a  vifcid  fubftance,  which  has  fome  refemblance 
to  bezoar.  Hence  the  aegagropili  have  nothing 
in  common  with   the  bezoars   but  this  external 

Vol.  VI.  F  f  covering ; 


44-         THE   ANTILOPES, 

covering  ;   and  infpe&ion  alone   is   fufTicient  to 
diilinguiih  the  one  from  the  other. 

4.  in  temperate  climates,  we  often  find  ac- 
gagrcpdi  in  animals,  but  never  bezoars.  Our 
oxen  and  cows,  the  Alpine  chamois  '*,  and  the 
Italian  porcupine  t>  produce  only  aegagropilu 
The  animals  cf  hot  countries,  on  the  contrary, 
yield  only  bezoars.  The  elephant,  the  rhinoce- 
ros, the  goats  and  gr.zelles  of  Afi'a  and  Africa, 
the  lama  of  Peru,  &c.  inltead  of  aegagropUi, 
produce  folid  bezoars,  whole  iize  and  confidence 
vary  according  to  the  animals  and  the  climates 
under  which  they  iive. 

5.  i  he  bezoars,  to  which  fo  many  virtues, 
have  been  afcribed,  are  the  oriental  kind,  and 
they  are  produced  by  the  goats,  gazelles,  and 
fheep,  that  inhabit  the  high  mountains  of  Alia. 
Bezoars  of  an  inferior  quality,  which  are  called 
occidental,  proceed  from  the  lamas  and  pacas 
which  are  found  in  the  mountains  of  South  Ame- 
rica. In  line,  the  goats  and  gazelles  of  Africa 
iike wife  yield  bezoars  ;  but  they  are  not  fo  good 
as  thofe  of  Afia. 

From  all  thefe  facts  we  may  conclude,  in  ge- 
neral, that  the  bezoars  are  only  a  refidue  ot 
vegetable  nourifhment,  which  exifts  not  in  car- 
nivorous animals,  and  is  peculiar  to  thofe  who 
live  upon  plants  ;  that,  in  the  fouthern  moun- 
tains of  Alia,  the  herbs  being  flronger  and  more 

exalted 

*  See  Note,  p.  439. 

f  We  found  an  aegagropilus  in  a  porcupine  fent  us  from 
Rome  in  the  year  1763,—— 


OR    GAZELLES.  443 

exalted  than  in  any  other  region  of  the  world, 
the  bezoars,  which  are  the  refidue  of  them,  are 
alfo  fuperior  in  quality  to  all  others ;  that,  in 
America,  where  the  heat  is  lefs  intenfe,  and  the 
mountain  herbs  have  not  fo  much  ftrength,  the 
bezoars  which  proceed  from  them  are  alfo  great- 
ly inferior  ;  and,  laftly,  that,  in  Europe,  where 
the  herbs  are  feeble,  and  in  the  plains  of  both 
continents,  where  they  are  grofs,  no  bezoars  are 
produced,  but  only  aegagropdiy  which  contain 
nothing  but  hairs,  roots,  or  filaments  that  are 
too  hard  to  be  digefted. 


END  of  VOLUME  SIXTH. 


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