Buffon's Natural History. Volume 07 (of 10): Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Minerals, &c. &cBuffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de
History
Buffon's Natural History. Volume 07 (of 10): Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Minerals, &c. &c
Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de
Natural history
After the elephant the Rhinoceros (_fig. 124._) is the most powerful
of quadrupeds; he is at least twelve feet in length, from the
extremity of the snout to the tail; six or seven feet in height,
and the circumference of his body is nearly equal to his length. In
bulk, therefore, he nearly resembles the elephant, and if he appears
smaller, it is because his legs are shorter in proportion than those
of the elephant. But he differs widely from that sagacious animal by
his natural faculties and intelligence, having received from Nature
merely what she grants in common to all animals. He is deprived of
all feeling in his skin; he has no organ to answer the purpose of
hands, to give him a distinct sense of touching; instead of a trunk
he has only a moveable lip, in which centres all his dexterity. He
is superior to other animals only in strength, magnitude, and the
offensive weapon, which he carries upon his nose, and which is peculiar
to him. This weapon is a very hard horn, solid throughout, and placed
more advantageously than the horn of ruminating animals; those only
protect the superior parts of the head and neck, whilst the horn of the
rhinoceros defends all the exterior parts of the muzzle, the mouth, and
the face, from insult. For this reason the tiger attacks more readily
the elephant, whose trunk he can seize, than the rhinoceros, which he
cannot attack in front without running the danger of having his inside
torn out; for the body and limbs are covered with so impenetrable a
skin that he fears neither the claws of the tiger nor lion, nor the
fire and weapons of the huntsman. His skin is blackish, of the same
colour, but thicker and harder than that of the elephant; nor does
he feel the sting of flies. He cannot contract nor extend his skin;
it is folded by large wrinkles on the neck, shoulders, and rump to
facilitate the motion of his head and legs, which last are massive,
and terminated by large feet, armed with three great toes. His head is
larger in proportion than that of the elephant, but his eyes are still
smaller, which he seldom opens entirely. The upper jaw projects above
the lower, and the upper lip is moveable, and may be lengthened six
or seven inches; it is terminated by a sharp edge, which gives the
animal the power to gather grass and divide it into handfuls, as the
elephant does with his trunk. This muscular and flexible lip is a sort
of imperfect trunk which is equally capable of seizing with force, and
feeling with delicacy. Instead of those long ivory tusks, which form
the weapons of the elephant, the rhinoceros has a powerful horn, and
two strong incisive teeth in each jaw: these teeth, which the elephant
has not, are placed at a great distance, one in each corner or angle
of the jaws; the under jaw is square before, and there are no other
incisive teeth in all the interior part, which is covered by the lips;
but, independently of these four incisive teeth, placed in the four
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