18. _The LONG and SHORT-TAILED MANIS_ (Manis tetradactyla, and
pentadactyla, Fig. 18) _are very singular quadrupeds, with a long muzzle,
small mouth destitute of teeth, and their body covered with scales. They
are distinguished from each other by the former having a very long tail
and four toes, and the latter a short tail and five toes._
_These animals are natives of India, Africa, and China; and are from four
to seven or eight feet in length. From the scales with which their bodies
are clad, and the general shape of the tail, they might be mistaken, at
first sight, for lizards. The under part of their bodies, however, is
clad with hair, which is not the case in any species of lizard._
By the negroes of Africa both the species of manis are much sought for, and
on account, chiefly, of their _flesh_ as food. There is, however, some
difficulty in procuring them, as they live in obscure places, in the midst
of rocks, woods, and morasses. When discovered they are unable to escape by
flight, and, in self-defence, roll themselves into a ball, and erect their
scales; exposing an armed surface on every side, impenetrable by the teeth
of dogs, but easily assailable by the spears of the negroes. In their
habits these animals are gentle and innoxious, and subsist only on insects,
of different kinds.
Their _scales_, which are sufficiently hard to strike fire when struck
against flint, are applied to many useful purposes.
19. _The ARMADILLOS_ (Dasypus, Fig. 19) _are a tribe of quadrupeds, which
have grinding teeth, but no canine nor front-teeth; their bodies are
covered with a crustaceous shell_.
_There are ten species, all of which are inhabitants of Brazil and other
parts of South America, and are from eight or ten inches to three feet in
length. The species are distinguished from each other chiefly by the
number of flexible bands which extend across their back._
Their _flesh_ is a favourite food with the inhabitants of South America. Of
their _shells_ these people make baskets, boxes, and numerous ornamental
articles, which they paint and adorn in various ways; and the shells,
reduced to powder, are sometimes administered internally as a medicine.
It is customary to hunt armadillos with dogs that are trained for the
purpose. They reside in burrows which they dig in the ground, into these
they endeavour to retreat when pursued: or, if at too great a distance,
they attempt to dig new ones before they are overtaken. When in their
holes, they are either smoked out, or are expelled by pouring in water. The
moment they are seized they roll themselves together, and will not again
extend unless placed near a hot fire. These animals seldom appear abroad
except during the night; and they are often caught in snares that are laid
for them at the mouths of their dens.
20. _The RHINOCEROS.--There are two species of rhinoceros, one of which
has one, and the other two horns, situated on the nose, and three hoofs
on each foot._
_These are animals of large size and bulky form, and live in swamps,
morasses, and forests, in wet situations, within the torrid regions_.
_The_ SINGLE-HORNED RHINOCEROS (Rhinoceros unicornis, Fig. 1.) _which is
generally five or six feet in height, is found in Africa, in the central
and southern parts of Asia, and in the islands of Sumatra and Ceylon. Its
skin is blackish, naked, extremely thick, covered with a kind of warts,
and disposed into large folds on different parts of the body. The_
TWO-HORNED RHINOCEROS (Rhinoceros bicornis) _is a native of Africa, and
has a thick and dark-coloured skin, but not arranged in folds like that
of the preceding species_.
The _skin_ of the rhinoceros is an article in great demand in several
countries of Asia and Africa. It is manufactured into the best and hardest
leather that can be imagined; and targets or shields are made of it, that
are proof against even the stroke of a scimitar. In this state the colour
of the skin is variegated; and when polished it is nearly similar in
appearance to tortoise-shell. The inhabitants of Surat make very elegant
targets of these hides, which they stud with silver-headed nails. The
Hottentots make _chanboks_ or whips of them.
In Sumatra, Ceylon, and some parts of India, the _flesh_ of the rhinoceros
is an useful food. The _horns_, which are from twelve to fifteen inches in
length, and three to six inches in diameter, are much esteemed amongst the
Mahometans, not on account of any real utility, but from their being
considered an antidote against poison. Good-sized horns, if purchased at
three or four pounds sterling each, may be sold in the East Indies, with
considerable profit, to the Arabian merchants. They are made into drinking
cups; and it is believed that if any thing poisonous be put into them, a
fermentation will ensue, by which the poison may be discovered. This,
however, is without foundation, as very satisfactory experiments have
proved. By the Arabians the horns of the rhinoceros are frequently made
into the hilts of swords; and they are sold at an enormous price for that
purpose. They are also manufactured into snuff-boxes, which are considered
preferable to such as are made of tortoise shell; and we are informed by
Martial, that the Roman ladies of fashion used them in the baths, to hold
their essence bottles and oils.
The savage tribes of southern Africa, and even the inhabitants of the Cape
of Good Hope, set a high value on the dried _blood_ of the rhinoceros, to
which they ascribe great medicinal virtues. The _hoofs_, and even the
_teeth_, are also used medicinally.
Respecting the rhinoceros it may not be improper to remark, that, although
naturally of a quiet and inoffensive disposition, his strength is such,
that few animals are able to contend with him; and that the thickness of
his hide is so great, as in several parts to be impenetrable even by a
musket ball. These animals feed entirely on vegetable food, but
particularly on the leaves and tender branches of shrubs. Their horns are
not fixed into the bone of the head, like those of other quadrupeds, but
only into the skin. They appear loose whilst the animals are in a quiescent
state; but when the animals are irritated, they become fixed and
immoveable.
21. _The ELEPHANT_ (Elephas, Fig. 20), _the only known animal of the
tribe to which it belongs, is an inhabitant of the warmer regions of Asia
and Africa, and is distinguished by having two long tusks projecting from
the upper jaw, and the snout lengthened into a long and flexible trunk_.
_The general height of the elephant is nine or ten feet. Its skin is of
dingy brown colour, and nearly destitute of hair. The tusks are much
longer in the male than the female. Each of the feet has five rounded
hoofs: and the tail, which is short, is terminated by a few scattered,
and very thick black hairs._
Throughout the whole of the East Indies, as well as in several other parts
of Asia, the elephant is an animal of indispensable utility. When tamed and
reduced to a state of submission, he becomes so tractable as to obey all
the orders of his keeper. Elephants are formed in a particular manner for
the service of man in hot climates. They are employed both as beasts of
draft and burthen; and one elephant is supposed equal to as much work as
six horses. They are conducted by a man, who sits on their neck, and who
employs as a weapon an iron rod, hooked at the end, with which he pricks
the animal to urge him forward, or turn him in any direction that may be
required. Almost all the articles that are transported from place to place
in India are conveyed by elephants. They bend their knees to accommodate
those who mount them: and, with their trunks, they even assist the persons
by whom they are loaded. Before the invention of gunpowder, elephants were
much employed by the Indians in their wars. They are now chiefly used for
the purposes of labour and parade. They require much attention, and are
generally fed with rice, either raw or boiled, and mixed with water, of
which each elephant will devour daily near a hundred pounds' weight,
besides a certain quantity of fresh herbage which is procured for him. They
are led to the water thrice a day, both to drink and bathe; and their daily
consumption of water for drink has been estimated at forty five gallons
each.
The modes in which elephants are caught and domesticated are curious and
interesting. In a wild state they inhabit, in large troops, the thick and
boundless forests of Asia and Africa. To obtain the single male elephant,
it is customary, in some parts of India, to employ females, which are
trained for that particular purpose. When the hunters have discovered a
male elephant that suits them, they conduct four of the females silently
and slowly, at a little distance from each other, nearly to the place where
he is feeding. If, as frequently is the case, he permit their approach, two
of them are conducted, one on each side, close to his neck, a third places
herself across his tail, and the fourth is brought up by proper attendants,
who immediately pass under the animal and tie his legs with ropes. After
this he is further secured; and, at length, though not without much
difficulty, is conveyed home and domesticated.
When a herd of elephants are to be secured, a party consisting sometimes of
500 persons are employed. These, by fire and noises, drive them into
certain enclosures, formed for the purpose; an operation which generally
occupies several days. These enclosures are three in number, and
communicate with each other by narrow openings or gateways. The opening of
the outer enclosure is disguised, as much as possible, by bamboos and
branches of trees stuck into the ground, so as to make it look like a
natural jungle. It is not without much difficulty that the leader can be
induced to enter: but, after he has passed, all the others immediately
follow. There is still greater difficulty in inducing them to pass into the
second and third enclosures: and lastly, one by one, into the roomee, an
outlet about sixty feet in length, and so narrow that the animals are
unable to turn round in it. Here, after in vain exerting all their powers
to break down the fences and escape, they are all, in succession, secured
by ropes that are fastened round their legs.
To domesticate the animals, they are now each placed under a keeper, who is
appointed to attend and instruct them. After the elephant has for some days
been supplied with food and water, the keeper ventures to approach him. He
strokes and pats him with his hand, at the same time speaking to him in a
soothing voice; and after a little while the beast begins to know and obey
him. By degrees the keeper becomes familiar; he ventures to mount upon his
back from one of the tame elephants, and at length seats himself on his
neck, from whence he afterwards regulates and directs all his motions. In a
few weeks the animal becomes obedient; his fetters are by degrees taken
off; and, in the course of six months, he submits entirely to his keeper's
will.
Wild male elephants are frequently hunted and killed, both in Asia and
Africa, on account of their tusks, which, under the name of _ivory_, are a
very important article of traffic. The temptation held out, at the Cape of
Good Hope, to this dangerous pursuit, in which many of the hunters lose
their lives, is the payment of a guilder per pound for the tusks; and these
weigh from 30 to 130 pounds each. For the whitest, smoothest, and most
compact ivory that is known, we are, however, indebted to the island of
Ceylon. The whole quantity of ivory exported from the Cape of Good Hope in
four years, ending in 1804, amounted to 5981 pounds; and the average annual
quantity vended at the East India Company's sales from 1804 to 1808 was
twenty-six tons.
The principal consumption of ivory is for making ornamental utensils,
mathematical instruments, boxes, combs, dice, and an infinite variety of
toys. This substance is also used for painting miniatures upon, for which,
however, it goes through a peculiar preparation. It is capable of being
stained of various and very beautiful colours. The shavings of ivory, like
those of hartshorn, may, by boiling, be converted into a jelly; and they
possess similar virtues. Bone is frequently substituted for ivory, but it
is easily known by its pores, which are not to be seen in ivory, and by its
wanting the beautiful white veins or marks by which ivory is distinguished.
The _flesh_ of the elephant is eaten by the negroes of Africa; and the
ancients attributed many medicinal qualities to the _blood_ and the
_trunk_.
22. _The GREAT MORSE, or ARCTIC WALRUS_ (Trichechus rosmarus), _is a
marine quadruped of enormous size, with short fin-like feet, two great
tusks pointing downward from the upper jaw, the lips peculiarly thick,
the upper lip cleft into two large rounded lobes, and no front teeth in
either jaw_.
_These animals inhabit the sea near the northern parts of the coast of
America, and feed on sea-weeds, corallines, and shellfish. They are
sometimes nearly eighteen feet in length, and ten or twelve in
circumference. Their skin is of dark colour, and thinly covered with
short brownish hair. They have small eyes, and small circular orifices in
place of external ears._
We are informed that these animals, under the name of horse-whales, were
objects of pursuit so early as even the reign of King Alfred, and on
account chiefly of their _tusks_ and _oil_. The former are a close-grained
kind of ivory, and weigh from ten to near thirty pounds each; and the
latter, which is equally valuable with that of whale oil, is in such
abundance that the body of each animal yields nearly half a tun. This oil
is burned in lamps, is used for the same purposes as whale-oil, and even
eaten by the inhabitants of Greenland with their food. Of the _skins_ of
the arctic walrus the Greenlanders make a thick and strong harness for
their sledges and carriages; and they sometimes twist narrow strips of them
together to form cables. They constitute an important article of export
from the coast of Labrador. The _tendons_ of these animals are capable of
being split and used as thread.
So numerous were arctic walruses formerly in the northern seas, that we are
informed of the English, in 1706, having killed, on Cherry Island (betwixt
Norway and Greenland) near eight hundred of them in six hours; and that, in
1708, they killed nine hundred in seven hours. Of late years, however,
their numbers are much decreased.