Page:India in the Fifteenth Century, being a Collection of Narratives of Voyages to India.djvu/194

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INDIA IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

and that its feet resemble those of the camel: it has two horns, very sharp at the extremity, one cubit in length, one of which is situate on the forehead and the other on the nose.[1] They have another animal called zebed, rather longer than a hare, and resembling it in other respects;[2] possessing such a peculiar odour, that if it lean against a tree for the purpose of scratching itself, it imparts to it a smell so extremely sweet, that persons passing near shortly afterwards and guided by the scent, cut out the part against which it had supported itself, and dividing it into minute portions sell them dearer than gold. They informed me that there was also another animal,[3] nine cubits long and six in height, with cloven hoofs like those of an ox, the body not more than a cubit in thickness, with hair very like to that of a leopard and a head resembling that of the camel, with a neck four cubits long and a hairy tail: the hairs are purchased at a high price, and worn by the women suspended from their arms, and ornamented with various sorts of gems. Another wild animal is hunted by them for food. It is as large as an ass, with stripes of a red and green colour, and has horns three cubits in length and spiral from the top.[4] Another also, resembling a hare, has small horns, is of a red colour, and can surpass a horse in leaping.[5] There is yet another, similar to a goat, with horns more than two cubits in length extending over the back, which are sold for more than forty gold pieces, because their smoke is beneficial in cases of fever.[6] Another, like the last, without horns but with red hair, and the neck more than two cubits in length. They also mentioned another of the size of a camel and of the

  1. The rhinoceros.
  2. Doubtless the zibett (viverra civetta), the well-known producer of the "civet."
  3. The giraffe.
  4. Probably the koodoo (Strepsiceros Kudu).
  5. Perhaps the Modoqua antelope (neotragus Saltianus), a small Abyssinian species named in compliment to the late Mr. Salt.
  6. Ibex.