b o o k many modern philofophers, aflerted, that they muft have
. v ' . been brought by the waters ; and that nothing but a fudden
and general inundation, fuch as the deluge, could have tranf-
ported them from their native countries in the foüth, to the
regions o f the north. In proof o f this affertion, he adds,
that the bones are generally found feparate, as if they had
been fcattered by the waves, covered with a ftratum o f mud
evidently formed by the waters, and commonly intermixed
with the remains of marine plants, and iimil'ar fubftances
inftances of which he himfelf obferved during his progrefs-
through Siberia, and which fufficiently prove- that thele regions
o f Alia were once overwhelmed with the fea.
Thus far Mr. Pallas, to whofe excellent d'ifquifition on the
fubjeét I muft refer the curious reader : for my own part, I,
can only add, that I examined tbe-ipecimens in. the mufeum
with that attention, which they deferved, and am .perfectly
fatisfied that they are the foffil bones o f the animals-in quef-
tion. The moit curious o f thefe fpecimens is the head and.
foot o f a rhinoceros, which were dug up entire in a bank o f
I -
¥ D e - r e liq u iis an r in a lium e x o t ic o rum - p e r
A i iam r e p e r t i s .
“ In p le r ifq u e r ip i s , .q u e fo f f i li e b o r e o ffi-
“ ■ b u fq u e in c la r u e r u n t , m em b r a a n im a lium
*■* p le r um q u e d is je c ta r e p e r iu n t u r , qiiafi; a
“ t ìu f t ib u s a g i t a t a , e t o b r u ta - lim o v e l g la -
44 r e o fls m a x im e f tra tis e v id cn t i ffim e tmd aV
44 rum- effeffcu e t f lu & u a t io n e c o n g é i l is , im o
l i - v a r iis faepe-’c o r p o r um m a r i iio rum .r e liq u iis
44 c o n fo c ia t a . H u ju s . m om e n t i’ i n . e x t r i -
44 c a n d à o ffium fo f f i lium h i i to r ia g rà v iff im i
“ p lu r ib u s in lo c i s ' lu cu len tiff im 'a e x em p l i
44 p r o p r i i s o c u i is v id i . ”
A n d a g a in , “ E x e ó d em . limolo-- fa lo -
44 R h ym n u s , u b ic u r iq u e a lt iö r e s r ip a s fufe-
:« r ii ir , c r e b r o -kt c o n fp e f tum p r o d u c i t e le -
. 44 p h a n t i im d e n ie s ,.m a x illa s , m a g n a a r t mi m
44 o f la ,: b i ib a lo r um im m a r iia c um c o rn ib 'u s
44 c a p i t a , fw n ile fq ù e r e liq u ia s ,' qu a^ um b e n e
44 m a fm um n .um e rum p e r ha ie e. r e g io n e^
44 profetSins miraCuliToco, apud pTebem a d -
“ lerv a ri vidi, quasque m'agis. in teg ra reli-
“ qj.ier.at » ta s collegi.-’ ’
M r . P à lla s , in- a reGèrif pu b lication , has.
defcribed 1’ev.eral-- foffil bones- la te ly d u g u p
in. th e governpient o f Ca fan , fom e whereof,
were fent to- Veteriburgh m 1779-, and de—
polited in' the mufeum o f 'th e acad emy.. T h e
m o il remarkable- o f thefe bones w h ich h e
enumerates are- th e follow in g ; A n e le ph
an t ’ s tooth 10 fparis 3 I inches lon g , and'
155 inches- ins circumference-;: ditto 5 feet.
3. inches in. len g th , and the -fa me in c ircum ference
feveral bones o f elephants o f co n fi
derable fize ; a damaged horn o f a rh in o ce
ro s , 2? feet 4 inches-Ibrig ; a jaw o f a-rhi-
noce ros, 3 fpans arid 1 1 inch lo u g , con ta in in
g two back, te e th , & c : G e r ic h t von G e -
b ein e r i-gròiTer auflaendifcher T h ie re .. lJaU
la s ’ s N o rd ifc lie B e y tra g e , v o l. I . p . i 73.
1 1 the
the Vilui, a fmall river falling into the Lena, in latitude 64, chap.
below Yakutilc : the body was found in December 1 7 7 1 ; jj_
and when Mr. Pallas came into thofe parts the following year,
the head and two legs were fent to him by the governor o f
the province, and by him tranfmitted to the mufeum. * The
ikin and hair are very apparent.
The following tranflation o f the account relative to the
difcovery o f this rhinoceros is extracted from Pallas’s Travels.
I have preferred this extrait to the defcription given in the
Commentaries o f the academy, as well becaufe the latter is
too long to be inferted in this place, as becaufe the German,
in which the former is written, is lefs familiar to thé Eng-
lilh reader than the Latin, in which the other" is compofed.
“ This winter the hunters o f Yakutik found, near
“ the rivulet Vilui, the body o f an unknown animal, the
“ head and two hinder feet whereof were fent to Irkutik by
“ Ivan Angunof, yay vode of Vilitik. In the account o f this
I difcovery, dated the 17th o f January, it appears, that in.
“ December, about 26 miles above Vilitik, the body o f an
“ animal was obferved half buried in the fand, about a fa-
“ thorn from the water, and four fathom from a fteep cliff.
“ Being meafured upon the fpot, it was found to be 7 feet 7
“ inches in length, and in height about 7 feet 6 inches;
“ The hide was entire, the body appeared of its natural bulk,
“ but in fuch a ftate, that only the head and feet could be
“ carried away ; one of the latter was fent to Yakutilc, and
“ the remainder to Irkutik. Upon infpedtion, they feemed
“ to have belonged to a full-grown rhinoceros ; and as the
“ head was entirely covered with the ikin, there could be no
<(. doubt of the fadt. On one fide the fmall hairs were ftill
‘ perfedt. The exterior organization was well preferved,
u and the eye-lids were not entirely corrupted. Here and
S' a “ there