CHAP. 93.—THE HIDE OF ANIMALS.
The hide, too, of the hippopotamus is so thick, that lances,[1]
even, are turned from it, and yet this animal has the intelligence
to administer certain medicaments to itself. The hide, too, of
the elephant makes bucklers that are quite impenetrable, and
yet to it is ascribed a degree of intelligence superior to that of
any quadruped. The skin itself is entirely devoid of sen-
sation, and more particularly that of the head; wherever it
is found alone, and unaccompanied with flesh, if wounded, it
will not unite, as in the cheek and on the eyelid,[2] for
instance.