in some provinces is long, in others
very short: some have long manes hanging to the ground. They are so
timorous that they never feed but surrounded with other beasts that
defend them. Deer and other defenceless animals often herd about the
elephant, which, contenting himself with roots and leaves, preserves
those beasts that place themselves, as it were, under his protection,
from the rage and fierceness of others that would devour them.

The horses of Abyssinia are excellent; their mules, oxen, and cows are
without number, and in these principally consists the wealth of this
country. They have a very particular custom, which obliges every man
that hath a thousand cows to save every year one day's milk of all his
herd, and make a bath with it for his relations, entertaining them
afterwards with a splendid feast. This they do so many days each year,
as they have thousands of cattle, so that to express how rich any man is,
they tell you he bathes so many times. The tribute paid out of their
herds to the King, which is not the most inconsiderable of his revenues,
is one cow in ten every three years. The beeves are of several kinds;
one sort they have without horns, which are of no other use than to carry
burthens, and serve instead of mules. Another twice as big as ours which
they breed to kill, fattening them with the milk of three or four cows.
Their horns are so large, the inhabitants use them for pitchers, and each
will hold about five gallons. One of these oxen, fat and ready to be
killed, may be bought at most for two crowns. I have purchased five
sheep, or five goats with nine kids, for a piece of calico worth about a
crown.

The Abyssins have many sort of fowls both wild and tame; some of the
former we are yet unacquainted with: there is one of wonderful beauty,
which I have seen in no other place except Peru: it has instead of a
comb, a short horn upon its head, which is thick and round, and open at
the top. The feitan favez, or devil's horse, looks at a distance like a
man dressed in feathers; it walks with abundance of majesty, till it
finds itself pursued, and then takes wing, and flies away. But amongst
all their birds there is none more remarkable than the moroc, or honey-
bird, which is furnished by nature with a peculiar instinct or faculty of
discovering honey. They have here multitudes of bees of various kinds;
some are tame, like ours, and form their combs in hives. Of the wild
ones, some