 Reference Base  Life in Abyssinia, being notes collected during three yea... |
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Parkyns, M., 1853. Life in Abyssinia, being notes collected during three years residence and travel in that country. London, John Murray, vol. 2, pp. 1-355
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| Location: |
Africa - Eastern Africa - Ethiopia |
| Subject: |
Morphology - Horn |
| Species: |
African Rhino Species |
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The handles of the swords and the scabbards are made of the horn of the rhinoceros. They are cut out of the horn at a great loss of material, and hence they fetch a good price. It should be remembered that the heart of the horn is black, outside of which is coating, not quite an inch thick, of a semi-transparant white colour. To make a sword-handle, a piece of horn of the requisite length is first sawn off. This is then resawn longitudinally into three pieces, of which the inner one only is eligible for handles. This piece is about 1 ? inch thick, 4-5 inches broad at the thicker extremity, and 3 inches at the narrower. As it lies sawn flat before us we can distinctly see the black stripe in the cnetre, with the white on each side. Next, a nearly semicircular piece is cut out at each side, leaving only four points of the white as four corners, and the grasp black. The coating of some horns instead of being white, is occasionally found to be bright blood-red, often marked in stripes. This, they say, is occasioned by the animal's having received a blow there. However it be, such horns are in Abyssinia considered valueless, while a Turk would give any price for them.
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