HORNS OF RHINOCEROS OSWELLII.
Of the white species, we have the common white rhinoceros (rhinoceros simus, Burch.), called Monoohoo by the Bechuanas, and the Kobaaba (rhinoceros Oswellii, Gray), or long-horned white rhinoceros.[75] It is with regard to their horns that the two species chiefly differ from each other; for while the anterior horn of the Monoohoo has an average length of two or three feet, curving backward, that of the Kobaaba not unfrequently exceeds four feet, and is slightly pointed forward, inclining from the snout at about an angle of forty-five degrees. This rhinoceros is also the rarer of the two, and is only found in the more interior parts of South Africa.
The chief distinguishing characteristics of the white rhinoceros are its superior size, the extraordinary prolongation of its head, which is not far from one third of the whole length of the animal’s body, its square nose (hence also designated “square-nosed rhinoceros”), and the greater length of the anterior horns.
The “black” and the “white” rhinoceros, though so nearly allied to each other, differ widely in their mode of living, habits, &c. The chief sustenance of the former animal consists of the roots of certain bushes, which it plows up with its strong horn, and the shoots and tender boughs of the “wait-a-bit” thorn; while the “white” rhinoceros, on the contrary, feeds solely on grasses.
In disposition, also, there is a marked distinction between them; for while the “black” is of a very savage nature, the “white,” on the other hand, is of a comparatively mild disposition, and, unless in defense of its young, or when hotly pursued, or wounded, will rarely attack a man.
The body of the rhinoceros is long and thick; its belly is large, and hangs near the ground; its legs are short, round, and very strong; and its hoofs are divided into three parts, each pointing forward. The head, which is remarkably formed, is large; the ears are long and erect; its eyes small and sunk. The horns, which are composed of a mass of fine longitudinal threads or laminæ, forming a beautifully hard and solid substance, are not affixed to the skull, but merely attached to the skin, resting, however, in some degree, on a bony protuberance above the nostrils. It is believed by many that, when the animal is at rest, the horns are soft and pliable, but that, when on the move, they at once become hard and solid. Moreover, that it can, at will, turn the posterior horn, the other horn meanwhile remaining firm and erect; but there can scarcely be sufficient foundation for such notions.
In size the African rhinoceros—the white species, at least—is only exceeded by the elephant. A full-grown male (R. simus) measures from the snout to the extremity of the tail (which is about two feet) between fourteen and sixteen feet, with a circumference of ten or twelve. To judge from these data, and the general bulkiness of the body, it can not weigh less than from four to five thousand pounds. In our “bush-cuisine” we reckoned one of these animals equal to three good-sized oxen.
The general appearance of the African rhinoceros is not unlike that of an immense hog shorn of his hair, or, rather, bristles, for, with the exception of a tuft at the extremity of the ears and the tail, it has no hair whatever; and, as if in mockery of its giant form, its eyes are ludicrously small—so small, indeed, that at a short distance they are imperceptible. Altogether, what with its huge body, misshapen head, ungainly legs and feet, and diminutive organs of vision, the rhinoceros is the very image of ugliness.
I have no data that would enable me to determine the age of this animal, but if we are to judge from the length of time that the horns require to be perfected, and supposing the animal to continue to grow in the mean while, it may be safely conjectured that he is one of the most long-lived of beasts. Indeed, it is probable he attains the age of one hundred years.