At the age of two years the horn is said to be not more than an inch long; at six years old it is nine or ten inches long, and grows, as seen in the white species, to the length of three or four feet.
The rhinoceros is a very affectionate mother, and guards her offspring with the tenderest care. The young, in its turn, clings dotingly to its dam, and, even for a day or two after the latter has been killed, the calf is frequently found alongside the carcass. Several instances of the kind have come under my personal notice, and many others are to be found in the records of African travelers and hunters.
The sense of hearing and smell of this animal is most acute. I have had numerous opportunities of testing both these qualities. Even when feeding, lying down, or obeying any passing demand of nature, he will listen with a deep and continued attention until the noise that has attracted his attention ceases. He “winds” an enemy from a very great distance; but if one be to leeward of him, it is not difficult to approach within a few paces.
His sight, on the other hand, is not good. From the peculiar position of his eyes, which are deep set in the head, and his unwieldy horns, he can only see what is immediately before him.
The “black” species, as before said, are of a very sullen and morose disposition. They are, moreover, subject to sudden paroxysms of unprovoked fury, rushing and charging with inconceivable fierceness animals, stones, bushes—in short, any object that comes in their way.
Seen in his native wilds, either when browsing at his leisure, or listlessly sauntering about, a person would take the rhinoceros to be the most stupid and inoffensive of creatures; yet, when his ire is roused, he becomes the reverse, and is then the most agile and terrible of animals.
Colonel Williamson speaks of a rhinoceros in India whose ferocity was such as to render the roads impassable by attacking travelers, or those who passed near his haunts; and he relates an attack upon a sporting company by the same animal, in the close of the year 1788, as generally known to the army and residents of the district. “Two officers belonging to the troops cantoned at Dunapore, near Patna, went down the river toward Monghyr to shoot and hunt. They had encamped in the vicinity of Derrzapore, and had heard some reports of a rhinoceros having attacked some travelers many miles off. One morning, just as they were rising, about daybreak, to go in quest of game, they heard a violent uproar; and, on looking out, found that a rhinoceros was goring their horses, both of which, being fastened by their head and heel with ropes, were consequently unable either to escape or resist. Their servants took to their heels, and concealed themselves in the neighboring jungle; and the gentlemen had just time to climb up into a small tree not far distant, before the furious beast, having completed the destruction of the horses, turned his attention to their masters. They were barely out of his reach, and by no means exempt from danger, especially as he assumed a threatening appearance, and seemed intent on their downfall. After keeping them in dreadful suspense for some time, and using some efforts to dislodge them, seeing the sun rise, he retreated to his haunt; not, however, without occasionally casting an eye back, as with regret, at leaving what he wanted the power to destroy.”
But the rhinoceros is not dangerous to man alone: all the beasts of the forest dread him, and none venture to attack this truly formidable animal. The lion, if they chance to meet, slinks out of his way. Even the elephant, should they encounter, retreats, if possible, without hazarding an engagement. Major Lally stated to the author of “Oriental Sports” that he once witnessed, from a distant hill, a most desperate battle between a large male elephant and a rhinoceros, in which the former was worsted and fled. Amral told me that one day, while himself and party were engaged in pursuit of an elephant, a black rhinoceros suddenly appeared among them, charging madly both beasts and men, several of whom had narrow escapes from being gored by the animal.
The rhinoceros will also fight his own species. One night, when at the “skärm,” I saw four huge beasts engage each other at the same time, and so furious was the strife, and their gruntings so horrible, that it caused the greatest consternation among my party, who were encamped some little way off. I succeeded after a while in killing two of them, one of which was actually unfit for food, being quite rotten from wounds received on previous occasions, and, probably, under similar circumstances.
The rhinoceros, though it can not strictly be called a gregarious animal, and though most commonly met with singly or in pairs, would seem to be of a somewhat social disposition. Indeed, as many as a dozen have been seen pasturing and browsing together.