RHINOCEROS.
(From the Living Specimen in the Zoological Gardens, London.)

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Not unfrequently, however, it is the hunter who has to fly away before the Rhinoceros, as Sir S. Baker found out to his cost in the Upper Nile.

Gordon Cumming, in his “Hunter’s Life in South Africa,” gives the following details of the Rhinoceros:—“Of the Rhinoceros there are four varieties in South Africa, distinguished by the Bechuanas by the names of the Borèlé, or Black Rhinoceros; the Keitloa, or Two-horned Black Rhinoceros; the Muchocho, or common White Rhinoceros; and the Robaoba, or Long-horned White Rhinoceros. Both varieties of the Black Rhinoceros are extremely fierce and dangerous, and rush headlong and unprovoked at any object which attracts their attention. They never attain much fat, and their flesh is tough, and not much esteemed by the Bechuanas. Their food consists almost entirely of the thorny branches of the waitabit thorns. Their horns are much shorter than those of the other varieties, seldom exceeding eighteen inches in length. They are finely polished with constant rubbing against the trees. The skull is remarkably formed, its most striking feature being the tremendously thick ossification in which it ends above the nostrils. It is on this mass that the horn is supported. The horns are not connected with the skull, being attached merely by the skin, and they may thus be separated from the head by means of a sharp knife. They are hard and solid throughout, and are a fine material for various articles, such as drinking-cups, mallets for rifles, handles for turners’ tools, &c., &c. The horn is capable of taking a very high polish. The eyes of the Rhinoceros are small and sparkling, and do not readily observe the hunter, provided he keep to leeward of them. The skin is extremely thick, and only to be penetrated by bullets hardened with solder. During the day the Rhinoceros will be found lying asleep, or standing indolently in some retired part of the forest, or under the base of the mountains, sheltered from the power of the sun by some friendly grove of umbrella-topped mimosas. In the evening they commence their nightly rambles, and wander over a great extent of country. They usually visit the fountains between the hours of nine and twelve o’clock at night, and it is on these occasions that they may be most successfully hunted and with the least danger. The Black Rhinoceros is subject to paroxysms of unprovoked fury, often ploughing up the ground for several yards with its horn, and assaulting large bushes in the most violent manner. On these bushes they work for hours with their horns, at the same time snorting and blowing loudly, nor do they leave them in general until they have broken them in pieces. All the four varieties delight to roll and wallow in the mud, with which their rugged hides are generally encrusted. Both varieties of the Black Rhinoceros are much smaller and more active than the white, and are so swift that a Horse with a rider on his back can rarely overtake them. The two varieties of the White Rhinoceros are so similar in habits that the description of one will serve for both; the principal difference consisting in the length and set of the anterior horn: that of the Muchocho averaging from two to three feet in length, and pointing backwards; while the horn of the Robaoba often exceeds four feet in length, and inclines forward from the nose at an angle of 45°. The posterior horn of either species seldom exceeds six or seven inches in length. The Robaoba is the rarer of the two, and it is found very far in the interior, chiefly to the eastward of the Limpopo. Its horns are very valuable for loading-rods, supplying a substance at once suitable for a sporting implement and excellent for the purpose. Both these varieties of Rhinoceros attain an enormous size. They feed solely on grass, carry much fat, and their flesh is excellent, being preferable to beef. They are of a much milder and more inoffensive disposition than the Black Rhinoceros, rarely charging their pursuer. Their speed is very inferior to that of the other varieties, and a person well mounted can overtake and shoot them. The head of these is a foot longer than that of the Borèlé. They generally carry their heads low; whereas the Borèlé, when disturbed, carries his very high. Unlike the Elephants, they never associate in herds, but are met with singly or in pairs. In districts where they are abundant from three to six may be found in company; and I once saw upwards of a dozen congregated together on some young grass; but such an occurrence is rare.”

Gordon Cumming relates that the Rhinoceros and Hippopotamus are usually attended by little birds known as Rhinoceros Birds, “their object being to feed upon the ticks and other parasites that swarm upon these animals. They are of a greyish-colour, and are nearly as large as a common Thrush. Their voice is very similar to that of the Mistletoe Thrush. Many a time have these ever-watchful birds disappointed me in my stalk, and tempted me to invoke an anathema upon their devoted heads. They are the best friends the Rhinoceros has, and rarely fail to awaken him even in his soundest nap. ‘Chukuroo’ perfectly understands their warning, and, springing to his feet, he generally first looks about him in every direction, after which he invariably makes off. I have often hunted a Rhinoceros on horseback which led me a chase of many miles, and required a number of shots before he fell, during which chase several of these birds remained by the Rhinoceros to the last. They reminded me of mariners on the deck of some bark sailing on the ocean, for they perched along his back and sides; and as each of my bullets told on the shoulder of the Rhinoceros, they ascended about six feet into the air, uttering their harsh cry of alarm, and then resumed their position. It sometimes happened that the lower branches of trees, under which the Rhinoceros passed, swept them from their living deck; but they always recovered their former station. They also adhere to the Rhinoceros during the night. I have often shot these animals at midnight when drinking at the fountains, and the birds, imagining they were asleep, remained with them till morning; and on my approaching, before taking flight, they exerted themselves to their utmost to awaken Chukuroo from his deep sleep.”

THE ASIATIC RHINOCEROSES.

There are four different Rhinoceroses in Asia, of which two are characterised by the possession of one horn, while the remaining two possess two horns, as in the African species. All the adult Asiatic possess incisors or front teeth, which are conspicuous by their absence from the African species. The normal number of these is four in the upper, and four in the lower jaws, the median pair being the larger in the upper, and the smaller in the lower. The development of these teeth seems to stand in relation to the development of horns, those animals with the smallest horns being provided with the largest incisors. The most familiar is the INDIAN RHINOCEROS (Rhinoceros unicornis = R. indicus, Cuvier), with a single horn on the nose, and thick naked skin covered with large boss-like granulations, which lies in massive folds on various parts of the body, and more especially behind and across the shoulders and before and across the thighs. There are a few stiff hairs on the tail and ears. It inhabits the East Indies, principally beyond the Ganges, and is recorded as having been found in Bengal, Siam, and Cochin-China. It is found in shady forests, the neighbourhood of rivers, and marshy places, its food consisting of herbage and branches of trees. The fully-grown animal rarely arrives at a greater height than five, and its average may be taken at four feet.