268 Sir T. S. Raffles's Descriptive Catalogue 



RHINOCEROS Sumatranus. 



Badak. jpb 



Two-horned Rhinoceros of Sumatra. 



Dr. Bell's description and representation of this animal in the 

 Philosophical Transactions are extremely correct. The drawing 

 of the skull is however erroneous in one particular ; the incisor 

 bone of the upper jaw is straight and horizontal, and not curved 

 as there represented. It must also be remarked, that the original 

 number of incisor-teeth is four in each jaw, the same as in the 

 one-horned Rhinoceros of India. Of these incisors, two in each 

 jaw are very small, and soon fall out, and were therefore pro- 

 bably wanting in the adult head figured by Dr. Bell. The small 

 incisors of the upper jaw are situated behind the large and per- 

 sistent ones ; those of the lower jaw between them. The num- 

 ber of persistent molars in each jaw is six on each side, as repre- 

 sented by Dr. Bell ; but it appears that there is a seventh, which 

 soon falls out. The number in the young subject is six, with the 

 rudiment of a seventh behind. As this seventh advances, the 

 first molar begins to be obliterated, and falls out before the last 

 arrives at its full size ; so that at no period are there seven com- 

 pletely formed teeth existing in the jaw. The skin of the Su- 

 matran Rhinoceros is much softer and more flexible than that of 

 the Indian one, and is not, like it, corrugated into plates of mail. 

 It has however some doublings or folds, particularly round the 

 neck, shoulders and haunches, rather more distinct and defined 

 than in Dr. Bell's drawing. The natives assert that a third horn 

 is sometimes met with ; and in one of the young specimens pro- 

 cured, an indication of the kind was observed. The female has 

 a larger and heavier head than the male, but is similar in other 

 respects. 



They 



