5H 



NATURAL SCIENCE. May. 



" white " and the " black." The distinctions of previous writers 

 were mainly based upon the varying lengths and the proportions 

 of the horns. The African Rhinoceros " Theodore," until recently 

 aHve at the Zoological Gardens, during the course of his long life 

 in that menagerie belonged, on those assumptions, to two, if not 

 three, different species at various times. 



At a recent meeting of the Zoological Society, Mr. Coryndon 

 gave some additional and welcome details about the now very rare 

 " white " Rhinoceros. It is curious that this animal should have 

 got the name, for it would appear to be blacker than the "black" 

 Rhinoceros. The question of colour gets more involved from the 

 circumstance that the older writers on the natural history of Africa 

 distinctly speak of it as paler than the black Rhinoceros bicornis. 

 Rhinoceros simus is now so rare that till quite lately there was only a 

 single specimen in Europe. The Museum which had this unique 

 animal was Leyden, Now, however, that Mr. Coryndon has succeeded 

 in procuring two specimens in Mashonaland, we shall shortly see 

 one at the British Museum ; of the other the skin is to be placed in 

 the Tring Museum, and the skeleton has been purchased by Cambridge 

 University. The stuffed skin has been on exhibition at Mr. Rowland 

 Ward's. In our opinion the head of Mr. Rothschild's specimen does 

 not hang quite naturally, but the general effect is good, and the 

 wrinkling of the skin round the nose and at the base of the ears 

 is remarkably accurate. The bulk of the huge beast may be 

 understood from the fact that it took thirty-seven " boys " to carry the 

 skins and skeletons of two individuals. The approaching extinction of 

 the animal is due chiefly to the fact that it cuts up into unusually good 

 beef. The flavour of strange animals is almost invariably said to 

 resemble veal, but this has apparently never been asserted of the 

 white Rhinoceros. Opinions as to the disposition of the Rhinoceros 

 vary. Mr. Selous regards them as not in the least dangerous, except 

 through accident ; though a wounded Rhinoceros may charge with 

 terrible impetus, and may thereby produce direful results, he thinks that 

 this is due to confusion and fright rather than to a wish for revenge. 

 On the other hand, there are some who have stated that the 

 Rhinoceroses of Africa are savage in their character. 



Mr. Coryndon states that Rhinoceros simus stands, when fully 

 adult, at least six feet high at the shoulder; it is, without doubt, the 

 larger of the two certainly known species of Africa. Its main 

 difference from Rh. bicornis is the square muzzle and the habit 

 of cropping grass ; the black Rhinoceros, on the other hand, has a 

 pointed and slightly prehensile upper lip, which permits it to feed 

 more easily upon the succulent twigs of shrubs. 



The Lepidosiren and the Minhocao. 

 One of the most interesting exhibits of the season was made at 

 the same meeting of the Zoological Society held on April 3 last, 



