THE AFRICAN RHINOCEROS 



be. On my first visit to Africa in 1906 I started out rhi- 

 noceros hunting with the beUef that the beast was extraor- 

 dinarily nearsighted and stupid, but a good many of my 

 experiences, some of which I will relate in the following 

 paragraphs, have made me change my mind considerably 

 on this subject. 



It is generally said that the rhino cannot recognize an 

 object at any farther distance than seventy-five to one hun- 

 dred feet, and it is contended that if a rhino has observed 

 a person at a longer distance than this, dt is probably not 

 through the sight, but through his wonderful scent that he 

 has detected the hunter. In a good many instances it may 

 be hard to say whether this is so or not, but as I had heard 

 from one man, who had a great deal of experience in big 

 game hunting in Africa, that he, for one, did not believe in 

 the bad sight of the rhinoceros, I made up my mind that 

 I should make as many thorough " tests " in this respect 

 as possible. 



While I have seen that the rhino, like a great many 

 other wild animals, both in Africa and in other continents, 

 cannot very well distinguish between a man and a tree 

 stump, if the former stands perfectly motionless, particu- 

 larly if he is well or partly hidden by bushes, trees, or long 

 grass, this may often be the case even with human ob- 

 servers, if only the distance is increased. As to the rhi- 

 noceros, I have found that in bush country, when the wind 

 was such that it was absolutely impossible for the beast to 

 scent me, he would not detect me, even ten to fifteen yards 

 off, if I stood motionless among the bush. On the other 

 hand, I have seen how the rhino clearly discovered my pres- 

 ence when I was moving along in the bush, or even stand- 



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