GREGARIOUS HABITS DOIVIESTICATION. 379 



suit 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 an- 

 imal. 



The rhinoceros will also fight his own species. One night, 

 when at the " skarm," 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 con- 

 sternation 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 gre- 

 garious 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. 



The rhinoceros is nocturnal in his habits. At the ap- 

 proach of dusk he commences his rambles, and, if not dis- 

 turbed, generally visits the pool at an early hour of the 

 evening; afterward he not unfrequently wanders over a 

 great extent of country. Soon after sunrise he seeks repose 

 and shelter against the heat under some friendly mimosa, 

 or the projecting ledge of a rock, where he spends the day 

 in sleep, either stretched at full length or in a standing po- 

 sition. Thus seen from a distance, he may easily be mistak- 

 en for the fragment of a rock. 



The Asiatic species is frequently kept in confinement, but, 

 though generally tractable, his morose and savage nature 

 makes him rather dangerous. The least provocation often 

 puts him into a tempest of passion, when he will not hesitate 

 to destroy his best friend. In his rage he will jump about, 

 and leap to a great height, driving his head furiously, and 

 with incredible swiftness, against the partitions of his place 



