404 RHINOCEROS OF 1^HE LADO [ch. xiv 



white herons rode on their backs, but most of the flock 

 stalked sedately alongside through the burnt grass, 

 catching the grasshoppers which were disturbed by the 

 great feet. Wlien, however, the herd reached the tall 

 grass all the herons flew up and perched on the backs 

 and heads of their friends ; even the pink calf carried 

 one. Half a mile inside the edge of tlie tall grass the 

 elephants stopped for the day beside a clump of bushes ; 

 and there they stood, the white birds clustered on their 

 dark bodies. At the time we could distinctly hear the 

 doctor's shot-gun as he collected birds near camp. The 

 reports did not disturb the elephants, and when we 

 walked on we left them standing unconcernedly in the 

 grass. 



A couple of hours later, as we followed an elephant 

 path, we came to a spot where it was crossed by the spoor 

 of two rhino. Our gun-bearers took up the trail, over the 

 burnt ground, while Kermit and 1 followed immediately 

 l^ehind them. The trail wound about, and was not 

 always easy to disentangle ; but after a mile or two we 

 saw the beasts. They were standing among bushes and 

 patches of rank, unburned grass ; it was just ten o'clock, 

 and they were evidently preparing to lie down for the 

 day. As they stood they kept twitching their big ears ; 

 both rhino and elephant are perpetually annoyed, as are 

 most game, by biting flies, large and small. We got 

 up very close, Kermit with his camera and I with the 

 heavy rifle. Too little is known of these northern 

 square-mouthed rhino for us to be sure that they are 

 not lingering slowly toward extinction ; and, lest this 

 should be the case, we were not willing to kill any 

 merely for trophies ; while, on the other hand, we 

 deemed it really important to get good groups for the 

 National ^luseum in Washington and the American 



