THE GREAT THICK-SKINNED ANIMALS m 



can Ijest dodge the attacks of his foe. They usually pursue each other 

 in a clumsy gallop, round and round, in a large circle, until the ground 

 shakes beneath them. If the elephant succeeds in making use of his 

 long tusks, the fate of the rhinoceros is sealed, for as soon as the 

 elephant has speared his enemy he stamps him to the ground with his 

 heavy feet, then tries to render him harmless by destroying his head, 

 and usually departs leaving a mangled carcass on the field. 



A peculiarity is noticed about the rhinoceros found in the forest. 

 The upper lip hangs over and down in front a short distance. This 

 is known as a prehensile lip and is not found in the rhino of the plains. 



An animal which is becoming very scarce and consequently 

 desirable is Burchell's white rhinoceros. The color is a dirty brown- 

 ish-white and except that it is much larger than the black rhino and the 

 front horn is longer, the general description is the same as are its 

 habits. Mr. Roosevelt was particularly anxious to secure a specimen 

 of this species, as their rapid extinction makes it improbable that they 

 will last more than a few years longer, in spite of the game laws which 

 are being made more and more rigid. 



The Hippopotamus.— Next among the pachyderm family and 

 in the hunter's estimation, comes the hippopotamus, the river horse of 

 the ancients, though there is hardly any basis for the name save that it 

 lives chiefly in or near the water. 



Not as large as the rhinoceros, the hippopotamus stands from four 

 to five feet high at the shoulders and is from ten to eleven feet long. 



Hippo shooting is considered good sport. The hunter rarely 

 ever secures an easy shot as the animals are found chiefly in the water 

 and almost entirely submerged. Further than that, the skin, which is 

 pinkish-brown in color, is so hard and thick that a shot must be very 

 accurately placed to take efifect. Its skin is naked, thick, and pene- 

 trated by pores which exude or give out a thick, fatty liquid, which 

 may perhaps be useful to it while in the water. The front part of the 

 head is massive, and broader than that of any other living quadruped; 

 the nostrils are comparatively small slits, which are closed and water- 

 tight during the frequent dives beneath the surface of the water; the 

 eyes are prominent, and placed far back in the head ; and the ears arc 

 so short that they look as if they had been cropped. 



