HUNTING THE ELAND. 291 



varieties di light to ro 1 . and wallow in mud, with which theil 

 rugged hides are generally incrusted. Both varieties of the black 

 rhinoceros are much smaller and more active than the white, and 

 are so swift that a horse with its rider on its back can rarely over- 

 take them. The two varieties of the white rhinoceros are so 

 similar in habits, that the description of one will serve for both, tbe 

 principal difference consisting in the length and set of the anterior 

 horn ; that of the muchocho averaging from two to three feet in 

 length, and pointing backward, while the horn of the kobaoba ofter 

 exceeds four feet in length, and inclines forward frorn the nose at 

 an angle of forty-five degrees. The posterior horn of either 

 species seldom exceeds six or seven inches in length. The ko- 

 baoba is the rarer of the two, and it is found very far in the in- 

 terior, chiefly to the eastward of the Limpopo. Its horns are very 

 valuable for loading rods, supplying a substance at once suitable 

 for a sporting implement and excellent for the purpose. Both 

 these varieties of rhinoceros attain an enormous size, being the 

 animals next in magnitude to the elephant. They feed solely on 

 grass, carry much fat, and their flesh is excellent, being preferable 

 to beef. They are of a much milder and more inoffensive dispo- 

 sition than the black rhinoceros, rarely charging their pursuer. 

 Their speed is very inferior to that of the other varieties, and a 

 person well mounted can overtake and shoot them. The head of 

 these is a foot longer than that of the borele. They generally 

 carry their heads low, whereas the borele, when disturbed, ca-nes 

 his very high, which imparts to him a saucy and independent air. 

 Unlike the elephants, they m;ver associate in herds, but are met 

 with singly or in pairs. In districts where they are abundant 

 from three to six may be found in company, and I once sow up- 

 ward of a dozen congregated together on some young grass, but 

 such an occurrence is rare. 



That magnificent animal the eland is by far the largest of all the 

 antelope tribe, exceeding a large ox in size. It also attains an ex- 

 traordinary condition, being often burdened with a very large 

 amount of fat. Its flesh is most excellent, and is justly esteemed 

 above all others. It has a peculiar sweetness, and is 'tender and 



