SLOANES RHINOCEROS. I 59 



drinking in a vley. I placed some grass around my 

 cap, raised my head, and had a survey. The view was 

 very attractive and uncommon from the brute life 

 that figured so prominently in it. The old lady, who 

 belonged to the species familiarly known as Sloane's 

 rhinoceros (Rhinocerus keitloa), was standing in the 

 water more than belly deep ; consequently her udder 

 was submerged, which the youngster, desirous of 

 obtaining sustenance, much resented, showing his 

 indignation by giving his parent many a butt in the 

 flank, which, but for her size and power, would have 

 been deemed dangerous blows. At length the 

 matron got angry and hit her progeny no gentle knock, 

 which nearly sent it over, causing the youngster to 

 retire to the margin of the water in high dudgeon. 

 However, this humour did not long continue, for, 

 soon after, the youth was wallowing in the mire, and 

 giving itself a coat of mail, more than impervious 

 to any blood-sucking flies that thought fit to attack 

 it. This baby rhinoceros was nearly ten hands 

 high and had simply excrescences along the front of 

 its head indicating the position of the future horns. 



Of all the African rhinoceri, Sloane's, or the 

 keitloa, is considered to be the most dangerous, not 

 that it is possessed of a more daring and vindictive 

 spirit than the borele, but from its superior weight, 

 size, and I think speed, it is capable of perpetrating 

 more injury. Moreover, although all this family are 

 comparatively easily killed, I believe the animal of 



