232 RHINOCEROTID^E. 



the stomach is simple, and the caecum is large and complicated. It com- 

 prises the families of Rhinocerotidce, Tapir idee, Hyracidce, and Equidw, 

 or the Rhinoceroses, Tapirs, Coneys, and Horses. Their molars are six 

 or seven on each side, both above and below. 



Fam. RHINOCEROTID^E. 



Syn. tfasicornia, Illiger. 



Incisors persistent in both jaws in some, in others disappearing with 

 age; no canines ; molars tuberculate, the crown marked by narrow 



eminences, usually * ; feet with three hoofed toes ; one or two 



horns, placed one behind the other on the median line of the muzzle ; tail 

 short ; skin very thick, marked by deep folds. 



Gen. RHINOCEROS, Linnaeus. 



Char. Those of the family, of which it is the only genus. 



The animals composing this genus are large, ungainly, and unwieldy- 

 looking, with long heads and a short tail, and the hide very thick, with 

 several folds. The incisors vary somewhat both in number and in size, 

 and they are stated to bear an inverse ratio to the horns. Canines in a 

 rudimentary state exist in the mature foetus, but early disappear. The 

 molars are implanted by distinct roots. The crowns of the upper molars 

 are subquadrate, with two transverse eminences, joined by a crest to the 

 outer margin ; the crowns of the lower ones are longer, narrower, with 

 two lunate lines, having the convexity outwards. The nasal bones are 

 very strong and arched to support the horn, which is composed of longi- 

 tudinal fibres, as if of hairs closely compacted together without any bony 

 structure. The upper horn, when present, is fixed in the frontal bone. 

 The upper lip is somewhat prolonged. The stomach is simple, and the 

 caecum large and sacculated. The intestines are about eight times 

 longer than the body, and the villi are very large. The females have 

 two inguinal mammae. Rhinoceroses are found only in the tropical 

 regions of the old world. Three species occur in India and Malayana, 

 two of which are found within our limits \ and four or five others inhabit 

 Africa. 



212. Rhinoceros indicus. 



CUVIER. BLYTH, Cat. p. 130. E. unicornis, LINNAEUS. R. asia- 



