MAMMALIA 



333 



skeletons of those of the Miocene differ little from those of to-day. These 

 once numerous and widely scattered animals are represented by two 

 African and three East Indian species. 



They have three short toes on each foot, each toe encased in a hoof-like 

 nail. The central or third toe is the largest, but the weight is sustained by 

 a sole pad. The East Indian forms (Fig. 270) have but one nose horn. The 

 small Sumatran form and the African forms have two horns. These horns 

 are simply outgrowths of the skin based upon a thickening of the nasal bone, 

 and are composed of a number of tapering whalebone-like fibers, which 

 sprout from papillae. They are finely cemented together, growing at the 

 base as fast as they wear away at the tips. The usually naked skin is very 

 thick, deposited in folds, making it look like plates of armor. In fact, the 

 dried skin is used as shields by the oriental soldiers. The rhinoceros feeds 

 upon leaves, twigs, and grass. It occasionally fights a tiger or leopard. 

 It wallows in the mud. There is but a single calf at birth. The young are 

 easily tamed. Selous says the white rhinocerous puts her nose close to the 



Fig. 270. — Indian rhinoceros {R. indicus). 



ground and guides the little one (which precedes her) by keeping the point 

 of her horn close against the rump. In disposition he says they are slug- 

 gish, inoffensive animals, lying asleep in daytime, and coniiiig to the water 

 to drink in the evening. The African speei( s ure lihiisli iiia\ when clean. ^ 



Th(> long-lipped sjiecies of Africa (Rhino'nms l>irnr'nis) lias ;in over- 

 hanging extensible ujjper li|) with which it gras])s ami tears otT the leaves 

 and twigs u))on which it feeds exclusively. The calf follows .aloiigsid" .;if its 

 mother. So sharp is the horn of a rhinocerous and so strong the liead and 

 neck that it can " disembowel and to.ss over its back any smaller animal, 

 and it could rip open an elephant if it got at his side, though some African 

 explorers say that the rhinocerous usually runs from a man ; but some are 

 vicious." 



The horns are used as knife-handles and as weapons. The horn of (he 

 white rhinocerous (/?. simus) has been known to measure 56 inches long, 

 while that of R. bicornis is not known to exceed 40 inches. The Chinese 



1 Ingersoll, p. 3S2. 



