AT DAGGERS DRAWN 75 



" bosses " the passage to horns and antlers forms an easy 

 transition. Just such incipient horns or " bosses " 

 actually make their appearance in the domesticated 

 horse : but these animals never butt at one another. 

 If, however, we regard horn-production as an inherent 

 diathesis of the ungulate somatoplasm, we have an 

 intelligible basis for the explanation of horn development. 



The formidable horns of the Rhinoceros are of a totally 

 different character, being solid structures formed by hair- 

 like agglomerations, firmly fixed upon a roughened area 

 of the nasal region. These weapons play a very important 

 part in settling disputes between rival males, but on 

 other occasions demanding offensive tactics the Indian 

 Rhinoceros at any rate seems to depend rather on his 

 power of wounding by means of the chisel-shaped lower 

 incisors. These, by means of a swift lateral movement 

 of the head can be made to inflict most terrible gashes, 

 as those who hunt with elephants well know. It is quite 

 possible, however, that the teeth are also thus used during 

 struggles for supremacy. And this may perhaps account 

 for the enormous bucklers of skin developed by the Indian 

 Rhinoceros, but only indicated in the case of the African 

 species. 



All the larger Ungulates, and many of the smaller 

 species, are polygamous. The Rhinoceros, and all of the 

 swine-group save the Hippopotamus, among the larger 

 species are exceptions to the rule. The preponderance 

 of females which this implies is generally supposed to be 

 due to the losses sustained among the males by fighting 

 during the struggle for mates. The case of horses, how- 

 ever, seems to militate against this view, for though 

 they undoubtedly fight furiously, no evidence is forth- 

 coming to show that such conflicts terminate fatally. 



