LEAVES FROM THE NOTE-BOOK OF A NATURALIST. 



16 



Of the African form of rhinoceros, three spe- 

 cies Rhinoceros bicornis, Rhinoceros keitloa, and 

 Rhinoceros simus are preserved in the well-ar- 

 ranged zoological collection of the British Mu- 

 seum, which owes so much to the energetic care 

 of Mr. Gray ; nor do we despair of seeing some, 

 if not all, of these great pachyderms in life and 

 health in the Regent's Park. Last year the 

 Asiatic rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Indicus) died there, 

 after a healthy existence of fifteen years in the 

 garden. The cause of death, apparently, was 

 inflammation of the lungs a disease incident to the 

 damp and foggy atmosphere arising from the un- 

 drained clay soil, which Carrie's off so many of the 

 animals confined there. When will the govern- 

 ment take in hand the long-promised work of 

 draining that park? All ye dwellers in that cap- 

 tivating but during certain months, when moist- 

 ure is most prevalent dangerous locality, read 

 the well-written and well-considered report of Mr. 

 Donaldson. The comfortable dowagers now take 

 their airings without fear of the dashing, well- 

 mounted highwaymen, who formerly took toll in 

 Marylebone Fields ; but malaria still lurks there, 

 shrouded in the mist that rises from the marshy 

 ground and that ornamental but unblessed lake 

 for no stagnant water resting upon a basin of clay 

 can ever carry healing on the wings of its evap- 

 oration. 



But to return to the deceased rhinoceros. On 

 dissection it was manifest that the animal had 

 broken a rib, probably in throwing itself heavily 

 down to rest in its uncouth manner. This frac- 

 ture might have injured the lungs at the moment, 

 and the subsequent anchylosis probably produced 

 a pressure which accelerated the disease. Short- 

 ly before death the animal strained to vomit, with- 

 out effect, with the exception of some froth tinged 

 with blood at the mouth ; and soon afterwards 

 bloody matter was discharged at the nose. These 

 are not pleasant particulars ; but these lines may 

 meet the eyes of some of those interested in the 

 management of the animals, and may afford hints 

 for the future. 



Poor fellow, he was stupidly good-natured in 

 the main, and would let the visitors rub his nose 

 or his horn which, by the way, he never per- 

 mitted to grow, but kept it constantly rubbed 

 down or tickle him about the eye, or place their 

 hands in the folds of his stout, mail-like,, buff coat, 

 where the skin, as we heard an honest yeoman, 

 who was making the experiment, say, was " as 

 so as a lady's!" He was very good friends 

 with poor old Jack the elephant, now dead and 

 gone, notwithstanding the stories of the violent 

 antipathy which the two huge beasts bear to each 

 other, and how the rhinoceros runs his horn at 

 last into the elephant's belly, and how the blood 

 of the elephant runs into the eyes of the rhinoce- 

 ros and blinds him, when the roc, or ruk, pounces 

 upon the combatants, and carries them both off in 

 his claws. The elephant used to tickle him with 

 his trunk, and stroke his ears, now and then giv- 

 ing his tail a sly pull , upon which the rhinoceros 



would cut a clumsy caper, wheel round, and nib- 

 ble the elephant's trunk with his huge flexible 

 lips. He was fond of going into the capacious 

 tank, which served as a bath for him and the el- 

 ephant, who were alternately let out into the en- 

 closure ; the gambols before-mentioned having 

 been played through the iron railing, when the 

 elephant was expatiating in the great enclosure, 

 and the rhinoceros was out in the small space be- 

 fore its apartment. 



When the rhinoceros first took to the water, 

 there was a marked difference between his obsti- 

 nate stupidity and the sagacity of the elephant 

 under the same circumstances. The bottom of 

 the tank, which is surmounted by an elevated 

 coping, gradually inclines from the entrance, till, 

 at the opposite extremity, it is deep enough to 

 permit an elephant of full height, and of the mas- 

 sive proportions of poor Jack, to submerge the 

 whole of its gigantic body ; and most gratifying 

 it was to see Jack enjoy the cooling comforts of 

 an entire submersion, now dipping his huge head 

 beneath the surface, and presently raising it again, 

 again to plunge it out of sight. The rhinoceros 

 walked in well enough down the gradual descent, 

 and when he got out of his depth swam boldly 

 to the opposite extremity. Once there, however, 

 he seemed to have no idea of the possibility of re- 

 turning, but remained plunging and making fruit- 

 less efforts to get out over the raised coping 

 while he was in the deep water, where the wall 

 went sheer down and there was no foothold. It 

 was rather a nervous time for those who wit- 

 nessed the violent and ungainly efforts of the 

 brute ; for it was feared that he would then and 

 there tire himself out, and sink exhausted. At 

 last, when almost overworn by his useless toil, he 

 was half-forced, half-coaxed round, and when his 

 head was turned towards the entrance, he swam 

 thither till he found footing, and then walked out. 



His muscular power was prodigious. The iron 

 railing of the enclosure was strengthened by great 

 iron spurs at regular distances. He would insert 

 the anterior part of his enormous head between the 

 spur and the upright, and then give powerful 

 lateral wrenches till he fairly prized it off. Once 

 he got out, and, without doing further mischief, 

 terminated his ramblings with a pas seul in a bed 

 of scarlet geraniums : the condition of the par- 

 terre after the performance may be imagined. He 

 was then secured, and led back to his place of 

 confinement. 



There was a tortoise-like look about him that 

 was very striking. The curiously-formed upper 

 lip, the testudinous look of his thick, armor-like 

 skin, his legs and feet, all favored the notion of a 

 huge warm-blooded creature made after the pattern 

 of the cold-blooded testudinata, with improvements. 

 For he was active in his way, and when excited 

 his rush was terrific. The noise of the roller, 

 when the gardeners were rolling the gravel-walk 

 that flanks the place where he was suffered to go 

 at large, had the most exciting effect upon him. 

 He would be standing perfectly still at the further 



