188 



The Living Animals of the World 



There has been a good deal of 

 controversy as to the character and 

 disposition of the black rhinoceros, some 

 hunters and travellers regarding it as 

 most dangerous and aggressive, whilst 

 others are inclined to take an almost 

 opposite view. That some black 

 rhinoceroses are certainly aggressive and 

 therefore dangerous animals, the experi- 

 ences of C. J. Anderson and W. Cotton 

 Oswell in South Africa many years ago ? 

 and of many travellers and hunters in 

 East Africa during the last few years, 

 certainly prove beyond a doubt; and as 

 one never knows that any particular 

 rhinoceros, when encountered, may not 

 prove to be a vicious brute, a certain 

 amount of caution should be employed 

 in approaching one of these animals. 

 In my own experience 1 always found 

 that black rhinoceroses ran off at once 

 on getting the wind of a human being ; 

 whilst, on the other hand, if they only 

 heard one approaching, they would come 

 towards the noise, and I have often 

 known them to trot up to within 

 twenty yards of where I was standing, 



snorting and puffing loudly ; but as these animals always turned round and went off eventually 

 without charging, I came to the conclusion that they were inquisitive and very short-sighted 

 rather than vicious. When fired into, a black rhinoceros goes off at a gallop his usual pace, 

 when alarmed, being a very fast trot puffing and snorting loudly. He can gallop at a very 

 great pace, considering his size and weight; but a South African shooting-pony can easily come 

 up with him, or get away from him if pursued. In death a black rhinoceros will often sink 

 down on its knees, and remain in that position, looking as if it were simply resting. When 

 dying, it often gives vent to a pitiful squeal, the sound seeming very small and thin for so large 

 a beast. The meat of the black rhinoceros is not ill-flavoured, and, if fat, very palatable ; but 

 as a rule these animals are very lean, and their flesh tough and coarse. The tongue, however, 

 if well cooked, is always good; and the liver, if first roasted under the ashes, and then, after 

 being beaten up in a native wooden mortar, cooked with rice and fat, makes a dish which 

 is good enough for a hungry man. 



During the making of the Uganda Eailway the engineers came upon something like a 

 preserve of this species of rhinoceros, especially in the thick and waterless thorn jungle near 

 the coast. The rhinoceros was almost the only animal, except the lion, which was able to 

 penetrate the bush. As many as five of these animals were seen in one day when the line 

 was being made ; they did no injury to the coolies, other than by frightening them, and 

 appeared to be stupid and by no means vigilant animals, perhaps because no other creature 

 attacked them. The lion never meddles with a grown-up rhinoceros, though it might and 

 probably does kill a calf occasionally, when the latter is no larger than a full-grown pig. 

 The horns of some of these East African black rhinoceroses were of unusual length and thinness. 



Photo by York Son] [Netting Hill. 



ST7MATRAX RHINOCEROS. 



This species of rhinoceros is the smallest of the three Oriental forms. It has 

 two horns. 



