CHAP, xvi THE RHINOCEROS 291 



others. The great rhinoceros (Rh. simus, Burchell), which con- 

 siderably exceeds in size any of the others, is further distinguished 

 by its pale colour, its very long and straight anterior horn, and re- 

 markably short hind one, and particularly by the form of its upper 

 lip, which is not capable of elongation, and a certain degree of 

 prehension, as in all the others ; it is the most gregarious of any, 

 and also the most inoffensive, frequenting the open karoos. The 

 common Cape rhinoceros (Rh. Africanus, Guv.) is darker, with 

 also unequal horns, the posterior being shorter; and the Ketloa 

 rhinoceros (Rh. Ketloa), recently discovered by Dr. Smith, is an 

 animal of solitary habits, with horns of equal length, reputed to 

 exceed the rest in ferocity." 



I have extracted the definition assumed by Cuvier to exhibit 

 the peculiar varieties of this species. His Rh. simus is the white 

 rhinoceros of Southern Africa. This does not exist north of the 

 equator. The peculiar form of lip to which the great naturalist 

 directs attention proves, being broad and rounded, that the animal 

 is a grass-eater, in which it differs from those with prehensile lips, 

 which feed upon the extreme ends of twigs and tender branches ; 

 to gather these, they require an embryo proboscis, which the pre- 

 hensile lip actually represents, and the next stage of evolution may 

 be seen in the development of the same member in the tapir. 

 Cuvier omits to describe the peculiarity of the molars of the pre- 

 hensile lip varieties ; these teeth have sharp overlapping cutting 

 edges, which, when the jaws are closed, exactly represent the action 

 of a pair of shears. The prehensile lip catches a bunch of twigs, 

 and forming them into a compact bundle, introduces it into the 

 mouth ; the shear-like teeth then cut it off as neatly as though 

 primed with a switching-hook. 



There has been a great diversity of opinion concerning the 

 varieties of rhinoceros, and I feel convinced that it cannot be solely 

 determined by the length or shape of horns ; these differ as much 

 as the horns of stags, although the animals belong to the same 

 species. The great white rhinoceros is a distinct species, which is 

 marked by the blunt muzzle, the rounded and non-prehensile lip, 

 the shape of the head, the enormous size, and the extraordinary 

 length of the horn. 



All the varieties of rhinoceros have the same peculiar formation 

 of foot, confined to three horny toes, each of which forms nearly a 

 half-circle. The horn of the Indian variety is so short as to be 

 valueless as a trophy, and the length of 8 inches would be con- 

 sidered above the average, although the base is remarkably thick. 



I do not agree with Dr. Smith that the horns of the Ketloa are 



