CHAP. ii. RHINOCEROS. 119 



than we had expected, and was soon tethered there in 

 safety. 



The bottom in which it was contained abundance of 

 the rich grass which forms the chief food of R. simus, but 

 it did not eat much of it, though, even on the first evening, 

 it consumed a large quantity of the young shoots and 

 tender leaves of the thorn branches provided for it, and 

 seemed to be most fond of the hack, or waitabit thorn, 

 turning over the other kinds with its snout and tasting 

 them, and then passing them by to search for the former. 

 On the second evening, however, I noticed it, after return- 

 ing from water, commence to eat the surrounding grass ; 

 and though it did not show as great a relish for it as it 

 did for the thorn-shoots, it ate it, both then and after- 

 wards, in such large quantities as proved that it naturally 

 forms a by no means inconsiderable portion of their food, 

 and this is a more important point than it seems, as 

 showing the individuality of the species ; both of those 

 which form the " black " subsisting almost entirely on 

 thorn branches and roots, while R. simus, as I have said 

 before, feeds chiefly, if not solely, on grass. It was also 

 noticed to be remarkably partial to the leaves of the 

 umganu tree, a water-loving species, which is found in 

 the damp bottoms, and whose fruit, formed by the natives 

 into an intoxicating drink, is so esteemed by the elephants 

 that they annually come hundreds of miles in search of it 

 to places where it is common. It used to be taken down 

 to water twice a day, and very soon became tame enough 

 to be led there by a couple of men without attempting 

 to charge ; in fact, before its death it would come to any 

 one who brought it a bundle of thorn branches, and, 



