196 AFRICAN NATURE NOTES CHAP. 



Kirby came to the conclusion that, "although 

 naturally timid, and certainly not dangerously ag- 

 gressive, the black rhinoceros is of most uncertain 

 temper, and when wounded and encountered at 

 close quarters, can and will charge most fiercely, 

 and occasionally is as vindictive as any buffalo." 

 The adjective " vindictive " here used by Mr. Kirby 

 does not appear to me to be quite the right or fair 

 one. If an elephant, buffalo, lion, or rhinoceros 

 should be attacked and grievously injured by a 

 human being, and is brave and stubborn enough to 

 resent such treatment and make a fight for its life, 

 it seems like adding insult to injury to speak of it 

 as vindictive. 



In many parts of both British and German East 

 Africa black rhinoceroses were quite recently, and 

 in some cases probably still are, extraordinarily 

 numerous. Here, as in other parts of Africa, a 

 certain number of accidents have occurred in 

 hunting these animals, and there have been a good 

 many instances of their charging through a line of 

 native porters. However, although it is unquestion- 

 able that in East Africa, as elsewhere, black 

 rhinoceroses have sometimes show r n themselves to 

 be really vicious, and therefore very dangerous 

 animals, there seems to be a consensus of opinion 

 amongst those men who have had the greatest 

 experience with them, that these were the ex- 

 ceptions to the general rule. 



Eew men, if any, could have had a wider 

 experience with the black rhinoceros in East Africa 

 than my friend the late A. H. Neumann, whose 

 recent death I shall never cease to deplore, and I 

 therefore make no apology for quoting a few 

 sentences from the very interesting and informing 

 article contributed by him to the Great and Small 

 Game of Africa on the subject of this animal. 

 Neumann says : 



