86 LARGE GAME. chap. ii. 



acute angle instead of standing erect from the snout, and 

 is only found far to the north, though I have come across 

 specimens presenting the same peculiarity in a modified 

 form within three hundred miles of the coast. 



No rhinoceros can fairly be called a handsome animal ; 

 its long protruding head and neck, the total length of 

 which is almost equal to that of the entire body, with the 

 horn — for the back stump may be ignored, and indeed is 

 not visible from a front view — set, like that of the fabul- 

 ous unicorn, in the centre, its great uncouth ears, and 

 small cunning eye, the latter of which is placed far lower 

 down than that of any other quadruped, and the unwieldy 

 size of the great carcase set on such short legs, utterly 

 depriving it of any claim to such a title. The great 

 white species, however, which possesses all these charac- 

 teristics in their least unpleasing form, and which in size 

 nearly approaches to an elephant, is certainly a noble 

 animal when seen, as it often is in undisturbed regions, 

 quietly grazing amid all the beauties of tropical vegeta- 

 tion, lopping up with its tongue the rank grass in huge 

 mouthfuls, and a whole flock of rhinoceros-birds perched, 

 half asleep, or lazily picking off an occasional tick, on its 

 broad back, while, it may be, a little hornless calf — a ludi- 

 crous miniature of its mother — runs between its legs, and 

 is gently guided forward by the maternal snout. Such 

 scenes often occur towards evening in the broad bottoms 

 through which the rivers run, or on the edge of some 

 water-hole to which the animal is going to quench its 

 thirst after the long heat of the day. 



Knowing no fear itself, and harmless towards all 

 animals but man, it approaches the water in company with 



