THE RHINOCEROS 271 



the same length. It is a larger animal than the Borele, and 

 is even more feared. The Mochuco, or Burchell's Rhino- 

 ceros (Rhinoceros simus), is the largest of the group. It 

 stands six or seven feet high at the shoulder, and has an 

 extreme length of sixteen to seventeen feet. Though it is 

 only a slightly paler brown than other species, it is often 

 called the White Rhinoceros. Fortunately, it is not a 

 quarrelsome animal, for the front horn is sometimes 

 three feet in length, and is a most terrible weapon. One 

 abnormal specimen in the British Museum is fifty-six 

 inches long, while Colonel W. Gordon Gumming pos- 

 sesses one that is 5 feet 2\ inches in length. An 

 English traveller was once nearly killed by a Mochuco. 

 He had wounded the animal, which, instead of retreat- 

 ing, walked quietly towards its mounted enemy. The 

 horse refused to stir, and when the Rhinoceros charged, 

 its horn passed through the body of the horse, penetrated 

 the saddle on the opposite side, and bruised the leg of the 

 rider. The force of the impact was sufficient to toss the 

 horse in the air, turning a complete somersault, and falling 

 on its back. Another species, the Kabaoba (Rhinoceros 

 oswelli), possesses a still longer horn. When firearms 

 were muzzle-loaders, ramrods, four feet in length, were 

 frequently cut from single horns. 



Among the animals mentioned in the Scriptures, there 

 is one introduced under the name of Reem, or Unicorn. 

 Notwithstanding some difficulties that envelop the subject, 

 it is thought that the Rhinoceros is the animal intended. 

 The flesh of the Rhinoceros was held in considerable 

 esteem by the earlier white settlers of South Africa. The 

 Portuguese on the East Coast, on account of the amphibious 

 habits of the animal, were permitted by their priests to view 

 the animal as fish, and hence during Lent they partook of 

 its flesh with an easy conscience. 



To the hunter, apart from the question of hides and 

 tusks, there is an indescribable fascination in fetching down 

 an animal perhaps a ton in weight. Between the years 

 1840 and 1880 the Black Rhinoceros was shot in thousands. 

 Two men bagged no less than fifty upon one occasion 

 in a single excursion ; Oswell and a companion captured 



