THE BUPHAGA AFRICATS'A. 425 



the tail, the African rhinoceros attains a length of from 15 to 16 

 feet, a girth of from 10 to 12, a weight of from 4,000 to 5,000 

 pounds ; but, in spite of its ponderous and clumsy proportions, 

 it is able to speed like lightning, particularly when pursued. 

 It then seeks the nearest wood, and dashes with all its might 

 through the thicket. The trees that are dead or dry are 

 broken down as with a cannon shot, and fall behind it and on 

 its sides in all directions ; others that are more pliable, greener, 

 or full of sap are bent back by its weight and the velocity of its 

 motions, and restore themselves like a green branch to their 

 natural position, after the huge animal has passed. They often 

 sweep the incautious pursuer and his horse from the ground, 

 and dash them in pieces against the surrounding trees. 



The rhinoceros is endowed with an extraordinary acuteness 

 of smell and hearing ; he listens with attention to every sound, 

 and is able to scent from a great distance the approach of 

 man ; but as the range of his small and deep-set eyes is im- 

 peded by his unwieldy horns, he can only see what is immediately 

 before him, so that if one be to leewai'd of him, it is not difficult 

 to approach within a few paces. The Kobaaba, however, from 

 its horn being projected downwards, so as not to obstruct the line 

 of vision, is able to be much more wary than the other species. 

 To make up for the imperfection of its sight, the rhinoceros 

 is frequently accompanied by a bird {Bwphaga Africana) which 

 warns the beast of approaching danger by its cry. ' Many a 

 time,' says Grordon Gumming, ' have these watchful attendants 

 disappointed me in my stalk. They are the best friends the 

 rhinoceros has, and rarely fail to awaken him, even in his 

 soundest nap. He perfectly understands their warning, and 

 springing to his feet, he generally first looks about him in 

 every direction, after which he invariably makes off. I have 

 often hunted a rhinoceros on liorseback which led me a chase 

 of many miles, and required a number of shots before he fell, 

 during which chase several of these birds remained by the 

 rhinoceros to the last. They reminded me of mariners on the 

 deck jof some bark sailing on the ocean, for they perched along 

 liis back and sides ; and as each of my bullets told on the 

 shoulder of the rhinoceros, they ascended about six feet into 

 the air, uttering their harsh cry of alarm, and then resumed 

 their position. It sometimes happened that the lower branches 



