CREATURES OF THE WILDERNESS 185 



breadth of South Africa. It must be looked 

 for in East Africa, and should be strictly pre- 

 served. Unfortunately, Mr. Roosevelt and his 

 son shot nine between them. No one can 

 fairly blame these American sportsmen for 

 availing themselves of the invitation to shoot 

 all manner of game in British territory, but 

 let us hope that those nine may be the last to 

 fall to the rifle for many a long year. 



The black rhinoceros may still be described 

 as fairly plentiful as far north as Abyssinia. 

 Those who have shot and watched these 

 animals in the two continents where they are 

 still found (time was, before the dawn of the 

 period we call history, when they roamed over 

 Europe) are unanimous as to their character, 

 describing them as stupid, short-sighted, 

 blundering brutes, much given to attacks of 

 nerves, easily panic-stricken, and at such 

 moments apt to charge blindly the moment 

 they get wind of the hunter, not so much in 

 malice as for fear of being surrounded. There 

 will always be differences of opinion about the 

 character of the lion and tiger, but no such 

 uncertainty seems to invest that of the rhi- 

 noceros. Fortunately its eyesight is so poor 

 that its charge can easily be avoided at the 

 last moment. 



Much nonsense has been written about the 

 thickness of the animal's hide, which has been 



