RHINOCEROSES. 465 



any bony bar at the hinder part of the socket of the eye, and the large size of the 

 nasal bones, which are completely fused together. In those species with but one 

 horn this is carried upon the nasal bones, and the front horn of those with two of 

 these appendages has a similar situation ; but the second horn, when present, is 

 placed on the frontal bones. 



Rhinoceroses are stupid and somewhat timorous beasts, generally 

 striving to escape from man, although when brought to bay exceed- 

 ingly fierce, and consequently from their great size very dangerous. Although the 

 African species are entirely dependent on their enormous horns, as weapons of 

 offence and defence, the Asiatic kinds, in which the horns are smaller, seem to rely 

 chiefly upon their sharply -pointed lower tusks, which are capable of inflicting 

 terrific gashes. All are mainly nocturnal ; and while some resemble the tapirs in 

 frequenting tall grass-jungles and swampy districts, others seem to prefer more or 

 less open plains. Their food is entirely vegetable ; but whereas some species 

 subsist almost exclusively on grass, the food of others consists mainly of twigs and 

 small boughs of trees ; this difference in diet being correlated with a difference in 

 the structure of the molar teeth. At the present day these animals are restricted 

 to South-Eastern Asia and Africa ; and they may be divided into two main groups 

 according to their geographical distribution, the Asiatic group being again sub- 

 divided into two minor groups. 



THE ASIATIC RHINOCEROSES. 



The whole of the three species of rhinoceroses inhabiting Asia are character- 

 ised by the skin being thrown in places into thick folds, and by the presence of 

 teeth in the front of the jaws ; the horns being either one or two in number. 



Indian By far the largest of these three is the great one-horned Indian 



Rhinoceros, rhinoceros (R. unicornis), which may be conveniently designated as 

 the Indian rhinoceros par excellence, and is the one which has been longest 

 known in Europe from living examples, a specimen having been sent to Portugal 

 as long ago as the year 1513. In this species there is but a single nasal horn ; and 

 the skin, with the exception of that of the tail and ears, is naked, and on the sides 

 of the body studded with a number of large convex tubercles, reminding one of 

 the rivets in an iron boiler, which are largest on the fore and hind-quarters, where 

 they may be as much as an inch in diameter. The skin of the body is divided 

 into a number of shield-like pieces by the aforesaid folds. Thus there is a fold 

 before and behind each shoulder, marking off a large triangular shield covering the 

 shoulder; and another in front of each thigh dividing the large saddle-shaped 

 body-shield from the one on the hind-quarters. The folds behind the shoulder 

 and in front of the hind-quarters continue completely across the back, but the one 

 in front of the shoulder inclines backwards and dies out close to the second great 

 fold. Other folds form great rolls of skin on the neck, while there are others below 

 the shields on the fore and hind-quarters and one situated behind the buttocks 

 which forms a groove for the reception of the tail. The head is very large in 

 proportion to the body, with the occipital region of the skull very much elevated ; 

 and the ears are large, with their tips fringed with hairs. The horns are large in 



VOL. n. 30 



