480 



UNGULATES. 



would make it about 14 feet. One of the specimens referred to below has a length 

 of 12 feet 1 inch, and a height at the shoulder of 6 feet 2 inches. 



There is fully as much variation in the relative length of the horns as in the 

 common species, the second horn being sometimes a mere stump, and at others 

 attaining a length of 2 feet, while in some instances both are comparatively 

 short. The front horn is, moreover, liable to considerable variation in shape. Thus, 

 in the typical form of the species, it curves backwards in a more or less bold sweep, 

 as shown in our figure of the head, the individuals exhibiting this form being 



BURCHELL'S RHINOCEROS 



known to the Bechuanas by the name of mohohu. In other cases, as shown in our 

 illustration of the entire animal, the front horn is nearly straight, with a forward 

 inclination, specimens with this type of horn being designated by the natives as 

 the kabaoba. When the anterior horn is straight and attains the length of about 

 a yard, the point touches the ground as the animal walks along when feeding, and 

 such horns consequently always show a flat surface on the front of the tip pro- 

 duced by friction. It was at one time considered that the mohohu and the kabaoba 

 were distinct species, but Mr. Selous has shown not only that they consort together, 

 but that there is a complete transition from the one type of horn to the other. As 

 a rule, the horns of females are longer and more slender than those of males. 



