494> KISTOllY OF 



one of the strongest and most dangerous that nature furnishes to 

 any part of the animal creation. The horn is entirely solid, 

 formed of the hardest bony substance, growing from the upper 

 maxillary bone, by so strong an apophyse, as seemingly to make 



when he is angry, they berome finn and immoveable. Le Vaillant asserts, 

 that when these animals are at rest, they always place themselves in the 

 direction of the wind, «ith their noses towards it, in order to discover by 

 their smell the approach of any enemies. Wlien irritated they tear up the 

 ground furiously with their horns, throwing the earth and stones to a vast 

 distance over tlieir heads. 



Mr Bruce's account of these animals is interesting-.—" Besides the trees 

 capable of most resistance," says this traveller, " there are in the vast forests 

 within the rains, trees of a softer consistence, and of a very succulent qua- 

 lity, which seem to be destined for the principal food of this animal. For 

 the piu-pose of gaining the highest branches of these trees, his upper lip is 

 capable of being lengthened out so as to increase his power of laying hold of 

 it, in the same manner as the elephant does with liis trunk.— With this lip, 

 and the assistance of his tongue, he pulls down the upper branches, which 

 liave most leaves, and these he devours first. Having stripped the tree of 

 its branches, he does not immediately abandon it ; but, placing his snout as 

 low in the trunk as he finds his horns will enter, he rips up the body of the 

 tree, and reduces it to thin pieces like so many latlis ; and when he has thus 

 prepared it, he embraces as much of it as he can in his monstrous jaws, and 

 twists it round with as much ease as an ox would a root of celery, or any 

 email plant. When pursued, and in fear, he possesses an astonishing degree 

 of swiftness, considering his size, the apparent unwieldiness of his body, his 

 great weight before, and the shortness of his legs. Hj has a kind of trot, 

 which, after a few minutes, increases in a great proportion, and takes in a 

 considerable distance ; but this is to be understood with a degree of modera. 

 tion. It is not true, that in a plain he beats the horse in swiftness. I have 

 passed him with ease, and seen many worse mounted do the same : and 

 though it is certainly true that a horse can very seldom come up with him, 

 this is owing to his cunning, and not to his swiftness. He makes constantly 

 from wood to wood, and forces himself into the thickest parts of them. The 

 trees that are dead or dry, are broken down, as with a cannon shot, and fall 

 behind him and on his sides in all directions. Others that are more pliable, 

 greener, or fuller of sap, are bent back by his weight and the velocity of his 

 motions. And after he has passed, restoring themselves like a green branch 

 to their natural position, they often sweep the incautious pursuer and his 

 horse from the ground, and dash them in pieces against the surrounding 

 trees. The eyes of the rhinoceros are very small ; he seldom turns his head, 

 and therefore sees nothing but what is before him. To this he owes his 

 fleath, and never escapes if there is so much plain as to enable the horse to 

 get before him. His pride and fury then make him lay aside all thoughts of 

 escaping, but by victory over his enemy. He stands for a moment at bay, 

 then, at a start, runs straight forward at the horse, like the wild boar, which, 

 in lus manner of action, he very much resembles. The horse, however, 

 easily avoids him by turning short to one side, and this is the fatal instant : the 

 naked man, with the sword, drops from behind the principal horseman, aud. 



