330 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



Gordon Gumming relates that the Rhinoceros and Hippopotamus are usually attended by little 

 birds known as Rhinoceros Birds, " their object being to feed upon the ticks and other parasites that 

 swarm upon these animals. They are of a greyish colour, and are nearly as large as a common 

 Thrush. Their voice is very similar to that of the Mistletoe Thrush. Many a time have these ever- 

 watchful birds disappointed me in my stalk, and tempted me to invoke an anathema upon their 

 devoted heads. They are the best friends the Rhinoceros has, and rarely fail to awaken him even in 

 his soundest nap. ' Chukuroo ' 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 horseback which led me a chase of many miles, and required a number of 

 shots before he fell, chiring which chase several of these birds remained by the Rhinoceros to the last. 

 They reminded me of mariners on the deck of some bark sailing on the ocean, for they perched along 

 his 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 of trees, under which the Rhinoceros passed, swept them 

 from their living deck j but they always recovered their former station. They also adhere to the 

 Rhinoceros during the night. I have often shot these animals at midnight when drinking at the 

 fountains, and the birds, imagining they were asleep, remained with them till morning ; and on my 

 approaching, before taking flight, they exerted themselves to their utmost to awaken Chukuroo from 

 his deep sleep." 



THE ASIATIC RHINOCEROSES. 



There are four different Rhinoceroses in Asia, of which two are characterised by the possession of 

 one horn, while the remaining two possess two horns, as in the African species. All the adult Asiatic 

 possess incisors or front teeth, which are conspicuous by their absence from the African species. The 



normal number of these is four in the upper, and 

 four in the lower jaws, the median pair being the 

 larger in the upper, and the smaller in the lower. 

 The development of these teeth seems to stand in 

 relation to the development of horns, those animals 

 with the smallest horns being provided with the 

 largest incisors. The most familiar is the INDIAN 

 RHINOCEROS (Rhinoceros unicornis = R. indicus, 

 Cuvier), with a single horn on the nose, and 

 thick naked skin covered with large boss-like 

 granulations, which lies in massive folds on various 

 parts of the body, and more especially behind and 

 across the shoulders and before and across the 

 thighs. There are a few stiff hairs on the tail and 

 ears. It inhabits the East Indies, principally 

 beyond the Ganges, and is recorded as having 

 been found in Bengal, Siam, and Cochin-China. 

 It is found in shady forests, the neighbourhood of 

 rivers, and marshy places, its food consisting of 

 herbage and branches of trees. The fully-grown 

 animal rarely arrives at a greater height than five, 

 and its average may be taken at foxir feet. 



Williamson, in his " Oriental Field Sports," 

 speaking of the Indian Rhinoceros, describes it as 

 an inveterate enemy of Elephants, attacking when- 

 ever he can find them single, or, at least, not pro- 

 tected by a male of great bulk ; ripping without 



FBONT ASD SIDE VIEWS OF HEAD OF SUMATRA* RHINOCEROS. merC 7> &Ild COnfiding in his COat of mail tO defend 



(From the Proceedings of the Zoological Society.) him from the puny attacks of the females, as well 



