V ERTfiBRATA. 



actlj marked. Il ia a native of Sumatra, and though found from the sea-coast to the mount- 



iii- t>> prefer high situations. 



The Aran in Rhinoceros or Gargatan, R.bicornis, is of a pale yellowish-brown ; the horns, 



. are of unequal length, and of a livid brown color, with lints of given; the few 



p of the tail and the margins of the ears arc Mack and bristly; the folds of the skin 



■ BS in the R. TndicU8\ the length is greater, ten tO eleven, and even twelve feet 



- ia known to the colonists of £he< 'ape under the name of Rhinaster; it feeds on brush- 

 nd the branches of small trees, and is found only in wooded districts. It feeds slowly, is 

 J. and subsists with a -mall amount of nourishment. 



rLOA Kins . or Sloan's Rhinoceros, R. Keitloa, is of a pale brownish-yellow, 



witli two horns nearly of equal Length; length of the body and head eleven to twelve feet. 



The Common White Rhinoceros, or Muchoco, or MoHOOHOO,or Burchell's Rhinoceros, 



& . a pale gray-brown, with a yellowish tinge; the edges of the ears and tip of the 



tail clothed with black, bristly hair-: the mouth ox-like; the horns two, the anterior one verj 



ither verj ahort; the body and head twelve feet long; the height five feet seven 



inche- There appears to he -till another species, the Kobaoba or Long-horned White Rhi- 



four kinds immediately preceding are all found in Southern Africa, and all have two horns. 

 Thus we are acquainted with seven species of rhinoceros, and there is reason to believe there are 

 in Africa two or three others. It is in this quarter of the world that these animals appear most 

 abundant, and here they have been of late unsparingly pursued by the hunters. Cummings fur- 

 nishes the following information in respect to them: 



■•< »• the rhinoceros there are four varieties in South Africa, distinguished by the Bechuanas by 

 - of tie ■ BoreleJ ><v Mack rhinoceros, the 'Keitloa] or two-horned black rhinoceros, the 

 ■ 1/ .' or common white rhinoceros, and the ' Kobaoba] or long-horned white rhinoceros. 



. varieties of the Mack rhinoceros are extremely fierce and dangerous, and rush headlong and 

 unprovoked at any objeel which attracts their attention. They never attain much fat, and their 

 flesh i- tough, and not much esteemed by the Bechuanas. Their food consists almost entirely of 

 the thorny branches of the wait-a-bit thorns. Their horns are much shorter than those of the 

 other varieties, seldom exceeding eighteen inches in length. They are finely polished with con- 

 Btant rubbing against the trees. The skull is remarkably formed, its most striking feature being 

 the tremendous, thick ossification in which it ends above the nostrils. It is on this mass that the 

 horn i- supported. The horns are not connected with the skull, being attached merely by the 

 -kin, and tiny may thus \»- separated from the head by means of a sharp knife. They are hard, 

 perfectly solid throughout, and are a fine material for various articles, such as drinking-cups, 

 rifles, handles for turners' tools, Are., &c. The horn is capable of a very high polish. 

 Tie A the rhinoceros are small and sparkling, but do not readily observe the hunter, pro- 



vided he keep t" leeward of them. The skin is extremely thick, and only to be penetrated by 

 builet- hardened with solder. During the day, the rhinoceros will be found lying asleep, or stand- 

 ing indolently in -..me retired part of the forest, or under the base of the mountains, sheltered 

 . the power "t' the sun by some friendly grove of umbrella-topped mimosas. In the evening 

 they commence their nightly ramble, and wander over a great extent of country. They usually 

 the fountains between the hours of nine and twelve o'clock at night, and it is on these occa- 

 it they may 1..- ino-t successfully hunted, and with the least danger. The black rhinoee- 

 to paroxysms of unprovoked fury, often plowing up the ground for several yards 

 with it- horn, and assaulting large bushes in the most violent manner. On these bushes tiny 

 k for hours with their horns, at the same time snorting and blowing loudly; nor do they 

 e them in general until they have broken them into pieces. All the four varieties delight to 

 roll and wallow in mud, with which their rugged hides are generally encrusted. Both varieties 

 of the black rhinoceros are much Bmaller and more active than the white, and are so swift that a 

 hone with a rider <>ii its back .an rarely overtake them. The two varieties of the white rhinoc- 

 sirailar in habits that the description of one will serve for both, the principal difference 

 n tie- Length and set of the anterior horn; that of the common white, rhinoceros aver- 



