THE COMMON INDIAN RHINOCEROS. 413 



the tail about the same measurement. Its hide is of a dark 

 greyish brown colour, very thick, and covered with scaly in- 

 crustations (giving it somewhat of the appearance of the 

 excoriated bark of the maple-tree), arid about the joints of the 

 body it hangs in large folds ; between these folds, the skin is 

 of a pale pinkish colour, and so soft, smooth, and flexible, that 

 when the rhinoceros turns in any direction, he can, as Dr. 

 Parsons observes, " slip or shove one part of his board-like 

 skin over the other," and thus facilitate the performance of 

 every motion he is disposed to assume : the sides and belly are 

 protuberant j the neck is short and powerful ; the head of 

 ponderous size, and very irregular shape j the ears are large, 

 open, pointed, slightly hairy, and placed on each side of the 

 summit of the head, and being rapid and varied in their move- 

 ments, the animal's sense of hearing is very acute ; the eyes 

 are very small, bright, and prominent, and are situated so much 

 nearer to the muzzle than in most mammals, that a slight turn 

 of the head brings an ample circuit within their range, their 

 backward vision not being obstructed by the body, as it would 

 have been, had they been placed higher in the head ; the upper 

 lip is very flexible, capable of elongation, and possesses a finger- 

 like extremity with which the animal can grasp its food, but 

 when not in action it curls over the lower lip, which is rather 

 square, and very broad 5 the tongue is very flat, large, yellowish, 

 and perfectly smooth - } there are twenty-eight molar teeth, and 

 four incisor teeth in each jaw -, the horn on the head is conical, 

 curved backwards, and arises from a broad limpet-shaped base 

 over the nasal bones, which are necessarily thicker and more 

 solid than in other mammals that have not to bear such a 

 weight, or to wield such heavy blows from that part of the 

 head -, the legs present the appearance of short stout pillars to 

 support the enormous superstructure ; the feet have three toes, 

 each encased in a solid hoof ; the tail is of moderate length, and 

 its extremity is fringed on either side with bristles. 



" When we speak of the nasal horn of the rhinoceros, it must 

 not be supposed that it presents a similar structure to the horns 



