428 



NATURE 



[Mar. 28, 1872 j 



smallest of existing rhinoceroses. Singularly enough, at 

 the time this animal was on its way to England, a second 

 specimen of the same species was received by the 

 Zoological Society of Hamburg, and is now living in their 

 gardens in that city. The Hamburg animal is likewise a 

 female, and is said by those who have examined both in- 

 dividuals, to agree in nearly every particular with that 

 belonging to the Zoological Society of London, but to be 

 about one-third smaller. 



It must be observed, that although the Sumatran rhi- 

 noceros has two horns, it is by no means nearly related 

 to the African two-horned rhinoceros, but has the in- 

 cisor teeth and other cranial characters of the Indian 

 division of the group. 



Of the African rhinoceroses, which constitute the 

 second division of the genus as explained above, many 

 nominal species have been made by naturalists who 

 delight in conferring names upon fragments of horns, 

 and imperfect skulls ; but we have not as yet certain 

 evidence of the existence of more than two species, 

 commonly known as the Black rhinoceros and the 

 White rhinoceros. 



The Black rhinoceros {Rhinoceros bicornis of Lin- 

 nreus) has its upper lip long and prehensile. This organ, 

 in fact, forms almost a short proboscis, well fitted for 

 grasping the small branches of trees, upon which it 

 principally subsists. The two horns are not very dif- 

 ferent in size and length, although the front one is 

 usually longest. The Black rhinoceros is found in 

 Eastern Africa, as well as in the interior of the Cape 

 Colony. In his well-known work on the Nile tributaries 

 of Abyssinia, Sir Samuel Baker describes it as being not 

 unfrequently met with in Upper Nubia. The young 

 male example of this animal obtained by the Zoological 

 Society in September 1 868, was captured in this district 

 by the Hamram Arabs, of whose prowess Sir Samuel 

 Baker tells us such wonderful stories. A living example 

 of the African Black rhinoceros has been since added to 

 the collection of the Zoological Society of Berlin ; but 

 these two specimens are, we believe, the only individuals 

 of this species that have been brought to Europe, since 

 the days when rhinoceroses were exhibited and slain in 

 the Roman amphitheatres. 



The White African rhinoceros is immediately dis- 

 tinguishable from its black brother, apart from the 

 difference in the colour of its skin, by its short upper lip, 

 whence Dr. Burchell, the first scientific traveller who met 

 with it, proposed to call it Rhinoceros sinuis. It is a 

 grazing animal, feeding chiefly upon grass, and inhabits 

 more open districts than R. bicornis. But the most no- 

 ticeable distinction of the White rhinoceros is the enor- 

 mous length of the front horn, which in old individuals 

 reaches to three and a half, or even four feet in length, 

 and, after sloping forwards, curves gently backwards 

 towards the summit. The hinder horn, on the contrary, 

 always remains small, and slightly developed. The range 

 of the White rhinoceros in Africa is not very perfectly 

 known. From the inner parts of the Cape Colony it ex- 

 tends probably on to the Zambesi and its affluents. How 

 much farther northwards it may go is uncertain ; but, ac- 

 cording 10 Sir Samuel Baker, it is not known in Upper 

 Nubia, where the Black rhinoceros is the only species 

 met with. 



No specimen of the African White rhinoceros has yet 

 been brought to Europe, and few additions could be made 

 to the collection of the Zoological Society of London, 

 which would be more acceptable than a young male of 

 this rare and curious animal. P. L. S. 



SCIENCE IN THE NA VY 



IT is with great satisfaction that we learn, from a speech 

 made by Mr. Goschen in the House of Commons 

 last week, that the Government proposes a vote of 2,000/. 



to Mr. Archibald Smith, Q.C., for great services rendered 

 by him to the Admiralty, not in his professional capacity, 

 but as a man of science whose researches into matters 

 connected with magnetism had been of great service to 

 the Navy and the country. This grant was not proposed 

 as a compensation for Mr. Smith's very laborious services, 

 but as a small mark of the high appreciation the Govern- 

 ment had of his eminent scientific services. There was 

 another increase proposed also in aid of the expedition 

 about to be organised under the auspices of the Royal 

 Society to make researches into the depth, temperature, 

 composition, circulation, and distribution of animal life in 

 the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. The total cost 

 to the country, supposing the inquiry to extend over two 

 and a half years, would be about 25,000/., a sum which 

 would not be grudgingly paid in order to secure a vast 

 amount of important scientific knowledge. 



The following announcement, with respect to the educa- 

 tion of naval officers, will be welcomed with great satis- 

 faction by the scientific public generally : — 



"It was proposed that cadets should first go for two 

 years to a Naval College, to master someof the rudiments 

 of their profession, cruisers being attached, so that they 

 might begin to go to sea. At the expiration of or within 

 twelve months they would go out in a seagoing man-of- 

 war, with naval instructors, when they would have for 

 three years a much better education than they now 

 obtain, the same amount of sailoring experience being 

 retained. It would then be desirable that they should 

 have six months' teaching preliminary to their examina- 

 tion, when many young officers would ascertain which 

 way their bent lay, and whether they should apply them- 

 selves to higher courses of study, for which arrangements 

 could be made, but which would not be entered upon till 

 they had passed the lieutenant's examination. . . The 

 question that the Government had before them in re- 

 ference to this subject was how to unite in one establish- 

 ment all the various branches of naval study which were 

 at present taught in the Royal Naval College at Ports- 

 mouth, and in the Naval School of Architecture at South 

 Kensington. At present the Royal Naval College con- 

 ducted their examinations themselves — that is to say, they 

 first taught and then examined, which was not at all a 

 desirable state of things. It was now proposed to com- 

 bine the scheme which he had described as regarded the 

 education of the young officers with one for the education 

 of the commissioned officer, and also to make better 

 arrangements for the education of the Engineer and 

 Marine officers. In order to carry out these objects it 

 was proposed to found a Royal Naval College at Green- 

 wich, where all branches of a general naval education 

 would be taught, and to do so upon a scale which would 

 be calculated greatly to raise the toneof our naval officers. 

 In the first place there would be received in the College 

 sub-lieutenants, who would be kept there for six months 

 before their passing their general examination, and also 

 naval officers. It was proposed that after the sub- 

 lieutenants had passed their examinations and had been 

 a short time at sea, those who chose to avail themselves 

 of it should have an opportunity accorded to them of 

 pursuing a higher course of study, of which half-pay 

 officers might also avail themselves, and the establishment 

 being so near London they should be able to offer a better 

 course of study, under more able professors, than would 

 be possible to give at Portsmouth. But, in addition to 

 thus offering an education of this description to the young 

 and to the comm.issioned officers who now went to Ports- 

 mouth, they trusted to be able to make arrangements with 

 regard to the education of Engineer officers. At present 

 these latter officers were all brought up in our own yards, 

 which they entered at about fifteen or sixteen years of 

 age, and in which they remained for four or six years as 

 Engineering apprentices, and at the end of the .fourth 

 year three were selected to go to the School of Naval 



