1024 DR. J. E. GRAY ON THE RHINOCEROTID^. [DcC. 12, 



'Philosophical Transactions' for 1742 and 1743; and the specimens 

 which he figured are now in the British Museum. 



There is considerable divergence of opinion among travellers re- 

 specting the horns of the African llhinocerotes. Sir Andrew Smith 

 observes, " I do not think that the horns of the same species of 

 African Rhinoceroses are subject to any great variations in respect to 

 relative length." — A. Smith. 



Capt. Cornwallis Harris, on the contrary, after describing the 

 horns of G. bicornis as unequal, says " the horns are sometimes 

 nearly of the same length." Further on he observes " that some- 

 times accident or disease renders the front horn the shortest of the 

 two." Perhaps Capt. Harris had not such a good knowledge of 

 species as Sir Andrew Smith. 



" The relative length of the horns varies a little in different indi- 

 viduals of R. bicornis ; but the hindermost one in both sexes is inva- 

 riably much the shortest, and in young specimens it is scarcely visible 

 when the other is several inches in length." — A. Smith. 



" In R. keitloa the young have horns of equal length." — A. Smith, 



3. Rhinaster. Black Rhinoceros. 



Head short, high ; forehead convex ; nose rounded in front. Upper 

 lip with a central conical process. Horns two, unequal. Skin 

 smooth, not divided into shields by plaits. Skull short, high ; the 

 portion of the skull behind the hinder edge of the last or seventh 

 grinder not so long as the portion in front of it, the occiput erect, 

 the upper margin only slightly produced over it ; forehead concave, 

 shelving; nasal bones on the sides convex, subspherical above, 

 rounded in front. Tooth-line curved, bent up at each end. Lower 

 jaw thick in front. Shoulder with a more or less developed hunch. 



"Living in herds; a 'browser,' feeding on leaves and young 

 shoots of trees. It frequents forest and bush country, avoiding 

 grassy plains." — Ki7-k, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 655. 



A. Horns cylindrical, conical, front recurved, hinder short ; head 

 short and high, swollen in front; upper lip subtruncate ; 

 shoulder-hump rudimentary. Rhinaster. 



1 . Rhinaster bicornis. Bovili. B.M. 



Horns unequal, cylindrical at the base, and conical, blunt, the 

 hinder smaller, front recurved; shoulder-hunch rudimentary, neck- 

 grooves well marked. " Pale brown ;" upper lip truncated, scarcely 

 produced in the centre. 



Rhinoceros horn. Parsons, Phil. Trans. 1742, 1/43, t. 3. f. 3, 4. 



Rhinoceros bicornis, Linn. S. N. i. 104; Sparrm. K. Vet. Akad. 

 Handl. 17/8, t. 9 ; A. Smith, 111. Z. S. Africa, t. 2. 



Rhinoceros bicorne du Cap, part., Giebel, 200 ; Cuvier, Oss. Foss. 

 ii. 29, t. 4. f. 7, t. I 6. f. 10 ; Blainv. Oiteogr. Onguligrades, t. 3, 4 

 (skull &c.). 



