ZOOLOGICAL 
SOCIETY 
BULLETIN 
Published by the New York Zoological Society 
VoLtuME XXIII 
THE WHITE 
JULY, 1920 
RHINOCEROS OF 
NUMBER 4 
THE BELGIAN CONGO* 
By Hersert LANG 
Assistant Curator of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History; F.N.Y.Z.S.; Chair- 
man Subcommittee on Life Histories of Exotic Mammals, American Society of Mammalogists 
Illustrations from -Photographs by the Author 
l ATE in May, 1909, at the Foreign Office 
in Brussels, diplomatic attention, strange 
to say, was focused upon the subject 
of white rhinoceroses. The pending ques- 
tion involved the conditions under which 
the Congo Expedition, sent by the American 
Museum of Natural History to the Belgian 
Congo could gather material for a habitat group 
of these rare and legally protected animals. 
The Colonial Administration had pledged itself 
not to grant any one the privilege of disturbing 
the only herd of white rhinoceroses then off- 
cially known, until Colonel Roosevelt had com- 
pleted his visit to the eastern border of Belgian 
territory. 
His Excellency the Minister of Colonies was 
then in Africa to second the efforts of the pres- 
ent King Albert, who as heir to the throne was 
anxious to acquire first-hand information about 
the great Central African demain. Secretary 
General H. Droogmans and Director General 
A. Kervyn, in charge of such matters, frankly 
informed us of the queer turn of circumstances. 
Could we perhaps suggest a satisfactory solu- 
tion? 
Fortunately Mr. James P. Chapin 
Foundation ; 
eye and the writer were able to 
Ricicon inform our hosts that Professor 
Exploration Henry Fairfield Osborn, Presi- 
dent of the American Museum, 
and Colonel Roosevelt already had arranged 
that the two American expeditions might unite 
their efforts to realize more easily the great 
project of presenting to visitors of the New 
York Museum a realistic bit of the greatness 
*Copyright, 1920, by Herbert Lang. All rights reserved. 
and fascination of the African jungles. This 
discussion about white rhinoceroses also sug- 
gested further cooperation for the benefit of 
the Colonial Museum in Tervueren, Belgium, 
and the final solution of the difficulty presently 
afforded an opportunity for hearty congratula- 
tions. 
Our progress from Banana, at the mouth of 
the Congo River, across the western half of 
Africa consumed a great deal of time and the 
gathering of material for a habitat group of the 
rare okapi so delayed the Congo Expedition 
that we had to forego the pleasure of meeting 
Colonel Roosevelt in the haunts of the white 
rhinoceros. When we arrived in the northern 
Uele district we found, contrary to all rumors, 
that the far-famed beasts were fairly numer- 
ous. We were spared the trouble of asking 
the Sirdar of Egypt for the privilege of pro- 
ceeding to the Lado Enclave, which, after the 
demise of King Leopold, had reverted to the 
British crown. Furthermore, on account of 
sleeping sickness this territory had been closed 
to caravan traffic, and access to the Nile was 
impossible without special permission. Fort- 
unately at Niangara the Honorable Charles 
Smets, who knew more than any one else about 
the white rhinoceroses in that region, kindly 
offered his expert advice, and later his devoted 
friendship contributed much to the success of 
the Congo Expedition. 
Formerly the white or square- 
Zoological lipped” rhinoceros — (Ceratothe- 
Status of : : 5 
the White "um — simum = simum) was con- 
Rhinoceros sidered common only in South 
Africa. In years gone by thous- 
ands were wantonly slaughtered there, and today 
[ 67 | 
