726 MR. F. c. SELOUS ON THE [June 7, 



eight months spent in hunting on and between the Botlethe, Mababe, 

 Machabe, Sunta, and Upper Chobe rivers, I never even saw the spoor 

 of one of these animals, and all the bushraen that I met with said they 

 were finished. In 1878 and 1880, however, I still found them fairly 

 numerous in a small tract of country in North-eastern Mashuna 

 Land, between the Umniati and Ganyane rivers. Their range, how- 

 ever, is rather limited towards the north, as they only inhabit the 

 country lying to the south of the belt of rough stony hills which in 

 this district extend for more than a hundred miles southwards from 

 the banks of the Zambesi river. Their extermination in this portion 

 of the country may therefore, I am afraid, be expected within a very 

 few years ; and the Square-mouthed Rhinoceros will then only exist 

 in a few small tracts of S.E. Africa in the neighbourhood of the river 

 Sabi. 



The Square-mouthed Rhinoceros feeds exclusively upon grass, and 

 is therefore more partial to open countries, or districts where there 

 are broad grassy valleys between the tracts of bush, than the Pre- 

 hensile-lipped Rhinoceros, which is fond of thickets or rough hills 

 clothed with short scrub. Both species are a sort of dark slate- 

 colour ; and so far from one being white and the other black, I should 

 be sorry to state upon oath which was the darker of the two. 



The Square-mouthed Rhinoceros is a huge ungainly-looking beast, 

 with a disproportionately large head, a large male standing 6 feet 

 6 inches at the shoulder. Like elephants and buifaloes they lie asleep 

 during the heat of the day, and feed during the night and in the cool 

 hours of early morning and evening. Their sight is very bad ; but they 

 are quick of hearing, and their scent is very keen ; they are, too, often 

 accompanied by rhinoceros-birds, which, by running about their 

 heads, flapping their wings, and screeching at the same time, fre- 

 quently give them notice of the approach of danger. When disturbed 

 they go off at a swift trot, which soon leaves all pursuit from a man 

 on foot far behind ; but if chased by a horseman they break into a 

 gallop, which they can keep uj) for some distance. However, 

 although they run very swiftly, when their size and heavy build is 

 considered, they are no match for an average good horse. They 

 are, as a rule, very easy to shoot on horseback, as, if one gallops a 

 little in front of and on one side of them, they will hold their course 

 and come sailing past, offering a magnificent broadside shot ; whilst 

 under similar circumstances a Prehensile-lipped Rhinoceros will 

 usually swerve away in such a manner as only to present his hind 

 quarters for a shot. As with elephants, it is very unsatisfactory work 

 following up wounded rhinoceroses, as they do not stop and lie down, 

 but walk on and on until their strength gives way. They die very 

 quickly when shot through both lungs or the upper part of the heart ; 

 but if the shot strikes them in front, and the bullet only perforates one 

 lung, they will tiavel astonishing distances, though throwing blood out 

 of their mouth and nostrils by the gallon. "With a broken shoulder 

 they will run, first at a gallop and then at a halting trot, for more 

 than a mile ; but if they have a hind leg broken, they do not appear 

 to be able to budge a step. When either walking or running, the 



