THE RHINOCEROS 143 



from the skin, and can be easily removed by passing a sharp knife 

 round their roots, and so separating them from the hide. Beneath 

 them, however, is a very strong arch of bone, with one end free, 

 so that it may be as elastic as possible. This arch furnishes the 

 horns with a firm support, and at the same time prevents the brain 

 from being injured by the shock of the blows which they so often 

 have to deliver. 



A rhinoceros uses its horns for various purposes. With them, 

 for instance, it digs in the ground in search of the roots which 

 form a considerable portion of its diet It uses them as weapons, 

 and very formidable weapons they must be. The Indian rhinoceros 

 is said to kill even the elephant, by dashing between its legs and 

 ripping open its body. A well-known traveller tells us that a 

 rhinoceros and an elephant were once found lying dead together, 

 the horn of the former having been so firmly fixed in the ele- 

 phant's ribs that its unfortunate owner could not withdraw it. 

 And another traveller was once flung out of his saddle by the 

 horn of a rhinoceros, which was struck completely through the 

 body of his horse from below, and yet retained sufficient force to 

 inflict a severe wound upon his thigh. 



In olden days there was a curious superstition \\ith regard to 

 the horn of a rhinoceros, which was thought to be a sure test 

 of liquid poison. Kings and other great men, indeed, often had 

 a drinking-cup made of the horn and set with gold and jewels, 

 and it was supposed that if poisoned wine were poured into such 

 a cup it would at once begin to froth and bubble, and so give 

 evidence of its deadly nature. 



The horns of the rhinoceros vary very much in length. In 

 the Indian species, about which we have just been speaking, they 

 are quite small, and are almost as broad as they are long. On 

 the other hand, a rhinoceros found in Africa has a horn so long 

 that a ramrod nearly four feet in length can sometimes be cut 

 from it. 



Very remarkable, too, is the skin of the rhinoceros. It has 

 already been mentioned that it is so hard and tough as to flatten 

 an ordinary leaden bullet, and the hunters, when they attack a 

 rhinoceros, always harden their bullets with solder or tin. The 



