64 THE RHINOCEROS 



nected themselves with that fabulous form, the 

 unicorn. 



The variety found throughout Central Africa, 

 and, I believe, as far south as the North-Eastern 

 Transvaal, is identical with that known to all 

 great game hunters as the " Black Rhinoceros," 

 although its colouring is not strikingly dissimilar 

 from that of the so-called " white " variety. 

 It was, I think, at one time supposed that its 

 horns were equal in point of length, and several 

 old writers on the fauna of Africa have adopted 

 this impression, of which I have, however, never 

 yet seen an instance. As a rule the horns found 

 on the Zambezian rhinoceros are smaller than 

 those carried by animals found farther north, 

 the largest shot by me within the district we 

 are considering measuring 25j and 12f inches 

 anterior and posterior respectively. This, for 

 the Zambezia region, was an exceptional measure- 

 ment, anterior horns as a rule seldom exceeding 

 — or attaining — 20 inches. I remember reading 

 in one of Mr. F. Vaughan Kirby's books a state- 

 ment that this at one time prominent hunter 

 had found in some village, in a neighbouring 

 territory through which he happened to be 

 passing, a pair of horns measuring 29 1 and 

 19i inches. This measurement I have never 

 seen approached, and, if no mistake was made, 

 I can only regard it as probable that the horns 

 were brought from some distant part of the 

 country. In British East Africa, however, 

 specimens of this animal have been shot possess- 

 ing horns greatly exceeding in length those I 



