426 



THE ODD-TOED ANIMALS. 



of the family, arranged in accordance with their 

 dentition and the folds of the skin. , The first group 

 comprises all species, the stin of which is divided 

 into shields; the second embraces those, the skin of 

 which shows less folds, and in the third group the 

 skins do not exhibit any permanent folds. 



One horn and well developed folds on neck and 

 loins, which bound the coat of mail formed by the 

 skin and surround shield-like areas, characterize the 

 Shielded Rhinoceroses {Rki7ioceros) , represented by 

 two living varieties. 



Description of the The Rhinoceros or Unicorn, usually 

 Indian Rlii- called the Indian Rhinoceros (Rhi- 

 noceros, twceros u?ticorms) attains a total length 

 of twelve and one-half feet, including the tail, which 

 is two feet long; the height at the shoulders is five 

 feet, eight inches, and the weight amounts to 4,000 

 pounds or thereabouts. Of sturdy and strong build, 

 it is distinguished from its relatives by its compara- 

 tively, short, broad, thick head, and the character of 

 the margins of the shields, which is peculiar to this 

 species. The range of this Rhinoceros now extends 

 throughout the northern part of India. 



Tlie Jauan or The Other variety of this sub-species 

 Wara Rhi- is the Wara Rhinoceros, commonly 

 noceros. known as the Javan Rhinoceros {Rhi- 

 noceros sondaicus). As far as our knowledge goes, 

 this species appears to have a much more extensive 

 range than the Indian Rhinoceros. 



The African Rhinoceros {Atelodiis) is characterized 

 by either the absence or rudimentary character of 

 incisors in its dentition. Its smooth, even and- hair- 

 less skin is marked by distinct folds only at the base 

 ■of the neck and is divided neither into shields nor 

 zones. Its defensive weapons consist of two slender 

 horns, placed one behind the other. 

 Biac\< Rhinoceros The best known representative of 

 the Best Known this sub-species is the Two-horned 

 Variety. Rhinoceros {Rhinoceros bicornis), 

 called the Black Rhinoceros by the Boers and Eng- 

 lish hunters, Borele by the natives of south Africa, 

 and Keitloa, if its posterior horn is very long. Its 

 color varies between a uniform dark, slaty gray, and 

 a dingy, reddish brown. Full-grown bulls have a 

 total length of thirteen feet, four inches, inclusive of 

 the tail, which is usually about two feet long; the 

 height at the shoulders is five feet, four inches. The 

 horns are inclined in a backward angle, and are 

 from twenty-eight to thirty-two inches long. In 

 rare cases the rear horn is as long or slightly longer 

 than the foremost one, but in the majority of cases 

 it does not attain half the length of the anterior horn 

 and often appears as a mere stub. The range of the 

 animal has been considerably restricted, especially 

 from the south, but it is still quite extensive, as it 

 comprises a large part of Africa, especially its east- 

 ern half, south from about the fifteenth parallel of 

 north latitude. 

 The Rhinoceros The ancients were familiar with the 

 Well Known to Rhinoceros. Pliny records that 

 the Ancients. Pompey introduced the first Unicorn 

 .at the games in Rome in the year 61 B. C, at the 

 same time that he imported the Lynx from Gaul and 

 the Baboon from Ethiopia. Agatharchides.was the 

 first to speak of these animals; Strabo, who saw a 

 Rhinoceros in Alexandria, was the second. Pausa- 

 nias refers to it under the name of " Ethiopian 

 Ox," Martial also mentions it in one of his verses. 

 Early Arabian authors speak about both varieties 

 and discriminate between the Indian and African 

 species, and in their folk-lore tales the animals fre- 



quently play the part of magical beings. Marco 

 £.olo, that renowned traveler and author, .who plays 

 so important a part in respect of the ancient rec- 

 ords of zoology, was the first to break the silence 

 after the long lapse of time, during which nothing 

 had been heard about the Rhinoceros. He saw it 

 on his journey to the East Indies, namely in Suma- 

 tra, in the thirteenth century. In 1513 the King of 

 Portugal received a living Rhinoceros from the East 

 Indies. Its fame resounded throughout the Euro- 

 pean countries. Albrecht Durer published an en- 

 graving, which he had made after a poor picture he 

 received from Lisbon. It represents an animal 

 which appears as if it were clothed in a suit of 

 armor, the feet being also incased in scales of mail, 

 and the shoulder being surmounted by a small horn. 

 For nearly two hundred years that engraving of the 

 famous master was the only existing European pic- 

 ture of the Rhinoceros. Chardin, who saw the ani- 

 mal in Ispahan early in the eighteenth century, was 

 the first to give an approximately correct picture of 

 this animal. Bontius had corrected the description 

 of its life about the middle of the seventeeth cen- 

 tury. 



On the whole, all Rhinoceroses have much in 

 common in their mode of life, their character, their 

 qualities, their movements and their food; yet every 

 variety seems to have its individual peculiarities. 

 The Asiatic varieties of the Rhinoceros, for instance, 

 are thought to be exceedingly vicious animals. The 

 Javan variety is described as much better natured, 

 and that of Sumatra {Rhinoceros sutnatreTisis) is said 

 to be quite inoffensive. The same variation in char- 

 acteristics holds good in regard to the African Rhi- 

 noceroses. The Two-horned Rhinoceros is said to 

 be the fiercest of all African animals, despite its 

 small size; while the larger "white" variety exhibits 

 a much milder and comparatively harmless dispo- 

 sition. There is probably some truth in this ac- 

 count, but the whole truth may be that every Rhi- 

 noceros shows good nature at its first acquaintance 

 with Man, and while it is not provoked, but becomes 

 vicious when taught by experience that Man is an 

 enemy, or when its enmity is aroused by provoca- 

 tion. 

 Favored Haunts The favorite haunts of the Rhinoc- 

 of the Rhi- eros are watery localities such as 

 noceros. marshy districts, rivers which over- 

 flow the country adjacent to their banks to a great 

 distance; lakes with bushy, muddy banks, in the 

 proximity of which there is rich pasturage;-^ wood- 

 lands through which flow creeks, and simitar locali- 

 ties. The African variety is also very comfortEtble in 

 rather dry stretches of country, rich in grass and 

 bushes, provided there are pools within its feach. 

 Even the most tangled thicket, inaccessible to other 

 creatures, opens its innermost recesses to these bulky 

 animals, for against their coats of mail the most pen- 

 etrating thorns are powerless. Therefore nearly all 

 species of Rhinoceroses are most frequently en- 

 countered in forests, stretching inland from the sea- 

 coast, others of them occurring more regularly and 

 frequently in the hilly country than in the plains. 

 Every Rhinoceros probably visits the water once a 

 day to drink and wallow in the mud. 



A mud bath is an actual necessity to all thick- 

 skinned animals living on dry land; for appropriate 

 as the adjective "thick" is in regard to their skins, 

 they are exceedingly sensitive to the stings of the 

 various species of Flies, Gnats and Mosquitoes, and 

 obtain some degree of relief only by incasing them- 



