MAMMALIA. 247 



The rhinoceros of the Anseba inhabits the dense 

 thickets on the bank of the stream, which are inter- 

 sected in all directions by the paths made by these 

 animals. In the densest parts, where roots and stems 

 render the jungle almost impervious, there are places 

 known by the inhabitants as rhinoceros-houses. The 

 stems and branches have generally been broken away or 

 piished back, so as to leave a clear space about 15 ft. or 

 20 ft. in diameter, at the bottom of which the ground 

 has been Avorn into a hollow by the trampling and 

 rolling of the animals in wet weather. These houses 

 are _^ used as retreats during the heat of the day. On 

 two or three occasions we disturbed a rhinoceros from 

 one of these, and he rushed off with much noise and 

 loud snorts through the bushes. So far as we could 

 learn from our observations, these animals enter the 

 thick jungle early in the morning and rest until one or 

 two o'clock in the day ; then they leave their thickets 

 and go out to feed, usually remaining, however, amongst 

 high bushes. At the time of thfe year in which we 

 visited the country rain generally set in in the after- 

 noon, and, if it did not rain, the sky was overcast ; in 

 the clear weather the rhinoceroses are said never to 

 appear before evening. They are great browsers, feeding 

 chiefly on the young shoots and branches of acacia 

 and other trees, or on fruits ; so far as I could see, they 

 do not generally eat grass. 



Their movements are very quick, their usual pace 

 being a smart trot, and the numerous tracks show that 

 they move about a good deal. The natives declare that 



