NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



broken shoulder it can progress for a considerable 

 distance at a gallop. 



The flesh was greatly sought after by the trek 

 Boers for food, as it was considered to be much 

 superior to the flesh of any of the antelopes. The 

 hump was the favourite part. This was cut off 

 with the skin attached, and roasted in a hole in the 

 ground. 



Towards the end of the rainy season these 

 Rhinoceroses usually become so fat that a layer of it, 

 an inch thick, is often found under the skin of the 

 upper parts, and a couple of inches in depth all 

 over the abdomen. 



One young is produced at a birth. Should the 

 mother be shot, the calf, if very young, refuses to 

 leave her body, and stubbornly resists all efforts 

 to drive it away. The little orphan boldly charges 

 if either man or dog attempts to approach the body 

 of its mother. 



The White Rhinoceros breeds very slowly. Selous 

 and others have often observed a bull and cow with 

 a young calf, and another of quite a large size, the 

 latter no doubt being the former calf. 



It is, with the exception of the Elephant, the 

 largest of all land animals. An adult bull stands 

 from 6 feet to 6 feet 9 inches at the shoulder, and 

 .measures nearly 14 feet from the nose to the root 

 of the tail. It is hairless, with the exception of 

 a fringe along the edges of the ears, and bristles 

 at the end of the tail. The skin is dark slaty-grey ; 



212 



