Quadrupeds. 



8513 



quite small, as in the adult Martaban example before noticed,* the 

 shoulder-plait is rather more strongly developed, especially towards 

 the elbow, than in the figures published by Bell and F. Cuvier, — 

 F. Cuvier's figure representing a young male, and that by Bell a mature 

 female, while the skull represented by Bell is that of a male with finer 

 horns than appear to have been hitherto represented elsewhere. 



Sir T. Stamford Raffles further remarks of the Asiatic two-horned 

 rhinoceros, in Sumatra, that " They are not bold, and one of the largest 

 size has been seen to run away from a single wild dog." We hear, 

 howevef, of a " fire -eating rhinoceros" in Burma, from its habit of 

 attacking the night-fires of travellers, and scattering the burning 

 embers and doing other mischief, being attracted by unusual noises, 

 instead of fleeing from them as most wild animals do. Professor 

 Oldham's camp was attacked in this way, in Tavoy province, and the 

 animal being mortally wounded by a two-ounce ball, its skull was 

 recovered three days afterwards, and proved to be that of R. suma- 

 tranus. The same propensity is ascribed to the ordinary black rhino- 

 ceros of South Africa (R. africanus) : thus Dr. Mason cites, " This 

 animal appears to be excited by the glow of a fire, towards which it 

 rushes with fury, overcoming every obstacle. It has been known to 

 rush with such rapidity upon a military party lodged among the bush 

 covering the banks of the Great Fish River, that, before the men could 

 be aroused, it had severely injured two of them, tossed about and 

 broken several guns, and completely scattered the burning wood." 

 I am not aware that the same ferocity has been remarked of either of 

 the mailed one-horned species. 



In Java R. sondaicus is reputed to be rather a mild animal, though 

 I could cite a rumour of one attacking a sailor's watering party (Zool. 

 73*28). According to Professor Reinhardt, this animal is, in Java, 

 " found everywhere in the most elevated regions, and ascending, with 

 an astonishing swiftness, even to the highest tops of the mountains." 

 Dr. Horsfield also notices that " it prefers high situations, but is not 

 limited to a particular region or climate, its range extending from the 

 level of the ocean to the summits of mountains of considerable eleva- 

 tion. Its retreats are discovered by deeply-excavated passages, which 

 it forms along the declivities of mountains and hills. I found these 

 occasionally of great depth and extent." In Bengal, I believe that 



* Can these animals, under any circumstances, occasionally shed and renew their 

 horns, which consist only of a mass of agglutinated hair ? There is certainly no 

 physiological objection to the possibility of their doing so. — E. B. 



VOL. XXI. 2 D 



