XVI 
RHINOCEROS 
105 
disturbed themselves, their cries and movements 
naturally alarm the beasts upon which they fatten. 
I have had no personal experience of the Indian 
rhinoceros, which is heavily protected by thick folds 
of skin, instead of the comparatively smooth exterior 
of the African species ; but the habits of the animal 
appear to be somewhat similar, with the exception 
of its frequenting marshy localities. 
I have never found the African rhinoceros in 
the neighbourhood of swamps, but, on the contrary, 
I have generally met them in dry and elevated 
places, at the base of rocky hills, or in woods, at 
some distance from a river. Certain animals have 
their regular hours for drinking : the rhinoceros in 
Africa approaches the water an hour after dark, and 
during the day it may retreat several miles inland. 
The female Ketloa has a longer horn than the 
male, but more slender. The males are continually 
grinding their horns by sharpening them upon rocks 
and the trunks of trees ; this process reduces their 
size, from continued friction. 
The female has only one offspring at a birth, and 
the ugly little calf is well protected by its mother. 
In a very few weeks after its introduction to the 
world it becomes exceedingly strong and active, 
and follows its mother over the rough ground at 
considerable speed. At that early age, when from 
two to four months old, the young ones are captured 
by the sword-hunters, who hunt the mother until the 
calf becomes thoroughly fatigued. 
When the vast bulk of a rhinoceros is considered, 
