404 RHINOCEROS OF THE LADO [ch. xiv 
white herons rode on their backs, but most of the flock 
stalked sedately alongside through the burnt grass, 
catching the grasshoppers which were disturbed by the 
great feet. When, however, the herd reached the tall 
grass all the herons flew up and perched on the backs 
and heads of their friends; even the pink calf carried 
one. Half a mile inside the edge of the tall grass the 
elephants stopped for the day beside a clump of bushes ; 
and there they stood, the white birds clustered on their 
dark bodies. At the time we could distinctly hear the 
doctor’s shot-gun as he collected birds near camp. The 
reports did not disturb the elephants, and when we 
walked on we left them standing unconcernedly in the 
grass. 
A couple of hours later, as we followed an elephant 
path, we came to a spot where it was crossed by the spoor 
of two rhino. Our gun-bearers took up the trail, over the 
burnt ground, while Kermit and I followed immediately 
behind them. The trail wound about, and was not 
always easy to disentangle; but after a mile or two we 
saw the beasts. They were standing among bushes and 
patches of rank, unburned grass ; it was just ten o’clock, 
and they were evidently preparing to lie down for the 
day. As they stood they kept twitching their big ears ; 
both rhino and elephant are perpetually annoyed, as are 
most game, by biting flies, large and small. We got 
up very close, Kermit with his camera and I with the 
heavy rifle. Too little is known of these northern 
square-mouthed rhino for us to be sure that they are 
not lingering slowly toward extinction ; and, lest this 
should be the case, we were not willing to kill any 
merely for trophies ; while, on the other hand, we 
deemed it really important to get good groups for the 
National Museum in Washington and the American 
