[Illustration: ONE-HORNED RHINOCEROS.]
The One-horned Rhinoceros, as its name imports, has but a single horn,
which is situated upon the middle of the snout; and as this weapon
sometimes measures upwards of two feet in length, tapering gradually
from the base to the point, sharp at its extremity, and slightly curved
towards the back of the animal, it becomes when wielded by its herculean
possessor a very deadly instrument; with which, at a stroke, it rips up
the most powerful assailant, and is a formidable antagonist even to the
Elephant itself.
The skin of this species forms a coat of armor, almost impenetrable by a
musket-ball; it is in some parts nearly an inch in thickness.
The One-horned Rhinoceros is an inhabitant of the East Indies, more
especially of that portion of the country situated beyond the Ganges;
its range, indeed, extends from Bengal to Cochin, China. Slow and
careless in his movements, this animal wanders through his native plains
with a heavy step, carrying his huge head so low that his nose almost
touches the ground, and stopping at intervals, to crop some favorite
plant, or in playfulness to plough up the ground with his horn, throwing
the mud and stones behind him.