_THE ELEPHANT, TAPIR, HYRAX, AND RHINOCEROS._
----
THE ELEPHANT.
BY F. C. SELOUS.
[Illustration: _Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq._
A FINE TUSKER.
The male Indian elephant has smaller tusks than the African species.]
At once the mightiest and most majestic of all terrestrial mammals, the
elephant appeals to the imagination more forcibly than any other living
animal, not only on account of its great sagacity and the strangeness and
singularity of its outward appearance, but also because it is such an
obvious link between the world of to-day and the dim and distant past of
Pleiocene and Miocene times.
There are two existing species of elephant, the AFRICAN and the ASIATIC,
the latter, from the structure of its molar teeth and the shape of its
skull, appearing to be very nearly related to the MAMMOTH, which lived upon
the earth in comparatively recent times--geologically speaking--and was
undoubtedly contemporary with man in Europe during the Stone Age.
There are very considerable differences both in the external appearance and
also in the habits of the two existing forms of elephant. In the African
species the forehead is more convex and the eye relatively larger than in
its Asiatic cousin; and whilst the ears of the latter are only of moderate
size, those of the former are so large that they at once arrest the
attention, and are one of that animal's most remarkable external
characteristics. Both sexes of the African species, with few exceptions,
carry well-developed tusks, but in the Asiatic form the tusks of the
females are so small as scarcely to protrude beyond the jaws. In Asia, too,
tuskless bull elephants are common, whilst males of the African species
without tusks are extremely rare. The latter species has but three nails on
the hind foot, the Asiatic elephant four. In the African species the middle
of the back is hollowed, the shoulder being the highest point, whilst in
the Asiatic elephant the back is arched, and the top of the shoulder lower
than the highest part of the back. The extremity of the proboscis is also
different, in the two species, the African elephant being furnished with
two nearly equal-sized prolongations, the one on the front, the other on
the hinder margin, with which small objects can be grasped as with the
finger and thumb of the human hand, whilst in the Asiatic species the
finger-like process on the upper margin of the end of the trunk is
considerably longer than that on the under-side. In external appearance the
skin of the African elephant is darker in colour and rougher in texture
than that of the Asiatic form. The molar teeth of the former animal are,
too, of much coarser construction, with fewer and larger plates and thicker
enamel than in the latter, which would naturally lead one to suppose that
the African elephant is accustomed to eat coarser, harder food than the
Asiatic species. This supposition is borne out by fact; for whilst the
Asiatic elephant feeds mainly upon grass, the leaves and fruit of the wild
plantain, and the young shoots of the bamboo, together with the leaves,
twigs, and bark of certain trees, the African species never eats grass,
and, although very fond of certain kinds of soft and succulent food, such
as wild fruits and the inner bark of certain trees, is constantly engaged
in chewing up the roots and branches of trees as thick as a man's wrist for
the sake of the sap and bark, the woody portions being rejected after
having been reduced to pulp. The Asiatic elephant appears to be far less
tolerant of exposure to the heat of the sun than the African; and whilst
the latter may often be found standing at rest or sleeping throughout the
hottest hours of the day in long grass or scrubby bush of a height not
sufficient to afford any protection from the sun to the whole of the upper
portion of the head and body, the former, when in a wild state, is said to
always seek the shade of the densest forests it can find during hot
weather.
[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._
A YOUNG INDIAN ELEPHANT.
This animal has been trained to "salute" by raising its trunk and foot. It
has lost the end of its tail.]
The Asiatic elephant often lies down when resting and sleeping. This is in
marked contrast to the African species, which, if it ever does lie down at
all, except to roll in mud or rub itself against an ant-heap, can only do
so very rarely, since in all my experience, though I have seen some
thousands of African elephants standing sleeping during the heat of the
day, I have never yet seen one of these animals lying down, nor found the
impress in the ground where one had been so lying.
When excited and charging, both species of elephant raise their heads and
cock their ears, which in the African animal stand out at such a time like
two sails, and, being each upwards of 3½ feet in breadth, cover, together
with the animal's head, an expanse of fully 10 feet. The Asiatic elephant
is said to remain mute whilst charging, and to hold its trunk tightly
curled up between its tusks. The African elephant, on the other hand,
usually accompanies a charge with a constant succession of short, sharp
trumpeting screams. Sometimes, though rarely, however, animals of this
species remain mute whilst charging, but they never, I believe, coil their
trunks up under their throats. Often an African elephant will swing round
for a charge with a loud scream and trunk held high in the air; but in my
experience, when settling down to a chase, it drops its trunk and holds it
pointing straight down in front of its chest.
[Illustration: _Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq._
THE CHIEF OF CHIENGMAI'S CARRIAGE.
This victoria was drawn by a young Indian elephant.]
In the southern portions of the African Continent the average standing
height at the shoulder of full-grown bull elephants ranges from 10 feet to
10 feet 6 inches, though individuals have doubtless been met with in those
districts which have much exceeded these dimensions. In North Central
Africa the average standing height appears to be some inches higher,
approaching 11 feet, and in those districts it is quite possible that
individuals exist which exceed 12 feet in height. African cow elephants
stand from 8 feet to 8 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. The Asiatic species
is considerably smaller than the African, the average height of full-grown
males not exceeding 9 feet, though certain individuals now and then attain
to a much greater size, as is indicated by the fact that there is a mounted
skeleton of an Indian elephant in the Museum at Calcutta which stands 11
feet 3 inches at the shoulder. In the size of its tusks the African
elephant far surpasses the Asiatic species. In India a pair of tusks
measuring 5 feet in length and weighing 70 lbs. the pair would, I think, be
considered large, though an elephant was killed by Sir Victor Brooke in the
Garo Hills with a single tusk measuring 8 feet in length, 17 inches in
circumference, and weighing 90 lbs., and a few tusks even exceeding these
dimensions have been recorded. In Southern Africa the tusks of full-grown
bull elephants usually weigh from 80 to 120 lbs. the pair, and measure
about 6 feet in length, with a circumference of from 16 to 18 inches; but
these weights and measurements have often been much exceeded, and in my own
experience I have known of two pairs of elephants' tusks having been
obtained south of the Zambesi, each of which weighed slightly over 300
lbs., each tusk measuring upwards of 9 feet in length, whilst a single tusk
brought from the neighbourhood of Lake Ngami in 1873 weighed 174 lbs. The
average weight of cow-elephant tusks in Southern Africa is from 20 to 30
lbs. the pair, but I have seen the tusk of a cow elephant killed in
Matabililand which weighed 39 lbs. and measured over 6 feet in length,
whilst its fellow almost equalled it in size and weight. In North Central
Africa, according to Sir Samuel Baker, the tusks of full-grown elephants
average about 140 lbs. the pair, and tusks weighing upwards of 100 lbs.
each are not at all uncommon, whilst many of a much greater size have been
obtained.
[Illustration: _Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq._
TIMBER-ELEPHANTS.
This photograph was taken at Lakou, in Upper Siam. Notice the large teak
log in the foreground.]
Until quite recently a tusk in the possession of Sir E. G. Loder, which
weighs 184 lbs. and measures 9 feet 5 inches in length, with a
circumference of 22½ inches, was supposed to be the largest in existence;
but in 1899 two tusks were obtained near Kilimanjaro, in East Central
Africa, both of which much exceed this weight. These enormous tusks were at
first stated to be a pair taken from a single elephant; but though nearly
equal in weight they are said to be differently shaped, and as their
history is not yet fully known it is possible, though not probable, that
they originally belonged to two different elephants. The larger of these
two tusks has recently been purchased for the collection of the British
Museum (Natural History), where it may now be seen. It weighs 228 lbs.,
measures 10 feet 2½ inches on the outside curve, and 24¼ in girth at the
thickest part. The tusks of cow elephants are also considerably larger and
heavier on the average in East Central and North Central Africa than in the
southern portions of the continent.
[Illustration: _Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq._
FEMALE INDIAN ELEPHANT DRAGGING TEAK.
The teak logs are floated down the Burmese rivers and dragged out by
elephants.]
At the present time the Asiatic elephant is found in a wild state in most
of the forest-covered tracts of India, Ceylon, Assam, Burma, Siam,
Cochin-China, Sumatra, and Borneo; whilst the African species, although it
has been hunted out of large tracts of country in South and South-western
Africa, still inhabits the greater part of the continent south of the
Sahara, and in many districts of Central Africa appears to be
extraordinarily abundant. In the Cape Colony two herds still exist under
the protection of the Government.
As might be expected from the greater length of its legs, and consequent
longer stride, the African elephant is admitted by those who have had
experience of both species to be a more active animal than its Asiatic
cousin. Speaking of the walking and running powers of the Indian elephant,
that great authority Mr. Sanderson says that "the only pace of the elephant
is the walk, capable of being increased to a fast shuffle of about fifteen
miles an hour for very short distances. It can neither trot, canter, nor
gallop. It does not move with the legs on the same side, but nearly so. A
very good runner might keep out of an elephant's way on a smooth piece of
turf, but on the ground in which they are generally met with any attempt to
escape by flight, unless supplemented by concealment, would be unavailing."
This description exactly coincides with my own experience of the African
elephant, except that I think that animals of the latter species,
especially cows and young bulls, are capable of getting up a pace of at
least twenty miles an hour, and keeping it up for from 100 to 200 yards,
when charging.
[Illustration: _Photo by M. E. F. Baird Esq._
INDIAN ELEPHANTS BATHING.
These animals love a bath, and will walk on the bottom of a deep river with
only their trunks raised above the water.]
In disposition both African and Asiatic elephants are as a rule timid
animals, and, excepting in the case of males of the latter species when
suffering from sexual excitement, are always inclined to shun danger. I
have never heard of male elephants of the African species becoming savage
and aggressive at any season of the year; indeed, old bulls always appeared
to me to be less inclined to charge than cows or young bulls. The eyesight
of the elephant--of the African species at least--is bad, and his hearing
not particularly acute; but his olfactory nerves are probably more highly
developed than in any other animal, and, aided by this exquisite sense of
smell, he will avoid a human being if possible. But if elephants are
attacked and wounded, they become savage and dangerous animals; and the
charge of an African elephant, coming on with the great ears outspread, to
the accompaniment of a quick succession of short, sharp trumpeting screams,
besides being very sudden and rapid, is very disconcerting to the nerves of
a man unaccustomed to such experiences. I remember the case of a young
Englishman who was killed in Matabililand many years ago by the first
elephant he had ever seen. This animal--an old bull--had retired, after
having been wounded, into a small but dense patch of thorn-bush, into which
its pursuer thought it unadvisable to follow on horseback. He therefore
left his horse, and advanced on foot towards the cluster of trees amongst
which the elephant was concealed. The latter, having either seen or smelt
the approaching enemy, at once charged out, screaming loudly; and the young
hunter, instead of standing his ground and firing at the advancing monster,
lost his presence of mind, and, turning, ran for his horse; but before he
reached it he was overtaken and killed. It seemed to the friend who found
his body (he was close at hand shooting another elephant at the time, and
pieced the story together from the tracks of man, horse, and elephant) that
the victim had first been struck in the back of the head by one of his
pursuer's tusks--at any rate his skull had been smashed to pieces and
emptied of its brains. Then the elephant had rushed upon him where he fell,
and, after first having driven a tusk right through his chest and deep into
the ground, had stamped him into a bloody pulp with his huge feet. A waggon
was brought the same night, and the mangled body carried to the hunter's
camp on the banks of the Ramokwebani, where it was buried.
The strength of the elephant is proverbial; and in India and Burma, where
this animal has for ages past been trained in the service of man, this
power is habitually made use of in moving and stacking large baulks of
timber, or in dragging heavy guns through muddy ground or up steep ascents.
In Africa the traveller is often astonished at the size of trees which have
been uprooted and overturned by elephants. These trees, however, have no
taproot, and have not therefore a very firm hold in the ground, especially
during the rainy season, when the ground is soft. At this time of year
large trees are butted down by elephants, which push against their stems
with the thick part of their trunks, and get them on the swing, until the
roots become loosened and the trees are at last overturned. Small trees of
2 or 3 inches in diameter, as well as branches, they break off with their
trunks. In 1878 a tuskless bull elephant--I met the same animal again in
1885, and he is the only African bull elephant without tusks I have ever
seen--killed a native hunter in Mashonaland. This man, a big powerful Zulu
and a great friend of my own, was torn into three pieces. I imagine that,
after having caught him, the elephant held the unfortunate man down with
his foot or knee, and then, twisting his trunk round his body, tore him
asunder--surely a terrible exhibition of strength.
The elephant is a very slow-growing and long-lived animal, not arriving at
maturity until upwards of thirty years of age; and since cases are on
record of elephants having lived for upwards of 130 years in captivity in
India, it is probable that in a wild state these animals, both in Asia and
Africa, often attain to an age of 150 years. The female elephant produces,
as a rule, but one calf at birth, the period of gestation lasting from
eighteen to nearly twenty-two months. The mammæ of the cow elephant are
placed between the fore legs, and the new-born calf sucks with its mouth,
holding its trunk turned back over its head. I have seen elephant calves so
engaged.
[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._
AFRICAN ELEPHANT.
The difference in profile between this and the Indian species is
noticeable. The forehead is receding and the ears much larger in the
African species.]
Although there is no reason to doubt that the African elephant is as
intelligent as the Asiatic species, its domestication has never been
attempted by the Negro or Bantu races of Africa. It is believed, however,
that the African elephant was in ancient times domesticated by the
Carthaginians, and used by them in their wars with the Romans. The opinion,
too, is generally held that the elephants with which Hannibal crossed the
Alps were of the African species, as well as those which, after the
conquest of Carthage, were used in the Roman amphitheatres and military
pageants. On the other hand, it is well to remember that the late Mr. W.
Cotton Oswell, who had had great experience both with African and Asiatic
elephants, wrote as follows on this subject: "I believe some people suppose
the Carthaginians tamed and used the African elephant; they could hardly
have had mahouts Indian fashion, for there is no marked depression in the
nape of the neck for a seat, and the hemming of the ears when erected would
have half smothered them. My knowledge does not allow me to raise any
argument on this point; but might not the same market have been open to the
dwellers at Carthage as was afterwards to Mithridates, who, I suppose, drew
his supply from India? I know in the representations of elephants on the
medals of Faustina and of Septimus Severus the ears are African, though the
bodies and heads are Indian; but these were struck nearly 400 years after
Carthaginian times, when the whole known world had been ransacked by the
Romans for beasts for their public shows; and I still think it possible
that the Carthaginians--the great traders and colonisers of old--may have
obtained elephants through some of their colonies from India."
An interesting example of the intelligence of these animals can be seen any
day at the London Zoological Gardens. A large African elephant restores to
his would-be entertainers all the biscuits, whole or broken, which strike
the bars and fall alike out of his reach and theirs in the space between
the barrier and his cage. He points his trunk at the biscuits, and blows
them hard along the floor to the feet of the persons who have thrown them.
He clearly knows what he is doing, because, if the biscuits do not travel
far enough, he gives them a harder blow.
[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._
MALE AFRICAN ELEPHANT DRINKING.
Note the great size of the tusks and base of the trunk.]
TAPIRS AND HYRAX.
BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.
TAPIRS are odd-looking creatures, and, strange as it may seem, are
nevertheless related on the one hand to the rhinoceroses, and on the other
to the horses. They are furthermore extremely interesting animals, because
they have undergone less modification of form than any other members of the
group to which they belong. This we know because fossil tapirs, belonging
to a very remote period of the world's history, are practically
indistinguishable from those now living.
The general form of the body may perhaps be described as pig-like; the
head, too, suggests that animal. But the pig's snout is here produced into
a short proboscis, or trunk. The feet are quite unlike those of the pig,
and resemble those of the rhinoceros. The fore feet have each four and the
hind feet three toes; these are all encased in large horse-like hoofs. The
tail is reduced to a mere stump.
Tapirs are shy and inoffensive animals, living in the seclusion of dense
forests in the neighbourhood of water, in which element they are quite at
home; indeed, it is said that they will frequently dive and walk along the
bed of the river. They are also fond of wallowing in mud, partly, it is
believed, that they may encase themselves with it as a protection against
the annoyance of flies. They feed on shoots of trees, bushes, leaves, and
fallen fruits, foraging during the evening, and possibly far into the
night.
[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._
MALAYAN TAPIR.
The largest of all the tapirs. Is easily distinguished from the American
tapirs by the patch of white on the middle of its body.]
Tapirs are hunted by the natives for the sake of their thick hides, which
are cut into thongs for reins and bridles. The flesh also is esteemed by
some. There are three methods of capture. In South America the lasso is
used with occasional success. But when not foiled by undergrowth, the
hunter often loses his victim by reason of the violence and force of its
rush, which snaps the thong. The Gauchos intercept it with dogs on its way
to the water, when it will fight furiously, and many dogs may be killed
before its dispatch is accomplished. Others imitate its peculiar, shrill
call, and shoot it on its approach in answer thereto. Captives are easily
tamed, and may be seen walking about the streets in many South American
towns. They wander into the forest by day, returning in the evening to be
fed, and are said to display great affection. On account of their great
strength, it has been suggested that such captives should be used as beasts
of burden.
Except the MALAYAN TAPIR, which is black and white, tapirs are black or
dark brown in colour, and but scantily clothed with hair; but the young, it
is interesting to note, are spotted and striped with white or fawn-colour
on a dark ground, a coloration recalling that of the wild pig.
There are five different species of tapir. Their geographical distribution
is remarkable, four species being South American, and one belonging to the
Malayan region. But far back in the world's history, as we know from
fossils, tapirs roamed over the warm and temperate regions of Europe, and
their remains have been found in China and the United States. Thus the
intervening gaps existing to-day have been made by the extinction of these
intermediate species.
By nature the tapir appears to be a harmless and inoffensive animal, flying
even before the smallest dog. Occasionally, however, it displays great
courage and ferocity, and this appears to be especially the case with
females deprived of their young. At such times they will charge with great
spirit, and knock down, trample on, and bite their victim after the fashion
of wild swine.
Man alone excepted, the most deadly foe of the AMERICAN TAPIR is the
jaguar, as is the tiger of the Malay species. The American tapir often gets
rid of the jaguar by rushing at full speed into the dense jungle, thus
sweeping its assailant from its back, the jaguar's claws finding but an
insecure hold on its victim's thick hide. Tapirs are often found bearing
scars all over the back, witnessing the terrible nature of the wounds
received at such times.
That the tapir is a comparatively unknown animal is partly accounted for by
the fact that it is but little sought after by the big-game hunter--who
finds more excitement in pursuit of its larger relative the rhinoceros--and
partly, perhaps, owing to its inhabiting regions comparatively little
visited by Europeans. Nevertheless, the tapir is an animal of quite
peculiar interest, having undergone but little change during long ages,
whilst its ally the horse has effected in the same time a complete
transformation, not only in its general shape, but more especially in its
teeth and feet. The gradual steps by which this transformation has been
brought about we can trace through certain fossil forms, of which we can
say little here.
Amongst these fossils occur remains of an animal bearing a very strong
resemblance to the living tapir, but which, strangely enough, is not really
so closely related thereto as to the horses. It does not, however, stand in
the direct line of descent of these latter, but must be regarded as
representing a collateral branch thereof. The occurrence of this distinct
tapir-like animal is of great scientific interest.
The short, stout legs and spreading toes of the living tapirs,
rhinoceroses, and ancestral horse are admirably adapted for plodding
deliberately over soft and yielding ground, such as is afforded by
reed-beds and banks of rivers, or the shady depths of forests. Speed in
such surroundings is not necessary, food in plenty being always at hand,
and escape from enemies being sought by concealment in thick herbage rather
than flight. With a migration to drier and higher plains, the spreading
foot has undergone a change. The short legs and numerous toes have given
place to long ones, and of the several toes growth has taken place in one
only--the third; whilst the others have slowly dwindled, till eventually
only traces of the second and fourth remain, as in the modern horse. Thus
has a firmer support over hard, unyielding ground been brought about, and
great speed gained. The animals with this type of foot (in which the third
is the largest toe) are known as the Odd-toed Hoofed Animals. The pigs,
sheep, deer, and oxen have gained an equally efficient foot, yet retaining
four toes. Of these, the third and fourth are equal in size, and serve as a
support to the body, whilst the second and fifth have now become
functionless, and do not reach the ground. This type of foot characterises
that group of the hoofed animals known as the Even-toed.
THE HYRAX.
This is one of the most remarkable of living mammals, and one of the
greatest puzzles to zoologists, having no near living relatives. Though
bearing some resemblance to an earless rabbit, it really belongs to the
hoofed animals, and amongst them comes perhaps somewhat nearer the
rhinoceros than to any other animal. It is the CONEY of the Bible. It
inhabits the rocky districts of Syria and parts of Africa. It is a
vegetable-feeder, and very wary. About a dozen species are known.
[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._
COMMON AMERICAN TAPIR.
This tapir inhabits tropical America. It is a nocturnal animal, frequenting
the depths of shady forests in the neighbourhood of water, to which it
frequently resorts for the purpose of bathing, or as a refuge from
pursuit.]
THE RHINOCEROS.
BY F. C. SELOUS.
Of the five existing species of RHINOCEROS, three are found in Asia, whilst
two are inhabitants of Africa.
Of the three Asiatic species, two, the INDIAN and the JAVAN, are
one-horned, and have a single pair of broad incisor teeth in the upper jaw,
and a pair of sharp-edged and pointed tusks in the lower, the nasal bones
being long and narrow, and terminating in a point. In both these species
the skin is hairless (except for tufts or fringes at the extremity of the
tail and on the edges of the ears), and is arranged in shield-like folds
over the body. The arrangement of these folds, however, differs somewhat in
the two species, and the large round tubercles with which the skin of the
great Indian rhinoceros is profusely studded are wanting in the Javan
species.
The INDIAN RHINOCEROS inhabits the Terai at the foot of the Himalaya from
Bhutan to Nepal, and is said to be very abundant in Assam and the Bhutan
Dooars. It frequents swampy ground, and lives amongst jungles and dense
growths of reeds and grass, which attain a height sometimes of 20 feet, and
cover vast areas of ground in the valley of the Brahmaputra and other
rivers.
Owing to the nature of the country in which it lives, the Indian rhinoceros
cannot often be hunted with much prospect of success, except with the aid
of elephants, which sagacious animals are not only employed to carry the
hunters, but are also used to beat the great grass jungles in which the
rhinoceroses lie hidden, and drive them towards the guns.
Despite its great size and strength, the Indian rhinoceros seems to be
regarded as, in general, a timid and inoffensive animal, and even when
wounded it seldom charges home. Elephants, however, appear to be as a rule
nervous when in the near proximity of rhinoceroses, perhaps objecting to
the smell of those animals. When the Indian rhinoceros does make good its
charge against either man or elephant, it cuts and rips its enemy with its
teeth, and makes little use of its horn as an offensive weapon.
The Indian rhinoceros is said to live principally, if not entirely, on
grass and reeds. As a rule it is a solitary animal, but sometimes several
are found living in a comparatively small extent of grass-covered plain.
Large males of this species will stand from 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet at
the shoulder, and they are enormously bulky. Both sexes carry
well-developed horns, which, however, do not usually attain a length of
upwards of 12 inches. There is a specimen in the British Museum measuring
19 inches, and it is believed that in very exceptional instances a length
of 2 feet has been attained.
The JAVAN RHINOCEROS, though it has been called the Lesser Indian
Rhinoceros, is said by a late authority--Mr. C. E. M. Russell--to stand
about the same height at the shoulder as the Indian species. It is found in
the Sunderbunds of Eastern Bengal, and has been met with in the Sikhim
Terai and in Assam, ranging eastwards through Burma and the Malay Peninsula
to Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.
[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._
HAIRY-EARED SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS.
This species is found in Eastern Bengal and in the Malay Peninsula and
adjacent large islands.]
[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._
GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS.
The largest land mammal of the East after the elephant.]
But little appears to be known of the habits of this species of rhinoceros.
Although it is found in the swampy grass-covered plains of the Sunderbunds,
its more usual habitat seems to be hilly forest-covered country, and both
in Burma and Java it ascends to a height of several thousand feet above
sea-level. It feeds principally upon leaves and the young shoots of trees
and bushes. In disposition it is timid and inoffensive. Only the male
carries a horn, which, being very short, is a very poor trophy for a
sportsman.
The third Asiatic species of rhinoceros, known as the SUMATRAN, is the
smallest of all living rhinoceroses. This species carries two horns, and
its skin, which is very rough, is usually thinly covered with hair of a
dark brown colour and of considerable length. The folds in the skin of the
Sumatran rhinoceros are not nearly so well developed as in its
single-horned relatives, and the one behind the shoulders is alone
continued over the back. Although furnished with tusks in the lower jaw,
the small pair of incisor teeth, which in the other two Asiatic
rhinoceroses are always present in front of these tusks, are wanting in the
Sumatran species.
[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._
GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS.
This species inhabits the grass jungles of North-eastern India.]
The Sumatran rhinoceros is rare in Assam, but is found in Burma and the
Malay Peninsula, as well as in Siam, Sumatra, and Borneo. The two horns of
this species are placed at some distance apart. Although they are as a rule
very short, the front horn occasionally grows to a considerable length,
sweeping backwards in a graceful curve.
In height adult males of the Sumatran species stand on the average from 4
feet to 4½ feet at the shoulder, and females sometimes not more than 3 feet
8 inches.
Like the Javan rhinoceros, the Sumatran species is by preference an
inhabitant of hilly, forest-covered country, and browses on the leaves and
shoots of trees and bushes. It is a timid and inoffensive animal, soon
becoming tame in captivity. Its flesh is said to be much appreciated by the
Dyaks of Borneo; and as its horns are of value for export to China, where
they are used for medicinal purposes, it has of late years very much
decreased in numbers in the province of Sarawak, but is more plentiful in
Central and North Borneo. Living as it does in dense jungle, it is an
animal which is seldom seen by European sportsmen, and its habits in a wild
state have never been yet very closely studied.
Turning to the two species of rhinoceros which inhabit the continent of
Africa, both are double-horned, and neither furnished with incisor teeth,
the nasal bones being thick, rounded, and truncated in front. Both, too,
are smooth-skinned and entirely hairless, except on the edge of the ears
and extremity of the tail, which are fringed or tufted.
Of the two African species, the WHITE or SQUARE-MOUTHED RHINOCEROS is the
larger and the rarer. Until quite recently the range of this huge
ungainly-looking animal, the biggest of all terrestrial mammals after the
elephant, was supposed to be entirely confined to the southern portions of
the African Continent; for although from time to time horns had found their
way to Zanzibar which seemed referable to the square-mouthed rhinoceros,
the fact of the existence of the white rhinoceros in any part of Africa
north of the Zambesi remained in doubt until a female was shot in the year
1900, in the neighbourhood of Lado, on the Upper Nile, by Captain A. St. H.
Gibbons, who brought its skin, skull, and horns to England. The fact,
however, that the white rhinoceros has never been encountered by any other
traveller in Central Africa seems to show that the animal is either very
rare in those districts, or that it has an exceedingly limited range.
[Illustration: _Photo by C. B. Hausburg, Esq._
BLACK AFRICAN RHINOCEROSES.
A splendid snapshot of two black African rhinoceroses taken on the open
veldt. They were afterwards shot by the party.]
[Illustration: _Photo by C. B. Hausburg, Esq._
ONE OF THE SAME RHINOCEROSES DEAD.
This picture gives some idea of the size of the commonest surviving
species.]
In the early years of the nineteenth century the square-mouthed or white
rhinoceros was found in large numbers over the whole of South Africa from
the Orange River to the Zambesi, except in the waterless portions of the
Kalahari Desert, or those parts of the country which are covered with
rugged stony hills or dense jungle.
Speaking of his journey in 1837 through the western part of what is now the
Transvaal Colony, Captain (afterwards Sir) Cornwallis Harris wrote: "On our
way from the waggons to a hill not half a mile distant, we counted no less
than twenty-two of the white species of rhinoceros, and were compelled in
self-defence to slaughter four. On one occasion I was besieged in a bush by
three at once, and had no little difficulty in beating off the assailants."
Even so lately as thirty years ago the white rhinoceros was still to be met
with in fair numbers in Ovampoland and other districts of Western South
Africa, whilst it was quite plentiful in all the uninhabited parts of
Eastern South Africa from Zululand to the Zambesi. In 1872 and 1873, whilst
elephant-hunting in the uninhabited parts of Matabililand, I encountered
white rhinoceroses almost daily, and often saw several in one day. At the
present time, however, unless it should prove to be numerous in some as yet
unexplored districts of North Central Africa, this strange and interesting
animal must be counted one of the rarest of existing mammals, and in
Southern Africa I fear it must soon become extinct. A few still exist
amongst the wild loquat groves of Northern Mashonaland, and there are also
a few surviving in Zululand; but I fear that even with the most rigid
protection they are too few in number to restock the country. They have a
better chance, I think, of increasing in numbers in Zululand than in
Mashonaland, in which latter country it is at present impossible to afford
them any protection either from natives or Europeans.
[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._
RHINOCEROS BATHING.
All the Asiatic species of rhinoceros are fond of bathing and wallowing in
mud.]
A full-grown bull white rhinoceros stands from 6 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 9
inches at the shoulder, and is very massively built, with short, stout
legs. The head is very much elongated, and the mouth square, like that of
an ox. When white rhinoceroses were still plentiful, very considerable
differences were observable in the length and shape of their horns. The
anterior horns of full-grown bulls might measure from 18 inches to 40
inches in length; those of cows from 24 inches to 60 inches. The longest
horn known--that of a cow--which was brought from South Africa by the
well-known hunter the late Roualeyn Gordon Cumming, measures 62½ inches
over the curve. As a rule, the front horn of the white rhinoceros curved
slightly backwards, but was often straight or bent slightly forwards, and
sometimes curved strongly backwards. The posterior horn varied from a few
inches to 2 feet in length.
The white rhinoceros lived in families, usually a bull, cow, and calf being
found together; but there might be two or even three calves of different
ages, and of which the youngest alone would be suckling, living with the
father and mother. In the early South African spring (September and
October), when the young green herbage was just sprouting after the first
rains, two or three families of white rhinoceroses might be seen feeding in
close proximity, presenting the appearance of a herd; but I fancy the
several families of these animals had only been brought together for the
sake of the young green grass. In Southern Africa the white rhinoceros
lived entirely on grass, and I have never seen any evidence of their having
eaten anything else. When either walking, trotting, or galloping, the white
rhinoceros always carried its nose close to the ground. A calf always
preceded its mother, and she appeared to guide it by holding the point of
her horn on the little creature's rump; and in all changes of pace, no
matter how sudden, this position was always maintained. The white
rhinoceros was easily killed by a shot through the heart or through both
lungs, but would travel very long distances, and probably, as a rule,
ultimately recover from wounds in other parts of the body. They could
travel at a great rate and for a considerable distance with a broken fore
leg or shoulder, but if a hind leg were broken they were rendered almost
immediately helpless. In disposition they were sluggish and inoffensive
animals, lying asleep in the shade of trees or bushes during the heat of
the day, and coming to the water to drink at night or often before sundown
in parts of the country where they had not been much molested. When
disturbed, white rhinoceroses would go off at a swift trot, but if chased
on horseback would break into a gallop, which they were capable of
maintaining for a considerable distance, and at a wonderful pace for so
large and heavy an animal. The meat of the white rhinoceros was most
excellent, the part in greatest favour amongst hunters being the hump on
the back of the neck in front of the shoulder, which was cut off whole and
roasted in the skin in a hole dug in the ground.
The colour of the so-called white rhinoceros is dark grey. The second
species of African rhinoceros, which is also dark grey in colour, is known
as the BLACK or PREHENSILE-LIPPED RHINOCEROS.
Less than a hundred years ago the range of this fast-disappearing species
extended from the north-western districts of the Cape Colony to Abyssinia,
and at that time it must have been plentiful over almost the whole of the
intervening country. It never seems to have penetrated into the equatorial
forest regions of West Central Africa, where the climate is probably too
damp to suit its requirements; for both species of African rhinoceros
appear to like a dry climate, and not to object to very arid surroundings.
At the same time they never wander many miles from a river or pool, and
drink regularly every night, and in hot weather probably very often a
second time in the early morning.
In Southern Africa the black rhinoceros appears to attain to a larger size
than in the countries farther north. To the south of the Zambesi large
bulls of this species will stand 5 feet 8 inches at the shoulder; whilst
the height of an adult bull, as taken by Mr. F. Jackson at Naivasha, in
East Africa, was 5 feet 5 inches; and Mr. A. H. Neumann gives the standing
height of another adult bull shot by himself still farther north, near Lake
Rudolph, as only 4 feet 9 inches.
[Illustration: _Photo by Norman B. Smith, Esq._
BLACK AFRICAN RHINOCEROS.
This photograph, taken by a sportsman in Africa, shows a charging
rhinoceros just before it was shot.]
It is now generally recognised that there is but one species of
prehensile-lipped rhinoceros in Africa, though the horns, and especially
the hinder one, differ in length and shape to such an extent that it was
long thought that there were at least two distinct species, those with both
horns of equal or nearly equal length having been distinguished from the
more common form, with a comparatively short second horn, as the KEITLOA,
this being the name in the Sechuana dialect for a prehensile-lipped
rhinoceros with horns of equal length. Speaking on this subject, Mr. A. H.
Neumann, who has had great experience with the black rhinoceros in East
Africa, writes: "Length of horn is a purely fortuitous individual trait;
and the extremely long horns (mostly of females) which have occasionally
been obtained from traders on the east coast, and brought home, are merely
exceptionally fine specimens, selected from among large numbers brought to
the coast (the bulk of which, I am told, go to China to be ground up into
medicine), and do not belong to any distinct species, nor come from any
particular region. In proof of this contention I may mention that I have a
40-inch horn, the owner of which I myself shot at the northern base of the
Jambeni Range (near Kenia), in a neighbourhood where I hunted a great deal
and saw great numbers of rhinos, and shot a good many. The vast majority
have quite short horns--under a foot--and anything over 18 inches is
uncommon, while a length of 30 inches or upwards is extremely rare." The
black rhinoceros, I believe, never eats grass, but browses on the young
shoots of trees and bushes, which are often quite leafless and seem
excessively dry. In this way it chews up and swallows great quantities of
dry-looking twigs, much of which passes through its stomach undigested.
[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._
SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS.
This species of rhinoceros is the smallest of the three Oriental forms. It
has two horns.]
There has been a good deal of controversy as to the character and
disposition of the black rhinoceros, some hunters and travellers regarding
it as most dangerous and aggressive, whilst others are inclined to take an
almost opposite view. That some black rhinoceroses are certainly aggressive
and therefore dangerous animals, the experiences of C. J. Anderson and W.
Cotton Oswell in South Africa many years ago, and of many travellers and
hunters in East Africa during the last few years, certainly prove beyond a
doubt; and as one never knows that any particular rhinoceros, when
encountered, may not prove to be a vicious brute, a certain amount of
caution should be employed in approaching one of these animals. In my own
experience I always found that black rhinoceroses ran off at once on
getting the wind of a human being; whilst, on the other hand, if they only
heard one approaching, they would come towards the noise, and I have often
known them to trot up to within twenty yards of where I was standing,
snorting and puffing loudly; but as these animals always turned round and
went off eventually without charging, I came to the conclusion that they
were inquisitive and very short-sighted rather than vicious. When fired
into, a black rhinoceros goes off at a gallop--his usual pace, when
alarmed, being a very fast trot--puffing and snorting loudly. He can gallop
at a very great pace, considering his size and weight; but a South African
shooting-pony can easily come up with him, or get away from him if pursued.
In death a black rhinoceros will often sink down on its knees, and remain
in that position, looking as if it were simply resting. When dying, it
often gives vent to a pitiful squeal, the sound seeming very small and thin
for so large a beast. The meat of the black rhinoceros is not
ill-flavoured, and, if fat, very palatable; but as a rule these animals are
very lean, and their flesh tough and coarse. The tongue, however, if well
cooked, is always good; and the liver, if first roasted under the ashes,
and then, after being beaten up in a native wooden mortar, cooked with rice
and fat, makes a dish which is good enough for a hungry man.
During the making of the Uganda Railway the engineers came upon something
like a preserve of this species of rhinoceros, especially in the thick and
waterless thorn jungle near the coast. The rhinoceros was almost the only
animal, except the lion, which was able to penetrate the bush. As many as
five of these animals were seen in one day when the line was being made;
they did no injury to the coolies, other than by frightening them, and
appeared to be stupid and by no means vigilant animals, perhaps because no
other creature attacked them. The lion never meddles with a grown-up
rhinoceros, though it might and probably does kill a calf occasionally,
when the latter is no larger than a full-grown pig. The horns of some of
these East African black rhinoceroses were of unusual length and thinness.
----