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Show 280 MR. T. E. BUCKLEY ON THE GEOGRAPHICAL [Mar. 7, Forest, the Elephant may be considered extinct in the Cape colony and Natal. Seven and twenty years ago it was found in the bush around the town of D'Urban in the Natal colony, but now is almost exterminated even in the Zulu and Amaswazi countries. In the great reed-beds that exist in the neighbourhood of Santa- Lucia Bay in the former country, a few still remain, owing to the almost impossibility of getting at them ; and in the Amaswazi country a few, I am told, are occasionally found under the Bombo Mountains. North of Delagoa Bay they get more numerous, especially so, I a m told, in Umsila's country. In the Matabili land the Elephant is to a certain extent preserved, no one being allowed to hunt these animals without the permission of the king. North of the Zou<**a they are still fairly numerous; but with the immense number of hunters and traders, the destruction must be great indeed, and bids fair to exterminate the race in South Africa altogether, especially when we consider the very slow rate at which these creatures increase, and that cows and bulls are shot indiscriminately. North of the Zambesi the Elephant is found through Central Africa into Abyssinnia, and along parts of the west coast. In some places they occur in vast herds, as seen by Livingstone (Zambesi Tributaries, p. 134), cows and bulls together. Tbe number of trees destroyed by these animals is enormous; along the rivers Makloetze and Shashai, in the Bamangwuto district, the thick mimosa-groves which border their banks have been altogether destroyed by the ravages of these creatures. The tusks of the cow Elephant are much thinner than those of the bull; but the hollow inside does not extend so far down. The largest tusk I heard of was one brought from Lake Ngami in 1872; this weighed 1 70 lb. ; but its fellow was rotten and worthless. I have seen a pair weighing 90 lb. each ; but such a perfect pair are, I believe, not common. W h e n Elephants are disturbed by shooting now, they often go great distances, passing through a large extent of thirst-land to a distant water; so fearful are they of fire-arms. 2. RHINOCEROS KEITLOA. (The Keitloa Rhinoceros.) 3. RHINOCEROS SIMUS. (The White Rhinoceros.) Of African Rhinoceroses there are at least three distinct species, the fourth, B. oswellii, being, I fancy, rather a doubtful one. The two "black" species are B. bicornis and R. keitloa ; they may at once be distinguished from the White Rhinoceros by their overhanging upper lip, which enables them to grasp the bushes on which they, I believe, exclusively feed. Tbe only black species I met with was B. keitloa, observed on two occasions-once singly, another time an old female and her calf about half-grown, which latter was secured. Owing to incessant persecution these animals are now getting scarce, eight Rhinoceroses only having been seen by our party. At one time they must have been extremely common, judging from the number of skulls seen lying about. Harris, in his description of B. |
