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Show 1881.] SOUTH-AFRICAN RHINOCEROSES. 729 It may be that they differ in disposition in different parts of the country ; but wherever I have met with them I have never found them to be by any means dangerous animals. Indeed I only remember to have seen one make any attempt at a charge; and that was in the Mashuna country last year, and under strong provocation ; for I galloped close in front of an old cow, endeavouring to turn her from her course, upon which she came straight at me, snorting loudly, but upon m y spurring to one side did not follow me, but resumed her way. Accidents have certainly happened in encounters with the Prehensile-lipped Rhinoceros; but many cases are also upon record of hunters having been killed or badly injured by the square-mouthed species, which is always represented as the most harmless and inoffensive of beasts. Mr. Qswell had his horse killed by one of the latter animals (vide Livingstone's ' Missionary Travels'); the veteran elephant-hunter Mr. Hartley was also very severely injured by oneof these animals in the Mashuna country-I think, in 1869. David Jacobs, too, a son of the well-known Dutch hunter Petrus Jacobs, and who had been constantly hunting with his father for many years, told me that the only narrow escape he ever had from a Rhinoceros was from a square-mouthed one, which chased him for over a hundred yards through some nasty bush ; and I myself, in November 1874, saw a white Rhinoceros bull, which I had wounded, make a very decided charge at a boy of mine, who threw down his gun and took refuge in a tree. I only mention these facts to show that, although the Square-mouthed Rhinoceros is usually a most inoffensive animal, occasional specimens may be found that are capable of resenting ill-treatment ; and, so far as m y small experience goes, I have found vicious animals to be equally few and far between amongst the prehensile- lipped species. These Rhinoceroses are very quick and restless in their movements, and either very inquisitive or mistrustful of their eyesight; for usually, when disturbed by any one approaching from below the wind, they will jump up with.a snort, gaze fixedly at the intruder, then, with another snort, trot quickly a few steps nearer, stand again, move their heads with a quick motion, first to one side, then to the other, advance again perhaps, and finally, when shouted at, whisk quickly round and trot away in grand style, with their tails screwed up over their backs. Whilst hunting in the Mashuna country in 1872, and to the west of the river Gwai in 1873, I encountered almost daily one or more Prehensile-lipped Rhinoceroses, often seeing five, six, or even eight in one day. When these animals got m y wind, they invariably made off at once ; but when they only saw me, they usually acted as I have described above. Upon these latter occasions m y Kafirs were in the habit of shouting to me to run away, climb a tree, & c , and often did so themselves; however, I always stood where I was, throwing sometimes sticks, stones, or assegais at them, sometimes only shouting; and although some of them advanced from a distance of say forty yards to within about twenty, they always turned and ran off in the end. Upon several occasions I have fired into a Rhinoceros thus facing me, which, dropping upon its knees to the shot, has PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1881, No. XLVII. 47 |