Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-12-07
WHITE RHINOCER0s.
AN IMMENSE ANIMAL ALREADY
WELL NIGH ISNTINCT.
Two of Them Shot Recently In Mash
onaland-Dinercnco Between
tho Black and tho White
Rhinoceros.

will be extinct. There arc but very
few preserved specimens in existence
to give tho natural history student of
the future IN idea of its enormous
size and peculiar structure. It is now
generally recognized that there are in
Africa only two varieties of tho rhi-
noceros, the black and tho white. The
old Dutch elephant hunters always
believed in several, advancing rs their
reason the different lengths of the an
terror horn, and judging entirely by
this standard. Both sorts are easily
to shoot, aud it is small wonder when
a long train of carriers has to be fed,
or when natives arc hunting for n
supply of meat to carry back to their
krnals, TINT n rhlnoceros was always
shot in preference to buck, wary and
difficult to stalk as are the latter, and
as rule more tenacious of life.
Furthermore, it is natural that the
white ihinoceros should DO shot in
preference to tho black, for it gener-
ally carries II good deal more fat, is
very much larger than the black
species, and us rule has moro valu-
able horns.
The main points of difference be-
tween the two species are the shape of
the mouth and the manner of feeding.
The Bicornis has II prehensiie upper
lip and n much smaller head altogether
than tho Sinus; he feeds entirely
upon leaves and twigs, and prefers a
rough, bushy, inhospitable country;
he is wary and shy, quick to anger and
exceedingly obstinate, inquisitive and
suspicious. The Sinus has dispro-
portionntely large hond, with IL grent
jaw which is cut quito square off in
front, and the great rubber-liko lips
are suited for the grass upon which he
feeds entirely, though in tho autumn
and winter, when the grass over vast
stretches of country has been burnt
away, it is o puzzle how he manages
to get enough to sustain his great
bulk. He carries his head very low,
and has long cars slightly tipped with
curly black hair; he is not SO inquisi-
tive or suspicious MS his black brother,
and is slightly moro sluggish in his
movements, though uron occasion he
can cover the ground with unexpected
speed. Another curious fact is that
the calf of the Sinus will always run
in front of the COW, while tho calf of
the Bicornis invariably follows It's
mother; this habit never varies. They
drink every day, or rather every night,
and, rs rule, do not go down to the
water till after midnight. When the
sun gets very warm they generally en-
Joy siesta, sometimes in the bush,
and sometimes out in the glaring,
quivcring heat; and though they will
occasionally lie in thick, bushy coun-
try they do not mike point OF choos-
ing the deepest shade. When fnirly
asleep they do not walScn easily, and
they may then be easily shot or pho
tographed.
In the first few days of June, 1898,
[ started alone from Salisbury and en-
tered northeast Mashonaland. For
tive days, from sunrise till dark. I
patrollcd and quartered every yard of
country for good number of miles,
and on the sixth day Saw though
SO far of that they appeared just as
dark specks.--tw of the huge brutes I
was searching for. The first thing to
do, OF course, was to get below the
wind, as when they were first sighted
the wind blew directly from me to
them. In an hours time was crawl
ing toward them through the fringe of
bush that lay about $50 yards below
the open position they had chosen for
their midday siestn. 1 thought they
might give me some trouble, go took
my colored hoy with me-ho could
shoot rather we'll AMI carried single
twelve-boro rifle. AS crawled on my
stomach toward them with tho great
est possible care, saw ono of them
had become suspicious, and had got on
to his feet, evidently much disturbed.
When saw this hattened myself rs
much ms possible into tho sharp grass
stubble and black nsh-this latter tho
result of devastating grass fire which
had occurred few weeks before. It
seemed hours before this very painful
crawl brought me to tho small tuft of
dry grass was making for. After
waiting for some time was relieved
to see tho other brute stand up. L
whispered to the boy, and thon knott
right UP. The larger bull WINS on the
left, almost facing me; the other
stood broadsido on. I did not wish to
break any great bones, so 1 did not
fire Mt the point of tho shoulder
which would have been tho usual shot
under the circumstnnces--bu put the
bullet from tho ten-boro "Paradox"
between the first two ribs md into tho
lung. AS the hugo brute spun round
1 put the second shot behind the ribs
it travelled forward, and also, I found
afterward, reached the lungs.
Tho boys rifle went off almost
simultaneously with my first shot, anil
as tho rhinoceroscs went off in op-
posite directions wo jumped up and
followed them at our best pace. For
over mile tho old bull went like n
steam engine; he gradually, however,
settled down, and came up and gave
him two more bullets from behind;
this helped him on again, but not for
more than half mile. soon ran up
TO him and found him beginning to