New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-09-16
THE RHNOcEROs BIRD FOUND OUT
HE HAS BECOME CARNIvoRoUs ANIMAL AND
MUTILATES CATTLE.
From The London Standard.

From The London Standard.
The rhnoceros birds of Africa have long en-
joyed the reputation Of being friends Of man.
by reason Of the services they render in Kidding
cattle and horses Of insect pests. From the
days of lie valiant down to our own times,
travellers have written in their praise: and the
account of these birds and their habits is one
of the brightest bits Of description in Milais 3
Breath from the Veldt" In appreciation or
their good offices they awarded special
prOte't on at the International Conference on
the Preservation of Wild Animals in Africa
held in London last May.
For some little time however it has been
doubted whether their usefulness had not been
oVereStimated, or. at any rate. whether the Sood
they did was not more than counterbaianced by
the injury inflicted by them on domestic animals
in probing and deepening existing wounds. These
miSgiVlngS were Strengt hened when Lord Phll-
lips told us how the Arabs detested the rhinUce-
birds because they worried the camels; and
Hawker wrote Of the Somalis driving them away
when they tried to settle on the baggage ponies
Now much graver charge is brought against
them. backed up by convincing evidence, at least
SO far as regards one part of Africa.
Professor Ray Lancaster has just published a
letter from Captain Hinde. of the British East
Africa PrOtectOrate, in which that officer says
that. owing to the destruction of the native herds
in Ukumbani by the cattle plague. and the eat
irg up of the sheep and goats in the famine,
the birds were deprived Of their accustomed
insect food. In consequence of this they have
become carnSorous. and attack any domestic
animal not constantly watched and protected
Captain Hinde asserts that perfectly healt
amin ais have had their ears eaten and holes torn
in their backs and tanks by these birds with
their large and powerful bills This categorical
statement puts the alteration in their feeding
habits beyond all possible doubt. and shows, in
the words of Professor Lancaster, that they are
dangerous ard noXious creatures at least in
that part of the protectorate OF which Captain
Hin3r writes.
This change Of insect food To the flesh of living
vcrte hrates is parIllelcd in the of the ke.L
parrots Of New Zealand. which formerly fed
the grubs that lived in the woolly tufts of
composite plant allied to the cudweed. Within
recent years. however. they have frequented
sheep stations for the sake of the offal from
/ the slaughter sheds. Now they will kill sheep
for themselves. digging down through skin and
flesh till they reach their faVorite mOrSel The
charge q habits in the rhjnoceros birds seems to
have been brought about by the scarcity of their
ordinary food. and in the kca parrots by the OPP
portuuity Of procuring new and toOthsOme food
with comparatively little trouble. In both cases
I human agency plays important though in
direct part and the story Of the rhinUCerOs birds
Is more instance Of the influence of civilized
man fauna strange to the conditions which
he brings in his train.