Year: 1871

Mr.. Frank Buckland writes to Land


Water an account of a strange ice acci-


dent to the rhinoceros. at the Geological


Garden, London, recently. The animal


had been turned out as usual into the


paddock behind the elephant house


while the dens were being cleaned. The


snow had fallen thickly during the


night, so that the pond was not to be


distinguished from the ground. The


rlIInoceros not seeing the pond, put


her fore feet on the ice, which immedi-


ately gave way, and in she went head


over heels with a crash. The keepers


ran for Mr.. Bartlett, the resident super


intendant. When he came in few


minutes, he found the poor rhinoceFos


in great danger of drowning, as she was


foundering about among great sheets of
ice, under which she had probably been


kept down till her great strength en-


abled her to break up the whole mass,


Here, then, was a most awkward acci-


dent under unexpected and novel cir


cumstances Mr. Bartlett, with usual


courage, quickness and readiness of re-


source, was quite equal to the occasion.


He Immediately let the water off the


pond by knocking away a large plug
which he has thoughtfully fixed instead


of tap, which is liable to get out of Or
der. In the meantime the poor rhinoc-
eros was in great danger of drowning, as


the pond is nine feet deep; SO, while the
water was running off, Mr.. Bartlett, los
ing no time, sent for all the available
keepers and long and strong rope; bar
row loads of gravel were at the same
time strewed on the sloping sides of the
ponds to give the exhausted animal
foothold. The rope was then tossed
round the launches of the rhinoceros,
like the kicking strap of horse in har-
ness, and twenty-six men, one-haf at
one end of the rope and the other half
at the other, pulled hard on the rhinoc-
eros; SO that in her struggles to get up
the bank she would not only be support
ted, but pulled forcibly forward. After
much hauling on the part of the men
and much plunging on the slippery
bank of the pond, the rhinoceros was at
last landed on terra Jfrmla. The salvors of
this valuable living property had then
to look out for themselves. Mr.. Bartlett
had anticipated this, for he had left the
sliding gate of the inclosure open just
wide enough to let out one man at a
time, but not rhinoceros. An absurd
scene then ensued everybody rushed
to the gate, but the first of the fugitives
from the rhinoceros, naturally stout, and
possibly stouter at Christmas time than
usual, jammed fast in the gate, so that
the other twenty-five men were in the
paddock with the rhinoceros. The poor
frightened and half frozen beast luckily
behaved very we'll; she did not rush
after the men, but stood still, pricked |
her ears and snorted, giving the keepers
time to get out as fast as they could, |
through the ingenious "man-hole," or
guard, in the. railing made in case of
Neither the rhinoceros
nor the men received the slightest in
Jury. Shortly after the accident Mr..
Buckland saw the rhinoceros munching |
her breakfast as if nothing had hap |
pened. The rhinoceros was the big fe-
male; she is about ten feet six inches
long, and about FIVE feet high at. the
shoulders, and she weighs, at a guess,
between three and four tons. The ice |