RECORDS OF BIG GAME
WITH
THE DISTRIBUTION, CHARACTERISTICS, DIMENSIONS,
WEIGHTS, AND
HORN & TUSK MEASUREMENTS
OF THE DIFFERENT SPECIES
FOURTH EDITION
BY
ROWLAND WARD,
LONDON
ROWLAND WARD,
"THE JUNGLE/'
166
F.Z.S.
LIMITED
PICCADILLY, W.
1903
Of
KJTOK
WART-HOG
Length on
outside curve.
Length exposed
from gum.
437
Owner.
Locality.
Rhodesia
Mashonaland
George Grey.
.
S. Chillingworth.
.
Count Scheibler.
II
East Africa
II
British Central Africa
Major R. Skeffington Smyth.
Barotsiland
.
Col. C. Harding.
East Africa
.
Douglas M'Douall.
...
IOJ
Do.
104
H. Hyde Baker.
.
Near Ruo River, South-
C. C. Bowring.
east Africa
ioi
W.
Somaliland
R. Bindloss.
W. W.
Ashley.
Pungwe
Count E. Hoyos.
Somaliland
1'rince Boris Czetwertynski.
Do.
Sudan
A. E. Butter.
.
.
.
Prince Colloredo Mansfeld.
.
Lower Tusks.
Somaliland
-91
Do.
Horn
J.
D. Inverarity.
~~~
Viscount
of Indian Rhinoceros.
Edmond de
Poncins.
438
Record Horn of Indian Rhinoceros.
INDIAN RHINOCEROS
Shot by Lord Curzon.
(Rhinoceros unicornis).
In addition to being the giant among
possessing but a single horn, this huge rhino
its
is
Asiatic
kindred and
specially characterised
by the form of the folds in its hide, and the large tubercles on the foreand hind-quarters, which look as though the skin had been fastened
A fold before and behind the
to the body by means of rivets.
shoulder marks off one large triangular shield on each side, while
another fold before each thigh separates a large rump-shield
the
saddle-shaped body-shield being defined by the fold behind the
shoulder and the one in front of the thigh, both of which extend across
;
back.
Very characteristic, too, are the great folds which form
heavy rings of skin round the neck.
Although the tubercles are
largest on the fore- and hind-quarters, they also occur on other parts
of the body.
Height at shoulder from 5 feet 8 inches to at least
The late Dr. T. C. Jerdon mentions 24
6 feet; girth, 105 inches.
the
inches as the length of a fine horn.
INDIAN RHINOCEROS
MAHARAJAH OF COOCH
Height at shoulder
Total length
Body
6
.
1
.
ft.
4
1 1
.
Girth behind shoulder
Biggest girth
Round neck
nearest
body
head
BEIIAR'S SPECIMENS
6
4^- ins.
in.
ft.
i
ft.
ii ins.
ft.
2 ins.
i
3
ft.
10
ins.
2 ins.
1 1
ft.
8
ins.
2 ins.
144
90
74
ins.
142
84
75
1
1 in.
ft.
i
Horn
ft.
ft.
ins.
ins.
6
in.
3
i
ins.
i
i i
9
1 1
439
1
ins.
ins.
64- ins.
ins.
At one
Chiefly the Assam plain at the present day.
time this animal was found over the greater part of the Indian
peninsula, as attested by fossil remains, but now it is restricted
Distribution.
to
Assam
;
its
place farther south in the Sanderbans, Chittagong,
and Burma being taken by the smaller R. sondaicus.
Length on
Circum-
front curve.
ference.
Weight.
Owner.
Locality.
Lord Curzon.
Nepal
-214
British
16
Assam
M. H. Logan.
Belsire,
Assam
W. C. Sherwill.
H.H. the Maharajah of Cooch
.
Cooch Behar
916
914
44
Nowgong, Assam
Assam
Dr.
Nowgong
L. Fabre Tonnerre.
L. Fabre Tonnerre.
.
Cooch Behar
Do.
13
Mi
21
12
II
214
2O
II
1
P. Y. Bainbrigge.
G. A. Dolby.
Do.
H. B. Firman.
Do.
H. C. Holland.
Cooch Behar
154
I2i
W.
Maharajah of Cooch Behar.
Do.
.
Assam
20i
23
-124
Museum.
22%
India
James
?
J.
Cooch Behar
Harrison.
Grieve.
Capt. Hon.
W. Lambton.
R. S. Hamilton.
?
A. O. Hume.
Foot of Garo Hills
Earl of Dunmore.
?
i?
J.
A. Ezra.
Do.
7f
W.
Duke
IO
Cooch Behar
9
Do.
P. B. Vander-Byl.
Do.
Countess Scheibler.
1
Height
at shoulder, 6
ft.
6
ins.
of Portland.
Behar.
RECORDS OF BIG GAME
440
JAVAN RHINOCEROS
A
(Rhinoceros sondaicus).
and smaller-headed species than the last, with the
skin divided up into a kind of mosaic pattern, and the fold in front of
the shoulder continued right across the body like the two hinder folds.
The neck also lacks the large ring-like masses of folded skin. Horn
never very large, and generally almost or completely wanting in the
A female has been measured which stood 5^- feet at the
female.
shoulder, and it is probable that the male stands not very much less
less gigantic
than the Indian species, although
it
of lighter build.
is
The Sanderbans and
other parts of Eastern Bengal, to
the Terai, Sikhim, Assam, and thence through Burma and the
Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.
Distribution.
Circumference.
Owner.
Locality.
.
....
British
Museum.
19!
Java
19^
Do
H. Van Son.
20
Do
A. S. Campbell.
SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS
(Rhinoceros sumatrensis).
The
smallest of the Asiatic rhinos, and the only one with two horns
differing, however, from the African members of the genus by the folds
;
and the presence of teeth in the front of the jaws. Only
the fold behind the shoulders is continued across the back, and the
in the skin
brown or black skin
is
rough,
granular,
and
more or
less
hairy.
weight about 2000 Ibs.
Height
From Assam (where the species is very rare) to Siam,
Distribution.
The Assam form
the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo.
at shoulder
is
from about 4
feet to 4^- feet
a distinct local race (R. sumatrensis
f^ctve.
Circumference.
32 J
17!
27i
i?I
;
lasiotis}.
O.ner.
British
Museum.
Do.
COMMON AFRICAN RHINOCEROS
Horns of Common African Rhinoceros, from Mr.
COMMON AFRICAN RHINOCEROS
S. L.
Hinde's specimens.
(Rhinoceros bicornis).
wazis and Matonga.
Upejana of the Matabili and Zulus.
Aurarisse of the Abyssinians.
Chipamberi of the Lower Zambesi
Upelepe of the Basutos.
Wartses of the Gallas.
natives.
Ckipembere of the Chilalas.
Favu of the Swahilis.
Weel of the
Gurhu of the Danakil
Zivart Rhinoster of the Boers.
Muin
441
tribes.
Somali's.
of the Masais.
The African rhinoceroses are two -horned animals, readily distinguished from their Asiatic relatives by the absence of the folds of
skin on the body which form such a characteristic feature of the latter
;
as they also are
and
The
hide, too, is almost completely naked, although there
on the margins of the ears and the tip of the tail.
hairs
bristly
most
distinctive external feature of the black rhinothe
Perhaps
lower jaws.
are
front teeth in both the upper
by the lack of
some
ceros, as the present species is
prehensile tip to the upper lip,
called, is to be found in the
rounded and not very wide in
however, shown by the form of
commonly
which
is
Other points of distinction are,
the horns and ears and the position of the eyes
front.
2
G
;
while in bodily size
RECORDS OF BIG GAME
442
this
animal
rhinoceros
also
is
inferior
considerably
to
the
The
next.
black
also well characterised
by the comparative shortness of its
the
form
and
structure
of
the molar teeth, which are adapted
and
skull,
for a diet of twigs and leaves.
Average height at shoulder, 5 feet.
is
Major Edgar G. Harrison, writing in the Field, December 25,
1897, records the measurements of a five-horned Rhinoceros shot by
him
in
East Africa as follows
Head
of
:
Common
African Rhinoceros.
is a
First Horn.
Counting from snout, measurement 14^ in.
normal front horn curving backwards.
Second Horn.
15^ in., curving forwards instead of backwards or
being straight, as is usual, and leaning considerably over to the off-side.
in. wide half-way between
in. long and
Third Horn.
5-gis flat and perpendicular, and, though a distinct horn,
base and apex
grows out of the off-side of the base of No. 2.
Is a stumpy, abortive horn, 9 in. long, growing
Fourth Horn.
base
of No. 3, but quite separate and inclining slightly
from
the
partly
;
n
;
backwards.
Horn.
about
3
separated
Fifth
A
distinct
in.
from No.
horn,
4.
9f
in.
long,
with
its
own
base
443
Distribution.
From Abyssinia and Somaliland through East and
Central Africa, in suitable localities, to the Cape.
Now rare to
the south of the Zambesi, and probably more abundant in the
districts between the interior of Somaliland and Lake Rudolf
than
Although more alert and active than
and
thus a more dangerous animal, this
rhinoceros,
no
means
difficult
to kill with modern weapons
and
by
anywhere
Burchell's
species
is
else.
;
the old days hunters frequently shot half-a-dozen in a single
In spite of its wide
evening as they came to drink at a pool.
in
distribution,
it
into local races
has not been found possible to split up the species
although this may perhaps be due to the want of
;
specimens for comparison.
holniwoodi is a variety of this species.
sufficient
Length on
outside curve.
The
so-called
Circumference.
Owner.
Locality.
Front
Horn.
Rear
Front
Rear
Horn.
Horn.
Horn.
East Africa
Do.
47
Dr. C. H. Orman.
S. L.
-442
Hinde.
Imperial
44
The
43
A. Beit.
41*
20$
Zululand
2Z\
Orange River
Do.
-40
14!
-39i
-38
Holmwood,
Hon. W. Coke.
Major-Gen. Sir William
Grossman.
The
late F.
Berlin
Holmwood.
Museum.
Mt. Kenia, East Central
A. H. Neumann.
Africa
South Africa
J.
21
p
Lamont.
Hon. Walter Rothschild.
19
Masailand
24
South Africa
Earl of Dartmouth.
East Africa
Sir Bartle Frere, Bart.
-36
.
19
Sir
John Kirk.
H. Murray.
18
-32^
late F.
Carl Hagenbeck.
East Africa
38|
Museum, Vienna.
Lieut.-Col.
-41
40
Rhinoceros
Matabililand
W. Van
Portuguese Northern
F.
Zambesia
Ness.
Vaughan Kirby.
RECORDS OF BIG GAME
444
Length on
outside curve.
Front
Horn.
Rear
Horn.
COMMON AFRICAN RHINOCEROS
445
Length on
outside curve.
Front
Rear
Horn.
Horn.
Owner.
J.
Kenneth
British
Foster.
Museum.
Count E. Hoyos.
J.
Byng
Paget.
Major H. G. C. Swayne.
Count E. Hoyos.
O. Neumann.
446
RECORDS OF BIG GAME
Front Horns of Burchell's Rhinoceros.
From specimens
in the collection of the late
Col.
Roualeyn Gordon Gumming,
W. Gordon Gumming.
in the possession of
BURCHELL'S RHINOCEROS
BUBCHELL'S BHINOCEBOS
447
(Rhinoceros simus).
Next to the Indian elephant this is the largest mammal that has
trodden the earth in modern times.
Its huge bulk, bluntly truncate
which
has
no
muzzle,
prehensile tip, the great length of the skull,
and the enormous front horn, with its expanded base, form the most
The
striking external characteristics of this species.
cheek-teeth are
of quite a different type of structure from those of the preceding species,
In walking, the animal
being, in fact, adapted for chewing grass.
carried its head low, so that in examples in which the front horn
bends forward,
its
tip
became worn by being pushed along the ground.
to surmise the reason for the application of the
"
white rhinoceros to this species.
It
"
difficult
is
name
South and South-East Africa, in suitable localities, as far
and again in Central Africa at Lado, on
the equator.
Exterminated early in the last century to the south
of the Orange River
and now represented in South Africa at the
most by a few survivors in North-East Mashonaland, and possibly
by others in the reedy swamps at the junction of the Black and
White Umvolosy rivers. Between the Zambesi and Orange rivers
the species was abundant less than half a century ago
Andersson
Distribution.
north as the Zambesi
;
;
;
alone having killed sixty in the course of a few months.
When
it was supposed to be all but exterminated, its existence in the
neighbourhood of Lado was made known by Major Gibbons.
This northern form may prove to be a distinct race.
o
6
'd^
Front
Horn.
"
Circumference.
Rear
Horn.
Front
Horn.
Rear
Horn.
Owner
Localit y-
-62 J
...
56
...
-J2i
...
2\\
44
...
20
...
43!
...
23!
...
South Africa
...
25!
Limpopo
.
.
...
South Africa
.
.
Do.
42|
-41
22 \
23^
about
...
...
South Africa
...
40|
...
29!
...
ap\
...
20|
...
-40^
...
22\
...
W. Gordon Gumming.
.
.
Col.
Do.
.
.
British
Do.
.
.
Col.
.
The
J.
late
W.
Sir
W.
C. Oswell.
Fitzherbert.
Edmund
G. Loder, Bart.
Hon. Walter Rothschild.
?
South Africa
Museum.
A. Beit.
.
.
Museum.
W. Gordon Gumming.
British
?
'
.
.
Sir
Edmund
G. Loder, Bart.
448
Length on
outside curve.
Front
Horn.
Rear
Horn.
BURCHELL'S RHINOCEROS
from a
Skull and
Pliotograph
Horns of Burchell's Rhinoceros.
Shot by F. C. Selous in Mashonalancl, 1880.
449
i>y
Mr.
Hales, Reading.