. Principles of economic zoo?logy. Zoology, Economic. MAMMALIA 333 skeletons of those of the Miocene differ little from those of to-day. These once numerous and widely scattered animals are represented by two African and three East Indian species. They have three short toes on each foot, each toe encased in a hoof-like nail. The central or third toe is the largest, but the weight is sustained by a sole pad. The East Indian forms (Fig. 270) have but one nose horn. The small Sumatran form and the African forms have two horns. These horns are simply outgrowths of the skin based upon a thickening
. Principles of economic zoo?logy. Zoology, Economic. MAMMALIA 333 skeletons of those of the Miocene differ little from those of to-day. These once numerous and widely scattered animals are represented by two African and three East Indian species. They have three short toes on each foot, each toe encased in a hoof-like nail. The central or third toe is the largest, but the weight is sustained by a sole pad. The East Indian forms (Fig. 270) have but one nose horn. The small Sumatran form and the African forms have two horns. These horns are simply outgrowths of the skin based upon a thickening of the nasal bone, and are composed of a number of tapering whalebone-like fibers, which sprout from papillse. They are finely cemented together, growing at the base as fast as they wear away at the tips. The usually naked skin is very thick, deposited in folds, making it look like plates of armor. In fact, the dried skin is used as shields by the oriental soldiers. The rhinoceros feeds upon lea^'es, twigs, and grass. It occasionally fights a tiger or leopard. It wallows in the mud. There is but a single calf at birth. The young are easily tamed. Selous says the white rhinocerous puts her nose close to the. Fig. 270.—Indian rhinoceros (_R. indicus). ground and guides the little one (which precedes her) by keeping the point of her horn close against the rump. In disposition he says they are slug- gish, inoffensive animals, lying asleep in daytime, and coming to the water to drink in the evening. The African species are bluish graj' when clean.' The long-lipped species of Africa {Rhinocerol'ida bicor'nis) has an over- hanging extensible upper lip with which it grasps and tears off the leaves and twigs upon which it feeds exclusively. The calf follows alongside of its mother. So sharp is the horn of a rhinocerous and so strong the head and neck that it can "disembowel and toss over its back any smaller animal, and it could rip open an elephant if it got at his side, though
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