I have always thought that, apart from trampling on its victim, which may be accidental, the Indian rhino's only weapons were these tushes, perhaps better described as the outer pair of lower incisors, since rhinos have no canines. Unlike the middle pair of incisors, these are pointed and usually very sharp. I remember how Bena, a Bengali tracker, who had once been hoisted by a rhino onto the crupper-ropes of a retreating pad-elephant, used to demonstrate, with his own lower incisors, how the lift had been effected, and the healed scars on his loins fully bore him out. The horns of Asian rhinos are often not much sharper than the pointed toe of a show and not much harder.
What do Asian rhinos use their horn for, if not as weapon? I have been told that they are for grubbing roots and knocking over ant0hills. One certainly often sees areas, several square yards in extent, grubbed up, especially in old, burnt savannah, and mahouts have assured me that this is the work of rhino. Unfortunately the work of pigs looks identical, so that until I have seen a rhino thus using its horn I should prefer to be guarded in my statement. Similarly, one often sees ant-hills levelled, but again, I have not seen a rhino using his horn for this.
Mr E.P. Gee, in a letter, describes an attack of an elephant by an Indian Rhino in defence of her calf. The elephant attacked was one from which Mr L.M. Talbot was watching the rhinos and it received a gash1 ? inch long by 2 inches deep. The wound was made by one tush only and the horn was not used.
I remember how Bena, a Bengali tracker, who had once been hoisted by a rhino onto the crupper-ropes of a retreating pad-elephant, used to demonstrate, with his own lower incisors, how the lift had been effected, and the healed scars on his loins fully bore him out.
