MAMMALIA — HIPPOPOTAMUS. 



293 



with its trunk. It is now ascertained that it sucks with its mouth like other 

 animals. Mr Cross says, " in sucking, the young elephant always grasps 

 the nipple, which projects horizontally from the breast, with the side of his 

 mouth. I have very often observed this ; and so sensible are the attendants 

 of it, that with them it is a common practice to raise a small mound of 

 earth, about six or eight inches high, for the young one to stand on, and thus 

 save the mother the trouble of bending her body every time she gives suck, 

 which she cannot readily do when tied to her picket." M. Foucher d'Obson- 

 ville, who had also observed the young elephant playing with the teat of the 

 mother with his trunk, attributes the prevalent error to this circumstance. 



THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 1 



Although this animal has been celebrated from the earliest ages, it was, 

 notwithstanding, but imperfectly known to the ancients. It was only 

 towards the sixteenth century that we had some precise indications on the 

 subject. 



In comparing the descriptions which we have observed in different travel- 

 lers, the hippopotamus appears to be an animal whose body is longer and 

 thicker than that of the rhinoceros; but his fore legs are much shorter. His 

 head is short, and thick in proportion to the body. He has no horns, neither 

 on the nose, like the rhinoceros, nor on the head, like ruminating animals. 

 His cry, when hurt, approaches as near to the neighing of the horse, as the 



1 Hippopotamus amphibius, Lin. The genus Hippopotamus has four upper and four 

 lower incisors ; two upper and two lower canines ; fourteen upper and fourteen lower 

 molars. Lower canines much developed, forming strong tusks curved upwards ; hard, 

 thick, and square ; muzzle very large and gibbous ; body very thick and heavy ; legs 

 short, with four toes on the feet ; eyes and ears small ; tail short ; two ventral mammas 

 •>kin very thick, almost without hair. 



