ALLEN: MAMMALS FROM THE BLUE NILE VALLEY. 323 



is (like that of the camel) a pace — the two legs of one side acting 

 together, but Nvhen frightened the herds go off in single file at a stiff 

 gallop, their long necks held forward at an angle and undulating with 

 a sinuous movement. 



Hippopota:mus .^iphibius Linne. 



Hippopotamus. 



Hippopotamus a7nphibius Linne, Syst. nat., ed. 10, 175S, 1, p. 74. 



This fine mammal is doomed to extinction in the Nile ere many 

 years. Not only does he present an easy mark for hunters as he 

 rests on a sandbar but on account of his occasional attacks upon small 

 boats and the damage done to native crops, protection is not now 

 accorded him and his destruction is even encouraged. F. L. James, 

 writing in 1SS4, of "The wild tribes of the Sudan," says that at that 

 time hippos were no longer plentiful north of Khartoum. At Berber 

 there were still a few but they were hunted by the natives who watched 

 for them nightly as they came from the river to feed on the growing 

 crops. At the present time hippos are practically gone from the river 

 above Khartoum, though Captain S. S. Flower told us that about 

 1908 the tracks of one were seen that had walked across the point at 

 the junction of the White and the Blue Niles close to that city. This 

 was most unusual even then, however, for in 1901 I. C. Johnson (1903) 

 recorded that during a voyage up the Blue Nile from Khartoum, the 

 first hippo seen was near the mouth of the Dinder some forty miles 

 below Wad ^ledani. He supposed this to be about its northern limit 

 at that time. We saw no hippos on the Blue Nile until well above 

 Singa, at El Mesharat, where there were several basking on the mud 

 flats in the middle of the stream. They have become very shy from 

 constant persecution by sportsmen and others passing up and down 

 to Roseires and no doubt will soon be nearly gone from this part of 

 the stream. We several times found their well-worn paths up nearly 

 precipitous banks into the grassy jungles along the river and frequently 

 heard their loud guttural honking at night. At Bados one was caught 

 by the natives in nooses set in its path. These were attached to large 

 wooden floats, which discovered the animal's whereabouts to his cap- 

 tors the following morning after it had retired to the stream. Four 

 spearmen in a large wooden boat went leisurely forth to attack their 

 captive, a rather small specimen, but full of fight. Previous to the 



