February, 1844.] 17 



protruded, and rise obliquely from the jaws, like those of the 

 Elephant and Mastodon. 



Dr. Goheen, who assured me from the first that he could find 

 no notice of this animal in the systematic works, has obligingly 

 favoured me with the following memorandum in relation to it. 

 " This animal abounds in the river St. Paul's, and varies in 

 weight from four hundred to seven hundred pounds. They are 

 slow and heavy in their motions, yet will sometimes stray two or 

 three miles from the river, in which situation they are killed by 

 the natives. They are extremely tenacious of life, and almost 

 invulnerable, excepting when shot or otherwise wounded in the 

 heart. When injured they become irritable and dangerous, but 

 are said by the natives never to attack them when in their canoes. 

 The negroes are very fond of the flesh, which seems to be inter- 

 mediate in flavor between beef and veal." 



My comparisons with the common Hippopotamus have been 

 made on four specimens, (three of which are fully grown,) two 

 from the vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope, and two from the 

 Senegal river. 



The Chevalier Amedeo Avogardo, of Turin, was then 

 elected a Correspondent of the Academy. 



