CHAPTER VII 



MAMMALS 



The Hippopotamus. 



An animal of such large size as the hippo, called by the 

 Baganda " Envubu," must naturally come before one's 

 notice from time to time, but one really did not see much 

 of him. My first acquaintance with him dates from 

 Jinja in 1910, where a number could be seen in a large 

 pool about a couple of miles down the river below the 

 falls. The steep banks leading down to the river were 

 scored by the constant passage of these heavy animals 

 over the same track, until lanes had been worn in the soft 

 soil several feet deep, of the width of the hippo's body, 

 bearing an absurd resemblance to miniature Devonshire 

 lanes. 



The bush on the banks was so thick that one could only 

 get down to the water by using a hippo track, and wondered 

 when so doing what a hippo would do if, when ascending, 

 we happened to meet. For he certainly could not have 

 turned. When on the islands one sometimes found the 

 tunnels made through dense growth of reeds quite useful 

 for getting about, though it was very fatiguing to walk 

 half doubled up, and the soft mud was often unpleasantly 

 odoriferous. 



During the day time the hippo spends his time resting 

 in shallow water, or else sleeps in his favourite quarters, 

 for he seems to be very much attached to particular 

 places, and one would usually find a hippo off certain 



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