THE MUSEUM. 



22g 



gy, treating "composition of the 

 Earth," "Rocks and Strata," "The 

 Commencement of Life," "Low Forms 

 of Life," "The Forces," "Animal 

 Types," "Paleontology and Micros- 

 copy," "The Animal Kingdom" and 

 all through the various geological per- 

 iods, giving minute explanations and 

 reasons, in language that any student 

 or naturalist can understand. We 

 have not space to outline even one 

 quarter of the chapters of this valu- 

 able work. It consists of 250 pages 

 bound in flexible cloth. Will be sent 

 prepaid for $1.50. Orders may be 

 sent direct to the author, Mr. Richard 

 Mansill, Rock Island, Ills. We com- 

 mend the work very highly to all and 

 as previously stated the illustrations 

 are worth many times the price of the 

 volume. 



A Baby Hippopotamus. 



New York, April, 1896. 



There is quite a stir in fashionable 

 circles of hippopotimi in Central Park. 

 A few days ago Mrs. Fatima gave 

 birth to a youngster and the father — 

 Caliph — felt very proud, like all good 

 husbands ought to. Caliph grunts oc- 

 casionally and allows he would like to 

 know whether his child is a boy or a 

 girl, and Miss Murph\, with a true 

 grandmother's solicitude, now and 

 then asks her daughter how the young 

 one is getting along. 



Mrs. Fatima eats beans and carrots 

 at frequent intervals with a little hay 

 "on the side," and the baby hasshown 

 that he is something of an eater too, 

 but no one has seen him tat yet, as he 

 insists on taking all his meals under 

 water. The superintendent says if all 

 goes well the cub will be able to sit up 



and notice things in a few days, and 

 then the public can see him. 



Another baby hippopotamus is e.x- 

 pected shortly. Miss Murphy will be 

 the mother. This will make the pres- 

 ent baby have an aunt or uncle young- 

 er than itself, but a thing like this is 

 not considered out of the way in the 

 best circles of hippopotimi. 



The hippopotamus is one of the 

 most interesting animals, and it is one 

 of the largest of existing quadrupeds. 

 The bulk of its body is little inferior to 

 that of the elephant, and its legs are 

 so short that its belly almost touches 

 the ground; its height is not much 

 above five feet. 



The hippopotamus is extremely 

 aquatic in its habits, living mostly in 

 lakes or rivers, often in tidal estuaries, 

 where the salt of the water compels it 

 to resort to springs for the purpose of 

 drinking, and sometimes even in the 

 sea, although it never proceeds to any 

 considerable distance from the shore. 



Its skin is very thick — on the back 

 and sides, more than two inches; it is 

 dark brown, destitute of hair, and ex- 

 udes in great abundance from its nu- 

 merous pores, a thickish, oily fluid, by 

 which it is kept constantly lubricated. 

 The tail is short. The feet have each 

 four toes, nearly equal in size and 

 hoofed. The neck is short and thick. 

 The head is very large, with small 

 ears and small eyes placed high so 

 that they are easily raised above 

 water, without much of the animal be- 

 ing exposed to view. It is said that 

 John B. Winters, an ex-circus agent, 

 rode several rods on the back of a hip- 

 popotamus in one of the branches of 

 the Nile. The muzzle is very large, 

 rounded and turned with large nostrils. 



