152 THE REASON WHY: 



" Only these marishes and myrie bogs, 



In which the fearful cwftes do build their bowres, 

 Yield me an hostry, 'mongst the croaking frogs, 



And harbour here in safety from these rav'nous dogs." SPENCER. 



tooth in the gunwale of a boat, and another at the distance of more 

 than four feet, and tnus bite a hole through the plank, and sink 

 the boat. 



454. Neither the elephant nor the rhinoceros, coarse as their subsistence may b*, 

 could live on the same kind of food as the hippopotamus. Its life is the rudest, 

 and i<- food the coarsest of all the mammalia. Its office is, to clear the rivers oj 

 all niose vegetable remains which, if allmved to acciinndate in countries where 

 vegetation is rapid, wou/d choke itp oil the passages, and turn all theJSat lands 

 into at least periodical marshes.* 



\.>i*. The hippopotamus is understood to be the behemoth of Scripture : 



" Behold now behemoth which I made with thee ;. he eateth grass as an ox. 



" His bones are as strong pieces of brass ; his bones are like bars of iron. 



" He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reeds and fens. 



" The shady trees cover him with their shadow ; the willows of the brook 

 compass him about. 



" Behold he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not : he trusteth that he can draw 

 up Jordan into his mouth. 



" He taketh in with his eyes : his nose pierceth through snares." Job xl. 15, &c. 



456. Why does the hippopotamus walk awkwardly upon 

 the land? 



Because the shortness of its legs, which are well adapted fop 

 walking underneath the water, presents an impediment to its free 

 movements upon the land. But it is also asserted that the body 

 of the hippopotamus is specifically heavier than that of any other 

 animal. This, while it promotes the movements of the animal in 

 the water, gives an awkward and cumbrous appearance to its 

 motions on the land. 



The usual motion of the hippopotamus in the water is walking 

 upon the bottom, although it is capable of swimming, when it 

 ilesires to change its quarters, or to rise to the surface. 



457. Why has the hippopotamus been called the river "horse" 

 although possessing a very un-horselike body? 



The name is of very ancient origin, and was probably applied 



Parting-ton's " Cyclopaedia." 



