HIPPOPOTAMUS 



4003 



HIRANYAGARBHA 



states. In 1847 Isidore Geoffrey 

 Saint-Hilaire gave a series of hip- 

 pophagous banquets in Paris to 

 popularise horseflesh, and in 1866 

 its sale was regularised in that 

 city. During the siege of Paris in 

 1870-71, and throughout the Great 

 War, horseflesh was of great dietetic 

 importance. It is regularly sold 

 in Belgium, and is a primary in- 

 gredient in some forms of French 

 sausage. 



In 1868 horseflesh was served at 

 a dinner given at the Langham 

 Hotel, London, the 150 guests in- 

 cluding Sir Henry Thompson and 

 Sir John Lubbock. The Sale of 

 Horseflesh, etc., Regulation Act, 

 1889, provides a penalty of 20 for 

 supplying it for human food with- 

 out disclosure, and also for selling, 

 offering, or exposing it except in a 

 place bearing a conspicuous indi- 

 cation that horseflesh is sold there. 

 See Horse. 



Hippopotamus (Gr. hippopo- 

 tamos, river-horse). Large herbivor- 

 ous mammal of the family Hippo- 

 polamidae, related to the Suidae, 

 which comprises pigs and peccaries. 

 There are two species, both confined 

 to the tropical region of Africa. The 

 body is bulky and piglike in form, 

 with an exceptionally large head 

 and gaping mouth armed with large 

 tusks and incisor teeth. The lower 

 pair of incisors projects almost 

 straight forward. The nostrils are 

 on the top of the muzzle, and the 

 animal can raise them and its eyes 

 above the surface of the water 

 while nearly all the rest of the 

 head is immersed. Both nostrils 

 and ears can be closed when under 

 water. The thick skin is naked 

 with the exception of bristles on 

 the muzzle, head, and neck, and at 

 the end of the short tail. 



The common hippopotamus (H. 

 amphibius) is the largest of land 

 mammals except the elephant. It 

 attains a length of 14 ft., and the 

 height at the shoulder is about 4 ft. 

 A fine male will weigh from four to 

 five tons. The skin is blackish 

 brown or slate colour, but white 

 and mottled examples have been 

 seen. Its range is now confined to 

 Central Africa, though it formerly 

 occurred from Lower Egypt to 

 Cape Colony. The Biblical Behe- 

 moth is generally identified with 

 it. In the Pleistocene period it 

 occurred in England, being found 

 as far N. as Yorkshire, and it is 

 curious that its remains have been 

 found w/th those of the reindeer, 

 which is now an Arctic animal. 



In habits the hippopotamus is 

 the most aquatic of all the larger 

 land mammals. It sleeps beneath 

 the surface of the water, rising to 

 breathe every four or five mir utes, 

 but can remain entirely submerged 



for ten minutes if pressed by 

 hunters. Slow and clumsy on land, 

 it is a fairly rapid swimmer. It 

 leaves the rivers at night to graze, 

 and in cultivated districts does a 

 vast amount of damage to the 

 crops. It is timid and inoffensive 

 unless cornered, when it becomes a 

 dangerous opponent. It has been 

 known to live in captivity for 

 about 30 years, and in a natural 

 state it probably lives for a much 

 longer period. 



Economically the hippopota- 

 mus is of some value. Its hide is 

 used for making whips and occa- 

 sionally for walking sticks and um- 

 brella handles, and also for facing 

 polishing wheels. The tusks fur- 

 nish ivory, and were formerly the 

 substance of which artificial teeth 

 were made. The flesh is excellent 

 eating, and a fine animal will fur- 

 nish about 200 Ib. of useful fat. 



The smaller species (H. liber ien- 

 sis) is known as the pigmy hippo- 



Hippurites (Gr. hippos, horse ; 

 oura, tail). Group of extinct mol- 

 luscs found in Cretaceous strata in 

 the Mediterranean area. They are 

 remarkable for one large, usually 

 conical or cup-shaped shell, and a 

 smaller one which served as a 

 cover. Fossil shells often reach 

 three feet in length. They are 

 found in W. and E. Alps, Dalmatia, 

 Greece, and W. Asia. 



Hirado OR FIRANDO. Island of 

 Japan, off the N.W. coast of 

 Kyushiu. It is 55 m. N.N.W. of 

 Nagasaki and is 19 m. in length. 

 Hilly in character, its chief town, 

 Hirado, a celebrated whaling 

 station, lies on its E. shore. The 

 island has long been celebrated for 

 its blue and white porcelain. It was 

 first visited by the Portuguese in 

 the 16th century, followed by 

 Dutch and English navigators 

 early in the 17th. The Dutch estab- 

 lished the first trading station in 

 Japan for the use of foreigners at 



Hippopotamus, the great nv 



Gambier Hollo 



potamus, and is found in Liberia, 

 the Guinea Coast, and Sierra 

 Leone. It is black in colour, about 

 6 ft. long, and weighs about 400 Ib. 

 Its head is smaller in proportion 

 than in the common hippopo- 

 tamus, and there are only two inci- 

 sors in the lower jaw. Little is 

 known of its habits, but it appears 

 to feed by day, is never found in 

 companies like the larger species, 

 and is much less amphibious ii> 

 habit. See Animal. 



Hippuric Acid (C 9 H 9 N0 3 ). Cry- 

 stalline substance, contained in 

 the urine of horses and cows. The 

 chemical name is benzamido-acetic 

 acid. Onheatingwith strong acids or 

 alkalis it decomposes into benzoic 

 acid and glycocoll. The crystals 

 are colourless, and easily soluble in 

 hot water. 



r hog of Central Africa 



Hirado in 1610 ; in 1710 this was 

 transferred to Dejima, a small is- 

 land near Nagasaki. Pop. 35,000. 



Hiraxno Mam. Japanese liner. 

 She was torpedoed and sunk by 

 the Germans off the Irish coast, 

 Oct. 4, 1918, with a loss of 292 lives. 

 Of these it is estimated that 100 

 were lost as a result of the U-boat 

 which sank the Hiramo Maru try- 

 ing to torpedo the U.S. destroyer 

 Sterret while the latter was en- 

 gaged picking up survivors, com- 

 pelling her to cease her rescue work 

 while driving the submarine away. 



Hiranyagarbha. Deity of the 

 ancient Hindu pantheon. In the 

 oldest of the Hindu sacred writ- 

 ings, the Rig- Veda, he is repre- 

 sented as the upholder of heaven 

 and earth, and the giver of lif e and 

 breath. See Hinduism ; Rig- Veda. 



