nn: 



with greateaae. It is ritli.-rh.it in it- t.-ni|-r. :ni.l if i n i MI. 'I u.otnes highly excited, and 



mo\cs it- t. i-tli and C.-.-I with n-!ii:irk:il<l<- activity anil force. 



Tin SM:I\\ HM:\\ i> tli.- animal which is mentioned under the num.- of "coney" in 

 tin- old Testament, an. I i- f.n.inl inhabiting th<- clefts and caverns of rocks. In its habits and 

 funeral appearance it i-\.-r\ similar t.i tin- C:I|H- Ilvrax. and nevd* no farther de-. i ipti- -n 

 Although it will liit.- fiercely wh.-n tirst captured, it is sumYi.-nth docile in dis| M i-ition. and 

 .S.K.II learns t" "l-\ it- k.-.-|N-r. t. .wards whom it display- an affectionate di-|Mi-itimi if it U- 

 rightly treated. Th>- c.>l..r ..f both sjtedes is dark bruwn, Imt the Syrian animal run In- distin- 

 L'ui-h.-d fruin tin- CajM- Hynix by the presence of a great number of very long Mark haint. 

 which an- thickly -ra tiered over its body, and penetrate through the shorter fur. Ita native 



i- A-llk.'U". 



THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 



TIIK la-t <m the H-t nf the jiachydennatous animals is the well-known HIPPOPOTAMUS, or 

 Hi\ i i: H..K-K. 



This enormous quadruj>ed is a native of various parts of Africa, and isalwnv - found either 

 in water or in its near vicinity. In absolute height it is not \.-r\ ivmarkabl--. as ita legs are 

 nely -hurt, but the artiial Imlk of its l>dy is very gn-at indeed. The average height of 

 a full-grown HipiMijMitamii- is alxmt five f.--t. Its naked skin is dark brown, curiously marked 

 with inniinieraMe lines like tho^- on "rrackle" rhinn or old oil-imintings, and is also dappled 

 with a nnmU-r of -.M,I\ Mark spots, whirh cannot be seen except on a rlos- insjKH-tion \ 

 vast number of pores jM-netr.ite the skin, and exnd.- a thick, oily liquid, which effectually 

 S4-.-IH- to prot-cr the animal fr>m the injurious effects of the water in which it is -., c..n-tantly 

 immersed. The author onre s]x.iled a jMiir of gloves entirely l>y ]uittini; the male animal at 

 present in the /.,!, ,-i.-al (ianl.-ns. The mouth is enormous, and its size is greatly increased 

 by the odd manner in which the jaw is set in the head. 



Within the mouth is an array of white, gleaming tusks, which have a terrific appearance, 

 but are solely intended for ruttini; grass and other vegetable substance-, and an- seldom 

 employed as wejijMns of offe-i.-e. except when the animal is wounded or otherwise irritated. 

 The incisor t.-eth of the lower jaw lie almost horizontally, with their jx>ints directed forwards, 

 and are said to ! employed a.s crowlwrs in tearing up the various aquatic plants on which the 

 animal feeds. The canines are very large and curved, and are worn obliquely, in a manner 

 v.-r\ -imilar to the rodent type of teeth. Their shaj>e is a bold curve, forming nearly the half 

 of a circle, and their surface is deeply channeled and ridged on the outer line of the curve, and 

 smoother on the face. The entire tooth, when it has been removed from tin- animal and thor- 

 oughly dried, is covered with a series of fine, superficial cracks, which intersect each other 

 diagonally with much regularity. leing a veritable example of nature's "cross-hatching." 



The tooth i-v.-rvs.iljd in its substance and close in its grain, and as it retains ita color 

 und.-r \ery trvinir circumstances, is admirably adapted for the manufacture of artificial teeth. 

 Throughout the greater irt of its length it is quite solid, but hears a conical hollow about 

 three or four inches de-ji at the extremity which enters the six-ket. The extreme uliiteness 

 of the ivory obtained from the Hippopotamus' teeth it peculiarly valuable for the deli 



cate scales of various philosophical instruments, and its natural curve adapts it admirably for 

 the verniers of ship sextants. The weight of a large tooth is from five to eight pounds, and the 

 value of the ivory is from four to five dollars per pound. 



With these apparently combined teeth the Hip|M>]Nitamus can cut the gnus as neatly as if 

 it were mown with a scythe, and is able to sever, as if with shears, a tolerably stout and thick 

 stem 



Possessed of an enormous appetite, having a stomach that is capable of containing five or 

 six bushels of nutriment, and furnished with such powerful instrument.-, the Hippopotamus in 



