266 



THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 



china or old oil-paiutiugs, and is also dappled with a number of sooty 

 black spots, which cannot be seen except on a close inspection. A vast 

 number of pores penetrate the skin, and exude a thick, oily liquid, 

 which effectually serves to protect the animal from the injurious effects 

 of the water in which it is so constantly immersed. Some years ago, 

 when the male Hippopotamus in the Zoological Gardens was young 

 and gentle, I patted his back, and entirely spoiled a pair of new kid 

 gloves. 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 they are solely intended for cutting grass and 

 other vegetable substances, and are seldom employed as weapons of of- 



The Hippopotamus or Zeekoe {Hippopotamus amphibms). 

 fence, except when the animal is wounded or otherwise irritated. The 

 incisor teeth of the lower jaw lie almost horizontally, with their points 

 directed forward, and are said to be employed as crow-bars 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 very 

 similar to the rodent type of teeth. Their shape is a bold curve, form- 

 ing 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. 



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

 of containing five or six bushels of nutriment, and furnished with such 

 powerful instruments, the Hippopotamus is a terrible nuisance to the 



