50 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



breathe, until at last it becomes exhausted, and sinks 

 dying to the bottom of the river. 



The hearing, sight and scent of the hippopotamus are 

 all acute ; but, like many other wild animals, he surfers 

 from an inextinguishable curiosity, and cannot resist 

 putting up his head to have a momentary stare at a 

 passing boat, a weakness which often costs the poor 

 beast his life. His voice once heard can never be mis- 

 taken or forgotten : it consists of one deep, roaring grunt, 

 followed by four or five shorter ones in quick succession, 

 and is quite alarming when heard for the first time. 



When lying with head partially protruding, a hippo- 

 potamus is often most persistently attended by certain 

 large biting flies. That an animal possessing so thick a 

 hide should have an attraction for any blood-sucking 

 insects seems at first sight remarkable ; but probably 

 the soft skin about the eyelids and elsewhere is easily 

 penetrable by their long probosces. 



A cross old bull hippo has curious dislikes at times, 

 and one of his pet aversions seems to be a camp fire in 

 his vicinity at night. Ranger Wolhuter was once en- 

 camped on a pool of the Ngwanitzi River. About 

 10 P.M. a well-known old hippo bull which was always 

 found near this particular spot began loudly to voice 

 his objection to the fires. After making a great deal of 

 noise in the pool, he eventually landed and began to 

 approach, grunting all the time, and displaying every 

 symptom of rage. A horse and a number of pack donkeys 

 were in camp, in addition to Wolhuter and his native 

 servants, and began to show signs of considerable un-. 

 easiness.?A shot or two fired over the beast's head 

 concerned him not at all, and when he had approached 

 within less than twenty paces, as a last resort the fires 

 were put out. This had a magical effect, and, having 



