14 Tin: HIPPOPOTAMUS. 



THE HIPPOPOTAMUS, OR RIVER HORSE. 



THIS is a large and formidable animal, in magnitude 

 only inferior to the elephant. A full grown male will 

 measure seventeen feet in lemth, from the extremity of 

 the snout to the insertion of the tail ; seven feet in height, 

 and fifteen in circumference. The head is enormously 

 large, and the jaws extend upward of two feet. The body 

 is of a lightish colour, thinly covered with hair, which at 

 first sight is scarcely perceptible. Though amphibious, 

 the hoofs, which are cloven into four, are unconnected by 

 membranes; and the whole figure exhibits something like 

 a mixture between an ox and a hog. Indeed its voice too 

 bears some mingled resemblance to the bellowing^of the 

 one, and the grunting of the other. 



This quadruped, thought to be the benemoth of holy 

 writ, chiefly resides at the bottoms of the great rivers 

 and lakes of Africa, from the Niger to the Cape of Good 

 Hope. It is also found in Upper Egypt, and in the lakes 

 and fens of Ethiopia. Fond of ease, it seldom exerts its 

 might, except when prompted by the calls of hunger, or 

 in its own defence. In vain do the natives attempt to 

 repel its inroads; its skin is so thick and strong, as to 

 be impenetrable at the stroke of the sabre, though it yields 

 to a musket ball ; and, if it feel itself on slightly wounded, 

 its fury against the assailants is terrible. It generally, 

 however, takes to the water on the first appearance of real 

 danger ; and here, in its native element, it manifests all its 

 strength and resolution. " I have seen," said a certain 

 voyager, " one of those animals open its jaws; and, seizing 

 a boat between his teeth, at once bite and sink it to the 

 bottom. I have seen it, on another occasion, place itself 

 under one of our boats, and rising, overset the vessel with 

 six men in it.'' Such is the great strength of this animal, 

 and from hence, probably, the imagination has been willing 

 to match it in combat against others more fierce and 

 equally formidable. The crocodile and shark have been 

 said to engage with it, and yield an easy victory ; but as the 

 shark is only found at sea, and the hippopotamus never 

 ventures beyond the mouth of fresh-water rivt rs, it is most 

 probable that these engagements never occurred ; it some- 

 times happens, indeed, that the princes of Africa amuse 

 themselves with combats, on their fresh-water lakes, 

 between this and other formidable animals : but whether 



