HIP 



HIR 



are within the reach of its nocturnal pro- 

 gresses, and by destroying with its vast 

 teeth the roots of trees. Its motion on 

 land is generally not only highly inelegant, 

 but slow; yet, if surprized and pursued, 

 it runs with great speed till it reaches the 

 water, into which it instantly plunges; 

 and, though it is able to swim with great 

 rapidity, its progress in the water is at the 

 bottom by walking. If wounded in the 

 water, it sometimes is highly infuriated, 

 and has been known to attack the boats 

 or canoes, which it supposed to contain 

 its enemy, and overturn them by its vast 

 strength, or sink them by making a large 

 hole in them with its teeth. It produces 

 but one at a birth, generally in the little 

 rushy isles of the rivers which it frequents; 

 and in these inlets it generally sleeps. 

 When taken young, it is capable of being 

 tamed. These animals are sometimes 

 seen in considerable numbers, ranging 

 forseveral miles beyond the banks of their 

 rivers. They are often shot by the Afri- 

 cans, and frequently taken by the har- 

 poon ; pitfalls also are sometimes dug for 

 them. They are valued by the natives of 

 Africa for food, and the fat which it sup- 

 plies is supposed to be equal to that of 

 the hog. The feet are highly gelatinous, 

 and regarded as a peculiar delicacy. 

 With their skins the warriors of Africa 

 are furnished with shields and bucklers. 

 The grand motive to destroy these ani- 

 mals, however, is the value of their tusks, 

 which are whiter than those of the ele- 

 phant, and retain their original clearness 

 and beauty. They are likewise of a hard- 

 er consistance, and are, on both these ac- 

 counts, preferred by dentists, for artifi- 

 cial teeth, to every other substance. 



In the JEdileship of Scaurus a tempo- 

 rary lake was formed, into which he in- 

 troduced four crocodiles and a hippopo- 

 tamus, for the entertainment of the Ro- 

 man people ; and Augustus, in his tri- 

 umph over Cleopatra, amidst many other 

 objects characteristic of Egypt, exhibited 

 a hippopotamus. In Upper Egypt, and 

 in the fens of Ethiopia, traversed and in- 

 undated by the Nile, these animals are 

 more particularly abundant. Only one 

 species is known to exist, but the cele- 

 brated Cuvier has discovered the fossil 

 remains of two species, perfectly distinct 

 from each other; but one of them was 

 probably the same as the present African 

 kind. For the Hippopotamus, see Mam- 

 malia, Plate X. fig. 2. 



H1PPURIS, in botany, mare's-tail, a 

 genus of the Monandria Monogynia class 

 And order. Natural order of Inundatae. 



Naiades, Jussieu. Essential character 

 calyx a two-lobed rim to the germ ; co- 

 rolla none; stigma simple; seed one/ 

 There are three species. 



HYR^E A, in botany, so named from Ni- 

 col de la Hire, a genus of the Decan- 

 dria Trigynia class and order. Natural 

 order of Trihilatze. Malpighise, Jussieu. 

 Essential character : calyx five-leaved ; 

 petals roundish, on claws ; capsule three- 

 celled, with three wings; seeds two, 

 There is only one species, "viz. H. re- 

 clinata, a native of Carthagena in New 

 Spain. 



HIRCUS, in anatomy, a part of the au- 

 ricle or outer ear, being that eminence 

 next the temple. See EAR. 



HIRCUS, a goat, in astronomy, a star f 

 the first magnitude, the same with Capel- 

 la. See CAPEILA. 



HIRCUS is also a name, used by some 

 writers, fora omet, encompassed, as it 

 were, with a mane seemingly rough and 

 hairy. 



HIRTELLA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Pentandria Monogynia class and orders 

 Natural order of Rosace ae, Jussieu. Es- 

 sential character : petals five ; filaments 

 very long, permanent, spiral ; style late- 

 ral ; berry one-seeded. There are three 

 species. 



HIRUDO, the leech, in .natural history, 

 a genus of the Vermes Intestina class and 

 order. Body truncated at both ends, ob- 

 long, unarmed, moves onward by elongat- 

 ing the body, and then contracting itself 

 into an arcli, adhering alternately by the. 

 head and tail. The body moves either 

 forward or backward. There are seven- 

 teen species, principally distinguished by 

 their colcfhr. The most remarkable are 

 the following : 



H. medicinalis, or medicinal leech, the 

 form of which is well known, grows to 

 the length of two or three inches. The 

 body is of a blackish-brown colour, 

 marked on the back with six yellow spots, 

 and edged with a yellow line on each * 

 side ; but both the spots and the lines 

 grow faint, and almost disappear at some 

 seasons. The head is smaller than the 

 tail, which fixes itself very firmly to any 

 thing the creature pleases. It is vivipar- 

 ous, and produces but one young at a 

 time, which is in the month of July. It is 

 an inhabitant of clear running waters in 

 Europe, and is well known for its use in 

 bleeding. The species used in the Unit- 

 ted States is probably distinct from this. 



H. muricata, or muricated leech, has a 

 taper body, rounded at the greater ex- 

 tremity, and furnished with two small 



