762 THE HIPPOPOTAMUS, OR ZEEKOE. 



employed as weapons of offence, except when the animal is wounded or otherwise 

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

 directed forwards, 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, 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 the animal and thoroughly dried, is covered with a 

 series of fine, superficial cracks, which intersect each other diagonally with much regu- 

 larity, being a veritable example of nature's " cross-hatching." 



The tooth is very solid in its substance and close in its grain, and as it retains its 

 color under very trying circumstances, is admirably adapted for the manufacture of 

 artificial teeth. Throughout the greater part of its length it is quite solid, but bears a 

 conical hollow about three or four inches deep at the extremity which enters the 

 socket. The extreme whiteness of the ivory obtained from the Hippopotamus' 

 teeth renders it peculiarly valuable for the delicate 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 twenty to twenty-five shillings a pound. 



With these apparently combined teeth the Hippopotamus can cut the grass 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 instruments, the 

 Hippopotamus is a terrible nuisance to the owners of cultivated lands that happen to be 

 near the river in which the animal has taken up his abode. During the day it is 

 comfortably asleep in its chosen hiding-place, but as soon as the shades of night deepen, 

 the Hippopotamus issues from its den, and treading its way into the cultivated lands, 

 makes sad devastation among the growing crops. Were the mischief to be confined to 

 the amount which is eaten by the voracious brute, it would still be bad enough, but the 

 worst of the matter is, that the Hippopotamus damages more than it eats by the clumsy 

 manner of its progress. The body is so large and heavy, and the legs are so short, 

 that the animal is forced to make a double track as he walks, and in the grass-grown 

 plain can be readily traced by the peculiar character of the track. It may there- 

 fore be easily imagined that when a number of these hungry, awkward, wad- 

 dling, splay-footed beasts come blundering among the standing crops, trampling and 

 devouring indiscriminately, they will do no slight damage before they think fit to 

 retire. 



The aggrieved cultivators endeavor to protect their grounds and at the same time to 

 make the depredators pay for the damage which they have done, by digging a number 

 of pitfalls across the Hippopotamus paths, and furnishing each pit with a sharp stake 

 in the centre. 



When an animal falls into such a trap, the rejoicings are great, for not only is the 

 ivory of great commercial value, but the flesh is very good eating, and the hide is 

 useful for the manufacture of whips and other instruments. The fat of the Hippopot- 

 amus, called by the colonists " Zee-Koe speck," or Sea-cow bacon, is held in very 

 high estimation, as is the tongue and the jelly which is extracted from the feet. The 

 hide is so thick that it must be dragged from the creature's body in slips, like so many 

 planks, and is an inch and a half in thickness on the back, and three-quarters of an 

 inch on the other portions of the body. Yet, in spite of its enormous thickness and its 

 tough quality, it is quite pliable when seen on the living beast, and accommodates itself 

 easily to all his movements. 



The Hippopotamus is, as the import of its name, River Horse, implies, most aquatic 

 in its habits. It generally prefers fresh water, but it is not at all averse to the sea, and will 

 sometimes prefer salt water to fresh. It is an admirable swimmer and diver, and is able 

 to remain below the surface for a very considerable length of time. In common with the 

 elephant, it possesses the power of sinking at will, which is the more extraordinary when 



