The HIPPOPOTAMUS*. 



THOUGH the hippopotamus has been cele- 

 brated from the remoteft antiquity; though 

 the iacred writings mention him under the name 

 of Behemoth; and though his figure is engra- 



S 3 ved 



* The hippopotame has four cutting teeth in each jaw. 

 Thofe in the middle are flraight and pointed forward, the 

 two middlemoft the largeft. It has four tufks, thofe in the 

 upper jaw are fhort, and the lower very long, and truncated o- 

 bliquely. The head is of an enormous fize, and the mouth is 

 vaftly wide. The ears are fmall and pointed, and lined with* 

 in very thickly with fhort fine hairs. The eyes and noftrils 

 are fmall in proportion to the bulk of the animal. On 

 the lips are fome llrong hairs fcattered in patches here and 

 there. The hair on the body is very thin, of a whitilh co- 

 lour, and fcarce difcernible at firft fight. There is no mane' 

 on the neck, as fome writers feign, only the hairs on that 

 part are rather thicker. The fkin is very thick and ftrong, 

 and of a dufky colour. The tail is about a foot long, taper, 

 compreiTed, and naked. The hoofs are divided into four 

 parts ; but, notwithstanding it is an amphibious animal, they 

 are not connected by membranes. The legs are fhort and 

 thick. In bulk, it is fecond only to the elephant. The 

 length of a male has been found to be feventeen feet, the cir- 

 cumference of the body fifteen, the height near feven, the 

 legs near three, the head above three and a half, and the 

 girth near nine ; Pennant's Synopf. of quad. p. 78. 



In Hebrew, Behemoth-, Shaw's travels, fuppl. p.8~. Bochart; in 

 Greek, 'l7r7ro7r6Tuues; Ar'tfi. hi/}, antra. lib. 2. c. 7.; in Latin, Hip- 

 popota?nus ; in Italian, Hippopotamo ; in the Egyptian language, 

 according to Zerenghi, ForasTbar, which {ignifi.es Jea-borfe. 



Hippopotamus ; 



