|£€t THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 



probable* gave rife to the fable of the ancients, 

 that the hippopotamus vomited fire from his 

 mouth. The fubftance of the canine teeth is fo 

 white, fo fine, and fo hard, that it is preferable 

 to ivory for making artificial teeth *. The cut- 

 ting teeth, efpecially thofe of the under jaw, are 

 very iong, cylindrical, and chamfered. The ca- 

 nine teeth are alfo long, crooked, prifmatic, and 

 fharp, like the tufks of the wild boar. The 

 grinders are fquare or oblong, like thofe of man, 



and 



parura detraci-am. Maxillares vero utrinque feptem craiTos 

 latos breyes admodum. In fuperna vero mandibula, quam 

 crocodili more nzobilem habet, qua mandit et terit, anteriores fex 

 infunt dentes, fex imis refpondentes acie contrario modo ad- 

 aptata, leviffima ac fplendida, eboris politi modo, claufoque 

 pre conjunguntur, aptanturque imis, veluti ex illis recifi, ut 

 planum piano infideat ; verum omnium acies pyramidalis ve- 

 luti oblique reciii calami modo, fed medii fuperiores non 

 aciem inferiorum, at medium illorum in quo detraclio confpi- 

 citur rotunditatis, petunt ; ac non ineidere, fed potius illis 

 terere poffe videtur. Molares totidem quot inferni, fed bini 

 priores parvi exigui, atque rotundq ambitu, ct ab aliis diftant, 

 ut medium palatum inter dentes anteriores occupare videan- 

 tur ; inter maxillares dentes linguae locus femipedalis rema- 

 nebat. Dentium vero color ebuvneus parum pallens, fplen- 

 didus, diaphanus fere in acic videbatur ; durities illorum fi- 

 licea, vcl magis cutelli quidem coil a non parva confpicientium 

 adm'.ratione ignis excitabantur favillae, parum vel nihil tot 

 percufiionibus figni remanente : Quapropter verifimile foret 

 noclis tempore dentes tcrendo ignem ex ore evoniiife ; Fal\ 

 Columna, p. 32. 



* The jfiheft and whiteft teeth of the hippopotamus are 

 found at Cape Mefurada in Africa. The dentiils prefer them 

 to ivory for making artificial teeth; becaufe they are harder, 

 -.vhiter, nnd do not turn yellow fo loon ; Voyage de Ikjhiur* 



':■, torn. 7, t. 148= 



