THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 291 



and fo large that a fingle tooth weighs more than 

 three pounds. The largeft cutting and canine 

 teeth are twelve * and foaietimes fixteen inches 

 long t, and each of them weighs from twelve to 

 thirteen pounds J. 



In fine, to give a juft idea of the magnitude 

 of the hippopotamus, we mall employ the mea- 

 fures of Zerenghi, and augment them one-third ; 

 becauie thefe meafures were taken from the fe- 

 male, which was one-third lefs than the male in 

 all its dimenfions. This male hippopotamus 

 was, of courfe, fixteen feet nine inches long, 

 from the extremity of the muzzle to the origin 

 of the tail, fifteen feet in circumference, and fix 

 feet and a half high ; and the legs were about 

 two feet ten inches long. The head was three 

 feet and a half in length, and eight feet and a 



T 2 half 



* Pod menfes aliquot alium{hippopotamum) longe majo- 

 rem, idem, Federicus Zerenghi, Romae nobis ottendit, cujus 

 dentes aprini pedali longitudine fuerunt, proportione craflio- 

 resj fie et reliqua omnia majora. — This pafi'age, which finifh- 

 es Fabius Columna's defcription, proves that it was taken 

 from the female or fmaller hippopotamus of Zerenghi, and 

 that the largeft, of which he gives no defcription, was a male. 

 It likewife proves that no dependence can be had on Colum- 

 na's meafures ; for he is nowhere exacT: but in the dimenfions 

 of the teeth, becaufe they can neither contract nor lengthen ; 

 but a fkin dried in fait varies in all its dimenfions. 



f I remarked, that thefe teeth, which were crooked in the 

 form of an arch, were about fixteen inches long, and that, 

 where thickeft, they were more than fix inches in circumfe- 

 rence ; Dampier's voyages, torn. 3. p. 360. 



% As to the river-horfes, I never faw any of them ; but I 

 purchafed fome of their teeth which weighed thirteen pounds ; 

 RcUthr. de Tkevenott p. 19. 



