298 THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 



the North feas, but it appears that he is rarely 

 found in the South feas. The teftimonies of 

 Odoardus-Barbofa and Edward Wotton, quoted 

 by Aldrovandus, and which feem to prove that 

 the hippopotamus inhabits the Indian feas, are 

 nearly as equivocal as that of the defcriber of 

 Mufcovy ; and, I am inclined to think, with M. 

 Adanfon *, that, now at leaft, the hippopota- 

 mus is found only in the great rivers of Africa. 

 Kolbe *)*, who fays he faw feveral of them at the 



Cape 



fugientes eorum cymbas aggrediuntur, dentibus illas difrum- 

 pendo et fubmergendo, ef tamen beftiae lanceis, ob cutis du- 



ritiem, fauciari minime poterant ; Aldrov. de quad, digit, vivip. 

 p. 181. etfeq. 



* In going up the Niger, we came to a quarter where tbe 

 hippopotami or river-horfes are very common. This animal* 

 which is the largeft of the amphibious kind, is found only ia 

 the rivers of Africa, and in no other part of the world. He 

 is generally faid to be of the figure of an ox ; and, indeed, he 

 refembles that animal more than any other. But his legs are 

 ihorter, and his head is enormouily large. With regard to 

 ,fize, the hippopotamus may be ranked after the elephant and 

 rhinoceros. His jaws are armed with four tuiks, by which 

 he tears up the roots of trees, which ferve him for food. He 

 cannot remain long under water withour refpiring, which o- 

 bliges him to raife his head, from time to time, above the fur- 

 face, like the crocodile ; Voyage au Senegal, par M. Adanfon f 



t> 73- 



f If the epithet^a be applied to the hippopotamus or fea- 



horfe, it is not becaufe he is a fpecies of fifti, or lives always 

 in thefea. He comes upon the dry land in quell of food, and 

 he retires for fafety to the fea or to a river. Herbage is his or- 

 dinary food. When pfefled with hunger, he comes out of the 

 water, in which he lies always in an extended pofture. When 

 he raiies his head above the water, he looks about on all 

 fides to fee if there is any danger, and he fcents a man at a 



confiderable 



