THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 299 



Cape of Good Hope, aflures us, that they plunge 

 equally into the fea and the rivers; and the fame 



thing 



confiderable diftance. If he perceives any thing, he plunges 

 again into the water, where he continues three hours without 

 moving. ... He generally weighs from two thoufand five 

 hundred to three thoufand pounds. . . . The fea-horfe, both 

 in colour and fize, refembles the rhinoceros, only his legs are 

 fomewhat fhorter. His head, as Tellez remarks, (lib. i. 

 cap. 8.) has a greater refemblance to that of the horfe, than 

 to that of any other animal ; and, from this circumftance, he 

 has derived his name. His mouth is much larger than that 

 of the horfe, and, in this refpeit, he approaches nearer the ox. 

 His noftrils are very large ; and, when he rifes to the furface 

 of the river or fea, he fquirts the water out of them. His ears 

 and eyes are remarkably fmall. His legs are fhort, and of an 

 equal thicknefs throughout. His hoofs are not divided into 

 two, like thofe of the ox, but into four parts, on each of which 

 there are fpiral furrows. His tail is fhort like that of the ele-r 

 phant, with a few fhort hairs on it ; and there is no hair on 

 the reft cf the bodv. 



The paps of the female hang, like thofe of the cow, be- 

 tween the hind !ee;s ; but they, as well as the teats, are very 

 fmall in proportion to the live of the animal. I have often 

 feen the mothers fuckling their young, which were then as 

 large as Iheep. . . . The fkin of the river-horfe is more than 

 an inch thick, and fo hard that it is difficult to kill him even 

 with mufket balls. The Europeans always aim at his head, 

 where the ikin is moft tender, and eafily pierced. This ani- 

 mal feldom receives a mortal wound in any other part oi his 

 body. 



The teeth of the under jaw are very remarkable. They are 

 four in number, two on each fide, one of them crooked and 

 the other ftraight. They are as thick as an ox's horn, about 

 a foot and a half long, and each of them weighs twelve 

 pounds. They are very white, and never turn yellow with 

 age, as ivory does. Hence they are more efteemed than the 

 teeth of the elephant. 



The Asm of this animal, whether boiled or roafted, is mcfl 



delicious. 



