18G 



IIirPOPOTASlID.E.- 



-MAMMALIA.- 



-IIiri'OrOTAMIK.E. 



tip ; the extremity of the anterior horn being sharp, 

 and worn away in front by friction on the ground. 



Family III.— IIIPPOPOTAMID^. 



Tlie Hippopotamuses formerly occupied an extensive 

 area of distribution, as may be gathered from the 

 numerous fossU remains occurring in the tertiary beds 

 of Great Britain and Europe. At least five or six 

 distinct species have been indicated. Talking our 

 living African example as a type of the family, its prin- 

 cipal distinguishing characteristics may be described 

 as follows. The body is clothed with an almost naked 

 skin ; the abdomen nearly reaching to the ground. 

 The head is broad and flat, and furnished with thirty- 

 eight or forty teeth ; there being eight incisors, four 

 canines, and from twenty-four to twenty-eight molars, 

 according to the age of the animal. The inferior 

 incisors project horizontally forwards, the central pair 

 being the longer. The worn crowns of the large 

 canines are perfectly smooth and opposed vertically. 

 The posterior molars are large and complicated. The 

 ears are remarkably short ; the head terminating 

 anteriorly in a broad, abrupt mnzzle, whilst the nos- 

 trils are much elevated. The feet are tetradactylous, 

 the digits being armed with small hoofs. The tail is 

 short. Hippopotamuses are hea'^'y, awkward-looking 

 animals on land ; but they displaj' a singular agility and 

 gracefulness of motion in water. Aquatic plants, and 

 i-'specially grasses, constitute the bulli of their food. 



THE mPPOPOTAMUS {Hippopotamus ampliihius) — 

 Plate 25, fig. 81 — is an animal which has always been 

 regarded with considerable interest, altliough its uses 

 to man are not of the highest order. It is familiarly 

 known as the River-horse ; and is the Barnich of the 

 Nubians, the Sea-cow or Zee-Koe of the Cape Colonists, 

 and the Imfoohoo of the Caffres and Matabili ; it is 

 probably also the Behemoth of sacred history. A full • 

 grown male Hippopotamus sometimes attains a length 

 of nearly twelve feet, whilst the girth of its body mea- 

 sures scarcely less. The hide exliibits an inky-bro'mi 

 colour generally, being at the same time more or less 

 tinged with a fleshy redness about the moutli and 

 inferior parts. The latter tint is very marked m young 

 individuals. The habits of this extraordinary creature 

 have been studied from the earHest times, and almost 

 every African traveller of modem date has contributed 

 something to our knowledge of its powers. Burchell, 

 Burckhardt, Harris, Smith, Gumming, Livingstone, 

 Andersson and others, have witnessed its sportive wiles 

 in the reedy streams of its native land ; whilst at home 

 naturalists have been amply rewarded by watching the 

 behaviour of the two fine examples preserved m the 

 Zoological Society's Gardens, Regent's Park. The 

 Parisians enjoy a similar advantage at the Jardin 

 des Plantes of the French capital, and they have 

 even witnessed the birth of two young ; but on 

 both occasions the jealous mother sacrificed her 

 much admired oifspring ! The first was bom in 

 Jlay 1858, and its death resulted, perhaps, rather from 

 accident than intention ; for, we are mformed, that 

 after swimming about a wlule it attempted to get on 

 dry ground ; but the descent from the sleeping apart- 



ment into the bath not being sloped, it experienced 

 some difficulty in raising itself from tlie water ; and 

 whilst the mother was engaged in assisting it to clamber 

 up the steps, she bruised and other\sise injm'cd the 

 body to such an extent that the poor little creature 

 died the same evening. The second juvenile behemoth 

 perished from injm'ies inflicted by the mother some days 

 after its birth. In the hope of rearing a yoimg Hippo- 

 potamus in England, the Zoological Society has spared 

 neither pains nor expense to render the pair in their 

 menagerie comfortable in each other's society. It 

 is satisfactory to observe that tlie favoured couple 

 live amicably together ; but whether it be o'UTng to 

 the dulling influences of oiu- changeable climate, or 

 to prudential motives resulting from hippopotamino 

 reasonings, or to other circumstances which invalidate 

 the procreative function — we believe we are correct 

 in statmg that no reciprocations of aft'ection have yet 

 appeared sufficiently demonstrative to afford a belici 

 that tlie authorities in question are at present Ukoly to 

 be rewarded for their trouble. In the wild state these 

 animals display extreme solicitude for their yomig, 

 which tliey carry on tlieir necks while in the water; 

 and, as the calves cannot remain long submerged, 

 the mother rises more frequently to the stufaoe when 

 her offspring is with her. Wliilst tending her yoimg 

 the female cannot be carelessly approached, and she 

 will vigorously defend her offspring. All who have 

 read Dr. Livingstone's " Travels " will remember the 

 partial capsize and wetting he and his Makololo com- 

 panions sustained from the infuriated nish of a female 

 Hippopotamus, "whose young one had been speared 

 the day before." Mr. Andersson and Captain Owen 

 record similar catash'opbes. The former says — " An 

 immense Hippopotamus, with its calf, rushed out from 

 amongst the reeds where she had been concealed, 

 and, passing under our raft, almost immediately after- 

 wards made her appearance on the surface of the water. 

 Upon seeing this, I lost no time in firing ; but, though 

 to all appearance mortally wounded, we lost sight of 

 her at the time. A few mhautes aftenvards, however, 

 on coming to a bend of the river, we fell in with the 

 canoe tliat had been sent on bottom upwards ; and 

 found, to oirr great consternation, that the wounded 

 beast in going down the stream had caught sight of 

 the canoe, and, instantly attackhig it, had with one 

 blow of her head capsized it. The men saved them- 

 selves by swimmmg; but all the loose articles were 

 either lost or spoiled by the water." In the instance 

 mentioned by Captain Owen, the boat was completely 

 smashed, and sank ; but, as in Dr. Livingstone's case, 

 being close to the shore, all succeeded in landing 

 safely. The Hippopotamus is nocturnal and gregari- 

 ous m its habits. Large herds, to the number of 

 thirty or forty and upwards, are frequently seen at one 

 spot, some snoozing on the bank, and others noise- 

 lessly gliding through the limpid waters. They love 

 a still reach of tlie stream, " and prefer to remain by 

 day in a drowsy, yawning state ; and though their 

 eyes are open they take httle notice of things at a dis- 

 tance." Dr. Livingstone adds, that " the males utter 

 a loud succession of snorting gnmts, which may be 

 heard a mUe off." Among the various modes of 



