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ALLEN: MAMMALS FROM THE BLUE NILE VALLEY. 326 
is (like that of the camel) a pace — the two legs of one side acting 
together, but when frightened the herds go off in single file at a stiff 
gallop, their long necks held forward at an angle and undulating with 
a sinuous movement. 
HIPPOPOTAMUS AMPHIBIUS Linné. 
Hippopotamus. 
Hippopotamus amphibius Linné, Syst. nat., ed. 10, 1758, 1, p. 74. 
This fine mammal is doomed to extinction in the Nile ere many 
years. Not only does he present an easy mark for hunters as he 
rests on a sandbar but on account of his occasional attacks upon small 
boats and the damage done to native crops, protection is not now 
accorded him and his destruction is even encouraged. F. L. James, 
writing in 1884, of “The wild tribes of the Sudan,” says that at that 
time hippos were no longer plentiful north of Khartoum. At Berber 
there were still a few but they were hunted by the natives who watched 
for them nightly as they came from the river to feed on the growing 
crops. At the present time hippos are practically gone from the river 
above Khartoum, though Captain S. S. Flower told us that about 
1908 the tracks of one were seen that had walked across the point at 
the junction of the White and the Blue Niles close to that city. This 
Was most unusual even then, however, for in 1901 I. C. Johnson (1903) 
recorded that during a voyage up the Blue Nile from Khartoum, the 
first hippo seen was near the mouth of the Dinder some forty miles 
below Wad Medani. He supposed this to be about its northern limit 
at that time. We saw no hippos on the Blue Nile until well above 
Singa, at E] Mesharat, where there were several basking on the mud 
flats in the middle of the stream. They have become very shy from 
constant persecution by sportsmen and others passing up and down 
to Roseires and no doubt will soon be nearly gone from this part of 
the stream. We several times found their well-worn paths up nearly 
precipitous banks into the grassy jungles along the river and frequently 
heard their loud guttural honking at night. At Bados one was caught 
»-by the natives in nooses set in its path. These were attached to large 
wooden floats, which discovered the animal’s whereabouts to his cap- 
tors the following morning after it had retired to the stream. Four 
spearmen in a large wooden boat went leisurely forth to attack their 
captive, a rather small specimen, but full of fight. Previous to the 
