WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 



ride on his back ; however, on the last occasion on which 

 I entered his den it was with one of my workmen who 

 acconipanied me for the purpose of assisting to take his 

 measurements with a tape-measure. But on attempting 

 to pass it round the animal, to take his circumference, he 

 suddenly, and in a furious temper, turned upon us, and 

 we had a narrow escape from his powerful jaws. My 

 object in endeavouring to get his dimensions was to assist 

 me in mounting the skin of the hippopotamus now in 

 the Crystal Palace.^ From this time no one, except his 

 keeper. Hunt, would venture inside his den. It is also 

 a remarkable fact that he continued to exhibit a furious 

 antipathy towards workmen. I once saw him charge at 

 a workman and bite the iron bars so savagely that he 

 broke cne of his enormous teeth completely off close to 

 the jaw. A rather interesting and exciting adventure 

 befel his keeper, Hunt, with whom he was always on the 

 best of terms. One day, in very hot weather in the month 

 of August, the large tank outside the hippopotamus- 

 house had been cleaned out and refilled with fresh water. 

 Hunt, the keeper, at the closing of the Gardens, did not, 

 as he should have done, open the door of the den of the 

 Hippo, but took his usual walk to a neighbouring pub to 

 smoke his pipe and chat with a few friends. During 

 his absence the night-watchman reported that Hunt 

 had gone out forgetting to let the animal into the bath, 

 and the poor beast appeared to be suffering through the 

 heat. 



The watchman was instructed to let Master Hippo 

 into the water, which he did, and no more was thought 

 about the matter. Later on Mr. Hunt came home (he 

 slept in a room in Hippo's house). It was a lovely moon- 



' The specimen mentioned above is now nearly destroyed by 

 wet and exposure. 



74 



