THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 245 



second about nine months afterwards. Botli these, however, 

 were lost shortly after their birth, in spite of every care and pre- 

 caution. With the third calf, born on the 5th of November, 1872, 

 more successful results were obtained. The little animal sucked 

 freely shortly after its birth, and gave every sign of health and 

 vitality. She increased rapidly in size and strength, and has 

 continued to thrive up to the present time, when she is now nearly 

 as large as her mother. Old ' Obaysch ' died of a good old 

 age in March, 1878, and ' Adhela ' on the 16th December, 1882, 

 after having lived thirty years in these Gardens. There is, how- 

 ever, still a pair in the collection, as the Society acquired in 1877, 

 as a mate for the youthful ' Cleopatra,' a young male (' Anthony ') 

 born in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of Amsterdam, on 

 July 3rd, 1876." 



The arrival of " Obaysch," the first hippopotamus which it 

 is said had breathed on English soil since the Deluge, created 

 nearly as much furore in London as the giraflFe had previously 

 done in Paris ; and perhaps, with the exception of a subsequent 

 period when the public had the " Jumbo-fever," the Gardens were 

 never so thronged by visitors, in fact, the fortanes of the society 

 which had been anything but flourishing previously, began to 

 revive in consequence, and have continued healthy ever since. 



In the " Life of Frank Buckland," by his brother-in-law, 

 George C. Bompas, there is a good story told apropos of this 

 animal: — " Obash, the first hippopotamus once got loose. It 

 was early in the morning before the gardens were opened, when a 

 keeper rushed into Mr, Bartlett's house, exclaiming, ' Obash is 

 out ! ' and sure enough there came Obash down the long walk, 

 his huge mouth turned into a ghastly smile, as if he meant 

 mischief. The cunning brute had contrived to push back the 

 door of his den, while his keeper had gone for the carpenter to 

 mend some defect in it. Having warned every one to keep out of 

 the way, Mr. Bartlett called his keeper, who tried to coax the 

 hippopotamus back with sweet hay. The brute munched the 

 hay, but showed no sign of going back. What was to be done ? 

 Mr.' Bartlett is a man of unfailing resource. There was one 

 keeper Obash hated, and ran at him whenever he came in sight. 



