DASYPIDA, 217 
terrific appearance, but they are solely intended for cutting grass and other 
vegetable substances, and are seldom employed as weapons of offence, except 
when the animal is wounded or otherwise irritated. The incisor teeth of the 
lower jaw lie almost horizontally, with their points directed forwards, and are 
said to be employed as crow-bars in tearing up the various aquatic plants on 
which the animal feeds. The canines are very large and curved, and are worn 
obliquely, in a manner very similar to the rodent type of teeth. Their shape 
is a bold curve, forming nearly the half of a circle, and their surface is deeply 
channeled and ridged on the outer line of the curve, and smoother on the face. 
Possessed of an enormous appetite, having a stomach that is capable of 
containing five or six bushels of nutriment, and furnished with such powerful 
instruments, the Hippopotamus is a terrible nuisance to the owners of culti- 
vated lands that happen to be near the river in which the animal has taken 
up his abode. 
The Hippopotamus is, as the import of its name, River Horse, implies, 
most aquatic in its habits. It generally prefers fresh water, Lut is not at all 
averse to the sea, and will sometimes prefer salt water to fresh. It is an 
admirable swimmer and diver, and is able to remain below the surface for a 
very considerable length of time. - In common with the elephant, it possesses 
the power of sinking at will, which is the more extraordinary when the huge 
size of the animal is taken into consideration. Perhaps it may be enabled 
to contract itself by an exertion of the muscles whenever it desires to sink, 
and to return to its former dimensions when it wishes to return to the surface. 
It mostly affects the stillest reaches of the river, as it is less exposed to the 
current, and not so liable to be swept down the stream while asleep. The 
young Hippopotamus is not able to bear submersion so long as its parent, 
and is therefore carefully brought to the surface at short intervals for the 
purpose of breathing. During the first few months of the little aninal’s life, 
it takes its stand on its mother’s neck, and is borne by her above or through 
the water as experience may dictate or necessity require. 
The Hippopotamus is a gregarious animal, collecting in herds of twenty 
or thirty in number, and making the air resound with their resonant snorts. 
The snort of this creature is a most extraordinary sound, and one that is well 
calculated to disturb the nerves of sensitive persons, especially if heard un- 
expectedly. The animals at the Zoological Gardens make the very roof ring 
with the strange unearthly sounds which they emit. In their native state it 
is very difficult to ascertain even approximately the number of a herd, as the 
animals are continually diving and rising, and never appear simultaneously 
above the surface of the water. 
DASYPID. 
THIS small but important family includes the Manis, the Armadillo, the 
Ant-eater, and the Platypus, or Duck-bill. 
THE PHATAGIN is one of the numerous species that compose the strange 
genus of MANIS. All these animals are covered with a series of horny plates, 
sharp-pointed and keen-edged, that lie with their points directed towards the 
tail, and overlap each other like the tiles upon the roof of a house. 
The fore-claws of the Phatagin are very large, and are employed for the 
purpose of tearing down the nests of the termite, or white ant, as it is more 
popularly called, so as to enable it to feed upon the inmates, as they run 
about in confusion at the destruction of their premises. Ants, termites, and 
various insects are the favourite food of the Phatagin, which sweeps them up 
by means of its long and extensile tongue, caring nothing for their formidable 
