262 HIPPOPOTAMI. 



large. They love a still reach of the stream, as in the more rap- 

 id parts of the channel they are floated down so quickly that 

 much exertion is necessary to regain the distance lost by frequent- 

 ly swimming up again : such constant exertion disturbs them in 

 their nap. They prefer to remain by day in a drowsy, yawning 

 state, and, though their eyes are open, they take little notice of 

 things at a distance. The males utter a loud succession of snort- 

 ing grunts, which may be heard a mile off. The canoe in which I 

 was, in passing over a wounded one, elicited a distinct grunting, 

 though the animal lay entirely under water. 



The young, when very little, take their stand on the neck of the 

 dam, and the small head, rising above the large, comes soonest to 

 the surface. The dam, knowing the more urgent need of her calf, 

 comes more frequently to the surface when it is in her care. But 

 in the rivers of Londa, where they are much in danger of being 

 shot, even the hippopotamus gains wit by experience ; for, while 

 those in the Zambesi put up their heads openly to blow, those re- 

 ferred to keep their noses among water-plants, and breathe so qui- 

 etly that one would not dream of their existence in the river ex- 

 cept by footprints on the banks. 



