242 HIPPOPOTAMI. Chap. XIII. 



posed to be large. They love a still reach of the stream, as in 

 the more rapid parts of the channel they are floated down so 

 quickly, that much exertion is necessary to regain the distance 

 lost, by frequently 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 snorting 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 referred to keep their noses among 

 water-plants and breathe so quietly that one would not dream of 

 their existence in the river, except by footprints on the banks. 



