HIPPOPOTAMUS TEETH OR TUSKS. 271 



8. For small monetary payments in India, Africa, and North America, 

 and for counters in games of chance. 



And lastly, they serve as studies of design, form, and colour to the 

 sculptor, painter, and art manufacturer. 



There are other uses besides the foregoing, but these are the principal ones. 

 The average value of the imports of foreign collected shells in the last 

 five years may be taken to be 250,000?. 



The details of imports of shells, &c, in 1859, as far as can be ascertained, 

 were — 



Mother-of-pearl shells, 40,003 cwt; - - Value £67,859 



Cowries 14,033 do. - - 28,051 



Cameos, not set - - - - 9,590 



Pearls - - - - - 108,768- 



Miscellaneous shells for collectors, dealers, and 



manufacturers, about ... 60,000 



£274,268 

 Having shown the aggregate value, we shall enter into special parti- 

 culars respecting the sources of supply and trade uses of particular 

 shells on another occasion. 



HIPPOPOTAMUS TEETH OR TUSKS. 



BY THOMAS D. ROCK. 



One great difficulty — happily not always insurmountable — which in- 

 variably attends the path of the technological student, is that which arises 

 from the erroneous application of proper names. Thus, the article now 

 proposed for consideration, is treated by different authors under the terms 

 sea-horse teeth, morse teeth, and hippopotamus teeth — the first two names 

 being applied, indiscriminately, both to the walrus and hippopotamus ; 

 although I believe that, commercially, the term sea-horse, is restricted 

 solely to the teeth of the latter animal. 



The word hippopotamus is compounded of two Greek nouns, 'licitos and 

 ■nora/xls, and literally signifies " the river-horse," a name bestowed upon this 

 singular animal by the ancients, to whom it was very probably suggested 

 by the amphibious nature of the creature, and the striking resemblance 

 which its profile bears to that of the equine family ; more especially when 

 seen just emerging from the surface of the water, with ears erect, the 

 unwieldy body, at the same moment, being hidden from view. 



Visitors to the Regent' s-park Gardens, where two hippopotami are to be 

 seen constantly enjoying the pleasures of the bath, may, by careful observa- 

 tion, verify for themselves the appropriateness of the name thus bestowed 

 upon this interesting mammalian. 



The Dutch Boers of South Africa, distinguish this animal by the rather 

 curious appellative of " zee-coe," or sea-cow. 



Hippopotami form by themselves a distinct genus ox the pachyder- 



