820 



AFRICA. 



Hippopotamus. 



pursues the fish, and makes them his prey. Three or fou c of ihein are often seen at the 



bottom of a river, near some cataract, form- 

 ing a kind of line, and seizing npon such fish 

 as are foi ced down by the violence of the 

 stream. He delights much in the water, and 

 stays the;e as willingly as upon land ; not- 

 withstanding which, he has no membranes 

 between his toes, like the beaver and otter ; 

 and it is plain, that the great ease with which 

 he swims, is only owing to the great capacity 

 of his body, which only ina!:-== bulk for bulk, 

 and is nearly of an equal weight the 

 water. Besides, he remains a long time un- 

 der water, and walks at the bottom as well as 

 he does in the open air. When he quits it 

 to graze upon land, he eats sugar-canes, rush- 

 es, millet, rice, roots, &c. 

 The Engallo or African Wild Boar (Phascochoeros) is, perhaps, the most hideous of all ani- 

 mals ; its tusks are curved upwards, towards the forehead. When attacked, it will often rush 

 upon its assailant with great fury, and often inflicts fatal wounds. 



The Springer (Anlilope euchore) inhabits the Cape of Good Hope, and Is there called the 



spring bok^f from the prodigious leaps it takes, when 

 any person suddenly appears ; when thus alarmed, it 

 has the power of extending the white space about the 

 tail, into the form of a circle, which returns to its linear 

 form when the animal Is tranquil. When pursued, it is 

 pleasing and curious to see the whole herd leaping to a 

 considerable height over each others ' heads ; and they 

 will sometimes take 3 or 4 leaps successively. In this 

 situation, they seem suspended In the air, looking over 

 their shoulders at their pursuers, and forming the radius 

 of the white part about the tail, in a most beautiful man- 

 ner. They are extremely swift, and it must be a good 

 horse that can overtake them. They migrate annually, 

 from the interior of the country, in small herds, and 

 continue near the Cape for 2 or 3 months, and then 

 retreat towards the north, In herds of many thousands, 

 covering the great plains for several hours in their passage. 



They are attended, in these migrations, by numbers of lions, hysenas, and other wild beasts 

 of prey, which commit great devastation among them. They also make periodical migrations, 



in 7 or 8 years, in herds of many thousands, 

 , - -.^ . £ , from the north ; being, probably, compelled to 



leave their haunts in the Terra de Natal, by 

 the excessive drought of that region, where it 

 sometimes happens, that not a drop of rain 

 falls for 2 or 3 years. In these migrations, 

 they spread over the whole country of Caf- 

 fraria, which they desolate, not leaving a 

 blade of grass. Their flesh is excellent, and, 

 with other antelopes, they furnish the venison 

 of the Cape. 



The Common Antelope. Of this numerous 

 tribe of animals, there is, perhaps, no species 

 so truly elegant in its appearance, as this ; and, 

 although it is one of the commonest, yet its 

 habits are but little known. It is very numer- 

 of Africa. In size, it is rather smaller than 



Springer. 



Common Antelope. 



ous in Barbary, and in 

 the fallow-deer. 



all the northern parts 



