164 HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS. 



has been much retarded, the laborious refearches of ma- 

 ny learned and ingenious naturalifts greatly fruftrated, 

 and the errors of former times repeatedly copied and 

 multiplied without number. 



The fize of the Hippopotamus is nearly equal to that 

 of the Elephant. M. Vaillant fays, that one which he 

 killed, meafured, from the tip of the nofe to the infertion 

 of the tail, ten feet feven inches, and was eight feet ele- 

 ven inches in circumference ; but, from the fmallnefs of 

 its tufks, he fuppofed it to be a young one. In its fto- 

 mach were found leaves and reeds, grofsly chewed; like- 

 wife fmall branches of trees, a little bruifed. 



It inhabits all the larger rivers of Africa, from the Ni- 

 ger to the Cape of Good Hope ; but is found in none of 

 the African rivers that run into the Mediterranean, ex- 

 cept the Nile, and in that part of it only which runs 

 •through the Upper Egypt, and in the fens and lakes of 

 Ethiopia. 



The head of this animal is enOrmoufly large; its 

 mouth vaftly wide. Ray fays, that the upper mandible 

 is moveable, like that of a Crocodile. In each jaw there 

 are four cutting teeth ; thofe in the lower jaw point 

 ftraight forward : It has four large tulks ; the largeft, 

 which are always in the lower jaw, are fometimes above 

 two feet long : It is faid that the canine teeth are fo 

 hard, as to emit fire on being (truck with fteel ; they are 

 perfectly white, and preferable to ivory for making arti- 

 ficial teeth : The grinders are fquare or oblong, like 

 thofe of a man ; and fo large, that a Tingle tooth weighs 

 above three pounds : The fkin is of a dulky colour, bears 

 a refemblance to that of the Rhinoceros, but is thicker, 

 and is made into whips : The tail is nearly a foot long, 

 taper, and flatted at the end, which is thinly furnifhed 



