623 
THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 
with great ease. It is rather hot in its temper, and if irritated, becomes highly excited, and 
moves its teeth and feet with remarkable activity and force. 
The Syrian Hyrax is the animal which is mentioned under the name of 4 4 coney ’ ’ in 
the Old Testament, and is found inhabiting the clefts and caverns of rocks. In its habits and 
general appearance it is very similar to the Cape Hyrax, and needs no farther description. 
Although it will bite fiercely when first captured, it is sufficiently docile in disposition, and 
soon learns to obey its keeper, towards whom it displays an affectionate disposition if it be 
rightly treated. The color of both species is dark brown, but the Syrian animal can be distin- 
guished from the Cape Hyrax by the presence of a great number of very long black hairs, 
which are thickly scattered over its body, and penetrate through the shorter fur. Its native 
name is Ashkoko. 
THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 
The last on the list of the pachydermatous animals is the well-known Hippopotamus, or 
River Horse. 
This enormous quadruped is a native of various parts of Africa, and is always found either 
in water or in its near vicinity. In absolute height it is not very remarkable, as its legs are 
extremely short, but the actual bulk of its body is very great indeed. The average height of 
a full-grown Hippopotamus is about five feet. Its naked skin is dark brown, curiously marked 
with innumerable lines like those on 4 4 crackle ” china or old oil-paintings, and is also dappled 
with a number of sooty black spots, which cannot be seen except on a close inspection. A 
vast number of pores penetrate the skin, and exude a thick, oily liquid, which effectually 
seems to protect the animal from the injurious effects of the water in which it is so constantly 
immersed. The author once spoiled a pair of gloves entirely by patting the male animal at 
present in the Zoological Gardens. The mouth is enormous, and its size is greatly increased 
by the odd manner in which the jaw is set in the head. 
Within the mouth is an array of white, gleaming tusks, which have a terrific appearance, 
but are solely intended for cutting grass and other vegetable substances, and are seldom 
employed as weapons of offence, except when the animal is wounded or otherwise irritated. 
The incisor teeth of the lower jaw lie almost horizontally, with their points directed forwards, 
and are said to be employed as crowbars in tearing up the various aquatic plants on which the 
animal feeds. The canines are very large and curved, and are worn obliquely, in a manner 
very similar to the rodent type of teeth. Their shape is a bold curve, forming nearly the half 
of a circle, and their surface is deeply channeled and ridged on the outer line of the curve, and 
smoother on the face. The entire tooth, when it has been removed from the animal and thor- 
oughly dried, is covered with a series of fine, superficial cracks, which intersect each other 
diagonally with much regularity, being a veritable example of nature’s 4 4 cross-hatching.” 
The tooth is very solid in its substance and close in its grain, and as it retains its color 
under very trying circumstances, is admirably adapted for the manufacture of artificial teeth. 
Throughout the greater part of its length it is quite solid, but bears a conical hollow about 
three or four inches deep at the extremity which enters the socket. The extreme whiteness 
of the ivory obtained from the Hippopotamus’ teeth renders it peculiarly valuable for the deli- 
cate scales of various philosophical instruments, and its natural curve adapts it admirably for 
the verniers of ship sextants. The weight of a large tooth is from five to eight pounds, and the 
value of the ivory is from four to five dollars per pound. 
With these apparently combined teeth the Hippopotamus can cut the grass as neatly as if 
it were mown with a scythe, and is able to sever, as if with shears, a tolerably stout and thick 
stem. 
Possessed of an enormous appetite, having a stomach that is capable of containing five or 
six bushels of nutriment, and furnished with such powerful instruments, the Hippopotamus is 
