WILD ANIMALS IN - CAPTIVITY 
ride on his back ; however, on the last occasion on which 
I entered his den it was with one of my workmen who 
accompanied me for the purpose of assisting to take his 
measurements with a tape-measure. But on attempting 
to pass it round the animal, to take his circumference, he 
suddenly, and in a furious temper, turned upon us, and 
we had a narrow escape from his powerful jaws. My 
object in endeavouring to get his dimensions was to assist 
me in mounting the skin of the hippopotamus now in 
the Crystal Palace.^ From this time no one, except his 
keeper. Hunt, would venture inside his den. It is also 
a remarkable fact that he continued to exhibit a furious 
antipathy towards workmen. I once saw him charge at 
a workman and bite the iron bars so savagely that he 
broke cne of his enormous teeth completely off close to 
the jaw. A rather interesting and exciting adventin-e 
befel his keeper. Hunt, with whom he was always on the 
best of terms. One day, in very hot weather in the month 
of August, the large tank outside the hippopotamus- 
house had been cleaned out and refilled with fresh water. 
Hunt, the keeper, at the closing of the Gardens, did not, 
as he should have done, open the door of the den of the 
Hippo, but took his usual walk to a neighbouring pub to 
smoke his pipe and chat with a few friends. During 
his absence the night-watchman reported that Hunt 
had gone out forgetting to let the animal into the bath, 
and the poor beast appeared to be suffering through the 
heat. 
The watchman was instructed to let Master Hippo 
into the water, which he did, and no more was thought 
about the matter. Later on Mr. Hunt came home (he 
slept in a room in Hippo’s house). It was a lovely moon- 
^ The specimen mentioned aljove is now nearly destroyed by 
wet and exposure. 
74 
