S58 HIPPOPOTAMUS TRIBE. 
so long remained unknown to the naturalists of 
Europe. 
HIPPOPOTAMUS TRIBE. 
Only one species has hitherto been discovered 
as belonging to this tribe. This has four front 
teeth in each jaw ; the upper ones standing distant 
by pairs, the lower prominent, and the two middle 
ones the longest. The canine teeth are solitary ; 
those of the lower jaw extremely large, curved, 
aitd cut obliquely at the ends. The feet are each 
armed at the margin with four hoofs. 
Hippopotamus. 
The hippopotamus is a very large animal, ex- 
ceeding even the rhinoceros in size. He is some- 
times not less than seventeen feet long, and gene- 
nerally about seven feet in height. His head is of 
an enormous size ; his mouth amazingly wide ; 
the jaws are armed, each with four cutting teeth, 
and two tusks. The teeth in the lower jaw ; are 
straight, and point forwards almost horizontal ; 
the two middlemost longer than those on the sides ; 
those in the upper jaw are disposed at regular 
distances from each other. The tusks in the up- 
per jaw are short ; those in the lower very long, 
and truncated obliquely. A tooth is sometimes 
twenty-seven inches long’, and weighs six pounds 
nine ounces. In figure, the hippopotamus resem- 
bles an ox more nearly than any other common 
