156 THE COMMON HIPPOPOTAMUS. 
as these constituted to the Klaar-water people the 
greatest part of the profits. The ribs are covered 
witli a thick layer of fat, celebrated as the great- 
est delicacy, and known to the colonists as a 
rarity by the name of Zeekce-spek, (sea-cow pork.) 
This can only be preserved by salting; as on 
attempting to dry it in the sun, in the same 
manner as the other parts of the animal, it melts 
away. The rest of the flesh consists entirely of 
lean ; and was, as usual with all other game, cut 
into large slices, and dried on the bushes, reser- 
ving only enough for the present use. Three 
bushels, at least, of half chewed grass were taken 
out of its stomach and intestines.* 
It has been generally considered, that there is 
only one species of Hippopotamus known from 
recent specimens. M. Desmoulins is the only 
person who has given us any reason to doubt it, 
and as we find other animals of North and South, 
or South and West Africa, though closely allied, 
to differ, there is reason to suppose, that in this 
case we may also have distinct species. The 
question is at present quite undecided. M. Des- 
moulins takes his characters from the skeleton of 
a Hippopotamus from the Cape, and one from 
Senegal. In the first, the sagittal crest is, at least, 
a fifth of the distance from the occipital crest, to 
Burchell’s Travels in South Africa. 
