56 
THE NATURALISTS^' COMPANION. 
OUll AGEJVTt^. 
The following persons arc authorized to i-cceivc 
siihscrii)iions and jidvoitiseinents for tnis pai)ei- We 
will Live a very liberal commission to iiersons who 
Avill act as our agents, vi rite for circulars and terms. 
C. J. WALKER, Jr., 
14 Rutledge ave.^ 
ClIAKLESTON, S. C. 
R. W. FORD, 
Bristol, Conn. 
THE HTPFOPO TAMES. 
(ll I PRO PUT A M US AM PH IBIU S). 
One of the largest uniinals tliat 
now treads the surface of tlie earth 
is the hippopotamus of river horse 
ot Africa. It belongs to the family 
called PACHYDEEMATA, OP ill Other 
words, thick skinned animals. In 
height it seldom exceeds five feet, 
owing to the shortness ot the legs. 
Its body, however, is sometimes sev¬ 
enteen feet long. The skin of the 
hippopotamus is very thick and 
tough, but will not resist a ritie ball, 
as will the elephant’s bide. Upon a 
close examination the skin is seen 
to be covered with numerous small 
sooty spots. These are the oiicnings 
or pores, from which a thick, oily 
liquid exudes. This is to jirotect 
the animal from the water, which it 
does admirably. Wood, the natur¬ 
alist, says that after he had patted 
one of these animals at the Zoologi¬ 
cal Garden, in London, he found he 
had completely ruined the pair of 
kid gloves he wore. Its skin is of a 
slatish or dark brown (.*olor, but the 
skin of a young animal is light pink. 
It is two inches thick and under this 
is a layer of fatty matter, considered 
hy the natives a rare treat. The 
liutch colonists smoke it like bacon, 
and call it “zec-koe speck,” or ^‘sea- 
cow’s bacon.” It is also (,‘alled “Cape 
of Good Hope liacon.” The head 
is curiously funned, so that the nos¬ 
trils, eyes and ears are on about the 
same level; thus it is enabled to 
breathe, see and hear without ex[)os- 
ing more than an inch or so of its 
carcass. Its teeth are tormed to 
suit its habits, as is everything else. 
The teeth on the lower jaw are 
p (n n te d fo r w a rd, al n i o st h o ri z o n t a 11 y. 
These, jt is said, are used as crow¬ 
bars, td uproot the a (piatic plants 
on which it lives. These teeth, to 
quote Wood’s words, “are the main¬ 
stay of the dentist,” as they remain 
white a long time, and more closely 
resembles the human teeth. It has 
four toes on each foot. The Iiippo- 
potamusis a gregarious animal, liv¬ 
ing in herds of from live to twen ty 
and sometimes in larger numbers. 
It frecjuents still iiortions of rivers 
where there is no current, so that it 
will not be swcqjt away while in the 
land of dreams. It can remain un¬ 
der the surface for about half an 
hour, during which time it can he 
seen, if the water is clear enough, 
walking along the bottom of tlu^ 
river. This animal is of a gentle 
disjxisition, but when disturbed, 
wounded or provoked in any way,it 
rushes at its foe, and if he is in a 
boat, either crushes it in with Ids 
mouth or upsets it. It is valuable 
on account of the beautiful ivory ob¬ 
tained from its teeth, and also for its 
hide from which are made what is 
known as “cow hides.” 
el. Allen, Je. 
S:ind crabs of the Keyes of Florida aic perfectly 
white and live in holes in the white coral saed.vvhere 
they are hardly disiii gtiishahle, never leaving it to go 
among tin; mangroves afevv leetaway, lor theie.where 
the failing leaves have formed a dark baclsgroiindhheir 
ghost-like forms would stand out in bold relief, 
Readers, please contiibute to these columns a little 
more freely, especially articles on ornitliology. 
