The Wild Boar probably became extinct in Britain before the reign of

Charles I.; while in Ireland it was abundant as late as the seventeenth

century.

THE INDIAN HOG[271] differs but little in general appearance

from the European Wild Boar, and is looked upon in the East as a most

exciting object of the chase, its speed, endurance, and courage making

it one of the most formidable and dangerous animals that can possibly

be encountered.

[Illustration: WILD BOAR.]

The habits of this animal are admirably portrayed by Williamson, in his

“Oriental Field Sports.” After describing the extraordinary speed this

creature is possessed of, equalling that of a good Horse, and asserting

that a moderate-sized Hog can, and often does, overthrow Horses and

their riders, he states that “The Wild Hog delights in cultivated

situations; but he will not remain where water is not at hand, in

which he may, unobserved, quench his thirst and wallow at his ease.

Nor will he resort for a second season to a spot which does not afford

ample cover, whether of heavy grass or of underwood jungle, within

a certain distance, for him to fly to in case of molestation, and

especially to serve as a retreat during the hot season, as otherwise

he would find no shelter. The sugar-cane is his great delight, both

as being his favourite food, and as affording a high, impervious,

and unfrequented situation. In these, Hogs commit great devastation,

especially the breeding Sows, which not only devour, but cut the canes

for litter, and throw them up into little huts, which they do with much

art, leaving a small entrance which they stop up at pleasure. Sows

never quit their young Pigs without completely shutting them up. This,

indeed, is requisite only for a few days, as the young brood may be

seen following the mother, at a round pace, when not more than a week

or ten days old. The canes are generally planted about the end of May

or beginning of June, in ground rendered extremely fine by digging.

For this purpose cuttings of canes are buried horizontally, and with

the first showers of the rainy season, which usually commences in

the middle of June, the several joints throw out shoots that grow so

rapidly, as often to be two or three feet high by the beginning of

September. The red cane, called the _bun-ook_, which is not so valuable

as the smaller or yellower sort, begins to ripen in September; by the

end of which month it will have attained the height of seven or eight

feet. These serve as the first receptacles for the Wild Hogs, which

having suffered, since the harvest in March, all the inconveniences of

bad diet, long nightly excursions, scarcity of water, great diurnal

heat, and frequent disturbance, arrive among them in excellent running

order. It should be observed that throughout India a custom prevails

of setting fire to the grass jungles in the month of May, when they

are completely dry, for the purpose of increasing the growth of the

new grass, by the stimulus of the ashes which are washed in with the

first showers in June.” Williamson goes on to say that “the _bun-ook_

is commonly cut in November, and the Hogs then shift to the yellow

canes, which are by that time forward enough to serve as sufficient

cover. Canes require much manure and excellent tillage; consequently

they are usually planted near to villages, and surrounded by fields

of wheat, barley, and other grain. A species of lupin called _rhur_

is cultivated in large quantities. It grows luxuriantly, generally to

the height of eight or nine feet, forming quite a wilderness.... In

these _rhur_ fields Hogs delight, as they are completely umbrageous,

but being open below, admit the air freely. Besides, this wild rice

growing very thick among the _rhur_, and a kind of soft downy grass

about a foot in height, they find themselves very comfortably situated.

About the middle of March, or, at the latest, by the beginning of

April, the Hogs must shift their quarters, the canes and grain being

by this time generally cut. However, they often retain possession to

the last moment, frequently disputing every inch with the reapers,

and not rarely causing them to leave parts uncut, in the hope that

the Hogs will evacuate them; which, if the jungle whither they must

betake themselves happen to be remote, they feel no great disposition

to do. For at this season the Hog is extremely heavy and indolent, in

consequence of the abundance of the excellent food to which he has,

for five or six months, been habituated. Hogs are often killed in

March with three and four inches of fat on their chines and shoulders.

Exclusive of the habits of ease in which he has so long indulged, it

is probable the Hog feels diffident as to his want of exercise, and

ability to travel under such a mass of flesh. Besides, he is extremely

tenacious of the spot which has so long pampered him; and, although

unable to proceed any distance without being blown, yet the short

sallies he makes to attack such as venture near his haunt are marked

with vigour and resolution. Sometimes he will do considerable mischief

with his tusks.... Great numbers are at this season either caught in

nets made for the purpose, or they are shot by the _shekarries_, or

native sportsmen, a circumstance that never fails to afford a happy

triumph to the affrighted villagers.”

The Wild Boar of India is hunted usually by men on horseback, armed

with spears of a more or less variable length, averaging from about

six feet and a half to eight and sometimes ten feet. The shaft of

a spear consists of bamboo properly weighted with lead; the spear

itself is a broad and stout blade. It is held by a man on horseback in

such a manner that about a foot and a half projects in front of the

stirrup-iron, and the Horse is ridden in such a way that when the Boar

charges it is transfixed by the spear.

An account of a Wild Boar hunt of an exceptionally interesting and

exciting nature is related by Captain Shakespeare:--“While beating the

sugar canes for Wild Hogs, a few miles from Hingolu, a villager came

and said, ‘If you want to see a Hog come with me;’ and leading the way

over the brow of a hill, pointed out an object in a field below, that

in the mist of the morning appeared like a large blue rock, much too

large for a Hog. However, the object presently got on its legs, and

dissipated every doubt existing as to its character. About a hundred

yards distant from the animal was a fissure in the hills, thickly

wooded, and here, no doubt, was the Boar’s lair; and if he took alarm

and rushed thither, it would be next to impossible to dislodge him. A

savage Boar in his stronghold is as difficult to oust as the Grizzly

Bear from his winter cave in the Rocky Mountains. He constantly rushes

out, knocks over and gores the beaters nearest the mouth of his

retreat, and then skips back again before there is the shadow of a

chance of spearing him.”

[Illustration: DOMESTIC SOW AND YOUNG.]

After describing the way in which he managed to place himself between

the Boar and his retreat, Captain Shakespeare continues:--

“Standing as I was, behind a hedge considerably higher than my mare’s

head, I did not see the Boar. The duffadar (native officer) was some

thirty yards to my left, and looking over a lower part of the hedge,

shouted out, ‘Look out! here he comes!’ The mare was standing still,

and I had but just time to drop my spear point, which caught the Boar

in the rise, and the blade was buried in his withers. My mare, from

her standing position, cleared with one bound the Boar, spear and all,

as this was carried out of my hand; then suddenly turning, was in

her stride after the Hog. The Hog had but seventy yards to reach the

jungle, and just as he struck the first branch of the jungle with his

back, breaking in two the shaft of my spear (which was still fast in

his body), the duffadar closed with him. The Boar, having been missed

by the spear, ran under the duffadar’s Horse, and for thirty yards

lifted him off his legs, plunging and kicking till the rider came to

the ground. Fortunately we had three Dogs with us; and having shouted

to the people to let them go, they came up and took the attention of

the Boar at the moment he was on the duffadar, who had fallen on his

sword and broken it, and was utterly helpless. The next moment the

Boar made full tilt for his stronghold, the Dogs following close

at his heels. Armed with a fresh spear, I rode up the face of the

hill, and from thence looking down saw the Boar at bay and surrounded

by the Hounds, but in such a situation that it was impossible on

horseback to go to the assistance of the Dogs. At this moment one of

the beaters came running up with a heavy double-barrelled rifle, and

being apprehensive that the Hounds would be speedily slaughtered if not

relieved, I took the gun, and dismounting, resolved to attack the Boar

on foot. Just as I got to the bottom, I saw the monster Boar with his

back to a tree, and the three Dogs looking very cautiously at him. He

was about forty yards from me. Directly he saw me, putting his head a

little down to take aim, he came straight at me, increasing his pace

from the trot to the charge. When about fifteen yards off, he received

the first bullet of my rifle in his neck, Taking not the least notice

of it, he came on, and the second barrel fired at him, at about five

yards, broke his left under jaw-bone at the tusk. Fortunately I brought

my rifle down to the charge, and striking it with his head, the Boar

sent me over on my back. While running over me he made a glance, and

wounded me in the left arm. Had I not put down my rifle-barrel at the

moment, most probably his tusks would have been buried in my body. As

it was I had two shooting jackets on, it being a very cold morning, and

I suffered more from the jar than the wound. As I lay, I seized the end

of my rifle-barrel, determined to sell my life as dearly as possible.

To my delight, I must say, I saw the Boar knock over the man who was

running down with my big spear. He did not turn on either of us; for

the Boar is a noble foe, rarely turning, unless desperately wounded

and unable to go on, to mutilate a fallen enemy. The Dogs immediately

tackled him, and permitted me, though almost breathless, to get up. The

rifle-stock was cracked, and the pin that fastens the barrel into the

stock much bent. Having put this to rights, I loaded, and, proceeding

in the direction the Boar had gone, came up to within fifteen yards

of where he had halted and stood regarding me vengefully. Taking aim

I sent a bullet through his eye into his brain, and rolled him over

dead. I have stated that the Boar is the most courageous animal in the

jungle. There he was; with a broken spear in his withers, the shaft

sticking up a foot and a half from the blade, knocking over a horseman

and wounding his Horse; receiving two bullets--ten to the pound--the

first in his neck and throat, the second breaking his jaw, and fired

within a few feet of his muzzle; making good his charge, cutting down

his enemy like grass, wounding him; knocking over a second man armed

with a spear; defying the Dogs; and then, in the act of charging again,

shot in the brain, and dying without a groan.”

[Illustration: HEAD OF DOMESTIC PIG.]

[Illustration: HEAD OF WILD BOAR.]

THE DOMESTIC HOG is proved by the researches of Nathusius and

Rütimeyer to be descended from two distinct wild stocks--the Wild Boar,

and an Eastern type known now only in the domesticated condition, and

named _Sus indica_ by Pallas. The breeds of Hogs descended from the

Wild Boar are to be found in various parts of Northern and Central

Europe, and resemble their progenitors in the length of their legs, and

the development of their tusk. The skull, however, has become higher

and broader, and their tusks are not so large, and the body is not

covered with such a dense coating of hair.

[Illustration: MILK DENTITION OF PIG.

_d_, deciduous or falling-out [milk] teeth.]

[Illustration: IRISH GREYHOUND PIG. (_After Richardson._)]

The old “Irish Greyhound Pig,” of Richardson, may be taken as an

example of one of the domestic races descended from the Wild Boar.

Sometimes in this breed, as in the Normandy Pigs, a peculiar pendant,

about three inches long and covered with bristles, is to be seen

attached to the corner of the jaw, as in the accompanying figure.

The domesticated breeds of China and Siam have, among other characters,

broader and stouter heads than those which are descended from the Wild

Boar, and are best known to Englishmen under the form of the Chinese

breed. They constitute the type of _Sus indica_, which is now so

largely represented among the various European strains, and which is

mostly due to the crossing of the two original stocks.

Both these breeds were brought under the dominion of man in a very

remote age, and have varied in exact proportion to the care taken in

selecting the various characters. Both are found in the pile-dwellings

in the Swiss Lakes which belong to the Neolithic age, or to that period

when the use of metal was unknown in Europe north of the Alps, and both

were probably introduced from the East by the same race of herdsmen to

whom we owe the domestic cattle, Horses, and Dogs, as well as the arts

of gardening, farming, and spinning. The amount of change which has

been produced by the art of man in modifying the original stock may be

estimated from the figure at the top of the preceding page.

THE SOLID-HOOFED BREED OF PIGS.--Among the most remarkable

breeds of Pigs under domestication, the Solid-hoofed Pigs deserve

special notice, because they show a persistent variation from the

even-toed type. “From the time of Aristotle,” writes Mr. Darwin, “to

the present time, solid-hoofed Swine have been occasionally observed

in various parts of the world. Although this peculiarity is strongly

inherited, it is hardly probable that all the animals with solid hoofs

have descended from the same parents; it is more probable that the same

peculiarity has reappeared at various times and places. Dr. Struthers

has lately described and figured the structure of the feet; in both

front and hind feet the distal phalanges of the two greater toes are

represented by a single, great, hoof-bearing phalanx; and in the front

feet, the middle phalanges are represented by a bone which is single

towards the lower end, but bears two separate articulations towards the

upper end.”

This singular modification is stated by Dr. Coues to be persistent in

a Texas breed. So far as the hoof is concerned the animal is perfectly

solid-ungulate. It is also perfectly “odd-toed” (or perissodactyle)

in the terminal phalanges, which are joined together so as to form

one single hoof-supporting bone, _a_ of figure. Above this, however,

the other two phalanges (_b_, _c_) remain separate, and are widely

separated from each other by the intervention of a special ossicle

(_d_). How far this departs from the normal type may be seen from the

comparison of the figure with that of the foot of the Common Hog.

[Illustration: BONES OF PIG’S FOOT.]

[Illustration: FOOT OF SOLID-HOOFED PIG. (_After Coues._)

The hoof, _e_, is withdrawn sufficiently to show the joints.]

Among the aberrant forms resulting from domestication, according, to

Nathusius, is the JAPAN, OR MASKED PIG (_S. pliciceps_, Gray),

with its short head, broad forehead and nose, great fleshy ears, and

deeply-furrowed skin, of which the great thick folds are compared

by Mr. Darwin to the plates on the Indian Rhinoceros. It is held by

Nathusius to belong to the same stock as the Chinese Pig, a view which

is by no means improbable if we consider the enormous differences which

are produced by the selection of characters under the care of man in

the European breeds.

The Hogs are represented in Africa, south of the Sahara, and in

Madagascar, by an animal known as the BUSH HOG (_Potamochœrus_), which

possesses a remarkable boss or excrescence, rising from the face below

the eyes. The species figured, the _Potamochœrus penicillatus_, has

peculiar ears which look almost as if they had been cut.

One of the most singular of the Wild Hogs is the BABIRUSA (_Porcus

babirusa_), inhabiting the islands of Celebes and Borneo, in which, in

the males, the tusks arrive at an enormous size, those of the upper jaw

curving upwards and backwards, and even, in some cases, penetrating the

skull in their backward reach. These tusks, however, are useless for

purposes of attack. The lower jaws also are armed with two sharp tusks,

which are capable of inflicting severe wounds. The animal is nearly

hairless, and is said to arrive at a size not much less than that of a

Donkey. It is very ferocious, and is a more formidable antagonist than

the Wild Boar of Europe.

The name _Babirusa_ is said to be a compound of _Baba_ and _Rusa_,

being the Malayan appellations of the Pig and the Deer respectively.

The Babirusa is described as being of a delicate nature, requiring

considerable care and attention when kept in confinement. In its

natural state it is said to be very swift, running with the rapidity

of a Deer, and to be of a fierce disposition. The flesh of this animal

is highly prized as an article of food in the countries in which it is

found.

[Illustration: MASKED PIG.]

[Illustration: BUSH HOG.]

[Illustration: BABIRUSA.]

THE WART HOGS (_Phacochœrus_) constitute the second

well-marked group to be considered under the head of the family of

Hogs. They range over tropical Africa from Abyssinia to Caffraria.

They are remarkable, not only for having enormous tusks, and for the

development of a large excrescence, or wart, under each eye, but also

for the peculiar construction of their last grinding teeth. These are

massive, and composed of prisms of enamel surrounding a central mass of

dentine, and embedded in the cement which unites them into one tooth.

There is only one pair of upper incisors, and the last molars are the

only ones which are not shed in the old animal. The canines are large,

recurved, sharp, and project eight or nine inches beyond the lips.

Two species of this peculiar genus occur in Africa. ÆLIAN’S WART

HOG[272] is a native of the North of Africa. Its skin is of a

reddish colour, sparingly supplied with bristles; the neck and back

support a mane, some of the bristles of which attain a considerable

length.

THE ETHIOPIAN WART HOG (_P. æthiopicus_) is a native of the

southern portions of Africa, and differs principally from the preceding

in the larger size of the warts, and a more peculiarly shaped head. The

food of both species of Wart Hogs appears to consist almost entirely of

roots.

The Hog family is represented in the New World by the small though

formidable animals known as the PECCARIES (_Dicotyles_), which

are not more than about three feet long, and about fifty or sixty

pounds in weight. They live in herds, are omnivorous, and are perhaps

the most awkward animals to be dealt with by the hunter in the forests

of South America. They know no fear, and will attack anything which

comes in their way, inflicting frightful wounds with their short,

lancet-shaped tusks, which are entirely concealed within their lips.

They live in holes and hollow logs, into which they back, one by one,

until their abode is full, the last standing as sentinel with his head

outside. This habit affords the hunter an easy means of killing them,

for if the sentinel be killed outright the next takes his place, after

pushing out the dead body, and this may go on until the last of the

herd is killed.

[Illustration: SKULL OF THE ETHIOPIAN WART HOG.]

[Illustration: ETHIOPIAN WART HOG.]

The dentition of the Peccary differs from that of the True Hogs in

the smaller number of teeth, which are thirty-eight, instead of

forty-four, in number, the upper incisors being reduced to four, and

the premolars in the upper and lower jaws being six instead of eight.

There are also differences in the shape of the teeth, the grinders

presenting transverse ridges, as may be seen from the comparison of the

accompanying figure with that of the Hog.

There is also another important difference to be noted between the

Peccaries and the True Hogs in the structure of the feet. In the

former, the middle metatarsals and metacarpals unite into a solid

cannon bone analogous to that of cattle, while in the latter they are

distinct during the whole life of the animal.

[Illustration: PECCARY.]

[Illustration: DENTITION OF PECCARY. (A, Upper; B,

Lower jaw.)]

Two species of Peccary are known, the COMMON, OR TAJUCA, OR

COLLARED PECCARY (_Dicotyles torquatus_), which ranges from

Texas as far as the Straits of Magellan, and the WHITE-LIPPED

PECCARY (_D. labiatus_), of the forests of South America. The

latter is the larger of the two and the more ferocious.

THE FOSSIL HOGS.--The remains of the Fossil Hog are met with

in the fossil state in Europe, as far back as the Miocene Age, in

which period, as Professor Gaudry has pointed out, the canines were

not developed into large tusks in the Hog tribe. In the Pliocene Age

the males possessed moderate tusks, and in the Pleistocene, as at the

present time, the forests of Europe were haunted by large “tuskers.”

[Illustration: HIPPOPOTAMI IN A MEADOW BY THE SENEGAL.]

CHAPTER IV.

ARTIODACTYLA--THE HIPPOPOTAMUS FAMILY.

Present Representatives--Two Species--THE COMMON RIVER HORSE--General

Appearance--Characteristics: Skin, Head, Nostrils, Eyes, Ears, Legs,

Tail, Mouth, Tusks, Dentition, Skeleton, Stomach--Habits--Food--Under

Water--Behemoth of the Bible--Used in the Roman Sports--As

described by the Ancient Naturalists--As portrayed by the Ancient

Artists--The First Hippopotamus in England--Subsequent Inmates

of the Zoological Gardens--Herds of Hippopotami--Harpoon for

Hunting--Sir Samuel Baker’s Accounts of Hippopotamus Hunts--Various

Methods of Capture--Occasional Fits of Blind Fury--A Night

Attack upon a Diahbeeah--Uses of the Hippopotamus--THE LIBERIAN

HIPPOPOTAMUS--Fossil Forms--THE ANOPLOTHERES.

II.--THE HIPPOPOTAMUS FAMILY (HIPPOPOTAMIDÆ).

The Hippopotami, or River Horses, constitute the second family to be

considered next after the Hogs, among the non-ruminant hoofed animals

possessing an even number of toes on each foot. They are represented at

the present time by two closely-allied species found only in Africa,

the _Hippopotamus amphibius_, or Common River Horse, which haunts the

rivers of Africa from the Sahara desert to the Cape Colony; and the

much smaller Liberian animal, living on the west coast and on the

rivers flowing into Lake Tchad.

THE COMMON RIVER HORSE (_Hippopotamus amphibius_) is a large,

unwieldy-looking animal, sometimes as much as eleven or twelve feet

long, with a massive body and enormous head, and short stout legs.

Nevertheless, it is capable of moving swiftly on the land and of

swimming with perfect ease. Its skin is naked, thick, and penetrated

by pores which exude a thick fatty secretion, which may perhaps be

useful to it while in the water. The front part of the head is massive,

and broader than that of any other living quadruped; the nostrils are

comparatively small slits, which are closed and water-tight during

the frequent dives beneath the surface of the water; the eyes are

prominent, and placed far back in the head and the ears are so short

that they look as if they had been cropped. They, too, have a special

arrangement of muscles by which they can be closed. The short legs are

terminated by four hoof-bearing toes; and the short tail is adorned

with bristles arranged laterally and on opposite sides, which are the

only traces of hair found on the animal. The mouth is very large,

and armed with tusks and grinders, that present a fearful appearance

when the animal opens its mouth with a gape, which is unsurpassed in

width by that of any other animal. The tusks are enormous, especially

those in the lower jaw, which are curved upwards as in the Hogs, and

meet those of the upper jaw close to their sockets. By the attrition

of their surfaces together their tips are reduced to a chisel edge.

Between these great teeth are four front or incisor teeth, of conical

shape, in both upper and lower jaws, those in the latter being the

larger. The grinders in each jaw are three in number, and of a trefoil

pattern on their worn surfaces; while the false grinders in front

of them, four in number in each jaw, are conical, sharp-edged,

and resemble those of the Hogs. The skeleton is very Hog-like, and

the stomach is divided into four compartments. The liver has a

gall-bladder, and the kidneys are divided into lobes.

[Illustration: BASE OF SKULL OF HIPPOPOTAMUS, SHOWING DENTITION.]

[Illustration: LOWER JAW OF HIPPOPOTAMUS, SHOWING DENTITION.]

The River Horse is nocturnal in its habits, frequenting rivers and

lagoons, and rarely leaving them or their immediate neighbourhood

except at night, when it will go considerable distances in search of

food, sometimes causing great damage to cultivated crops, which may be

estimated from the fact that its stomach is capable of holding from

five to six bushels. Its food consists principally of grass, young

shrubs, and water plants, and it is particularly fond of green corn.

When in the water its slow respiration enables it to remain for a long

time beneath the surface without coming up to breathe; and the means of

closing both its ears and nostrils against the access of water, before

alluded to, is admirably suited for its aquatic habits.

[Illustration: STOMACH OF HIPPOPOTAMUS. (After Clark.)

_a_ _b_ _c_ _d_, the four divisions in their order; _p_, partition in

interior of division; _œ_, œsophagus; _du_, duodenum.]

The first and only time in which any animal at all answering the

description of the Hippopotamus is mentioned in the Bible is under

the designation of Behemoth (Job xl. 15-24), and even then there is

room for doubt as to whether the description may not be nearly as

applicable to the Elephant, though on the whole it certainly suits the

Hippopotamus better.

It is interesting to know that Milton evidently considered Behemoth to

mean the Elephant, or any rate, not the Hippopotamus, for in “Paradise

Lost,” in writing of the Creation, he says:--

“Scarce from his mould

Behemoth, biggest born of earth, upheaved

His vastness: fleeced the flocks, and bleating, rose

As plants: ambiguous between sea and land

The _river horse_ and scaly crocodile.”

According to Pliny, the Hippopotamus was first seen in Europe in the

curule ædileship of Scaurus, 58 B.C., when the exhibition

in the circus surpassed anything the Romans had ever seen. Among

other novelties, he exhibited a Hippopotamus and five Crocodiles. But

according to Dion Cassius, the Hippopotamus was first shown in the

games celebrated by Augustus, 29 B.C. So great was the demand

for Hippopotami in the Roman sports at a later period, that according

to Marcellinus Ammianus, they had disappeared from Egypt since the time

of the Emperor Julian. Favourable circumstances, however, must have

again restored them, as we learn, from the accounts given by Zerenghi

and others, of their being plentiful about the year 1600 and later. In

some parts of Egypt the Hippopotamus seems to have been sacred, as we

learn from Herodotus. Sonnini relates that the Hippopotami laid bare

whole countries by their terrible ravages, and from the terror they

inspired they were generally looked upon as the symbol of Typhon, that

giant who spread death and destruction among the deities which were

worshipped, and were the emblem of mischance and cruelty, and that the

worship of them at Papresius was practised with the view of appeasing

and averting their anger.

The descriptions given by early writers of the Hippopotamus are in

many instances most ludicrous. Aristotle, borrowing from Herodotus,

states that “the Hippopotamus of Egypt has a mane like a Horse, a

bifurcated hoof like an Ox, a flat visage or muzzle, an astragalus

like the animals with cloven feet, projecting teeth which do not show

themselves much, the tail of a Hog, the voice of a Horse, and in size

it resembles an Ass. Its skin is of such a thickness that spears are

made of it.” It is pretty clear from this description that Aristotle

meant the Hippopotamus, but also that he never saw one. Diodorus

approaches nearer to the truth as to the size of this animal when he

says that it is five cubits in length, and that the bulk resembles

that of the Elephant. However, he still retains the cloven hoof and

Horse’s mane. Pliny speaks of it as living in the Nile, and also

gives it the bifid hoof of the Ox, the back, mane, and neigh of the

Horse, a flattened muzzle, the tail and teeth of the Boar; evidently

following the descriptions given of it by Aristotle. He also adds that

helmets and bucklers are made of its skin, and that the animal feeds

on the crops, and is very cautious in avoiding snares; but he goes on

to say that it is covered with hair like the Seals. It is difficult

to conceive how he could have fallen into so great an error after

having spoken of its being exhibited in Rome by M. Scaurus, with five

Crocodiles. He finishes his account by stating that when the animal

gets too fat, and is diseased, it bleeds itself by pressing a vein of

its leg against some sharp object, and then plastering up the wound

with mud, so that it may speedily heal. The ancient artists appear to

have been more faithful in their portraits of the Hippopotamus than the

ancient authors and naturalists in their descriptions; indeed, with

very few exceptions, the animal has been pretty faithfully portrayed.

One exception is a figure copied by Hamilton from one of the caves of

Beni-Hassan, in which the feet are displayed as cloven and the lower

tusks made to appear so excessively large as to prevent all possibility

of their being hidden when the animal closed its jaws. In the figure

on the plinth of the statue of the Nile, which was formerly in the

Vatican, although the teeth and feet are not correct, the general idea

is good; and in many other sculptures and mosaics it is very well

represented, also on some of the medals and coins of Roman Emperors:

sometimes it is represented as holding a Crocodile in its mouth,

which probably may have given rise to the stories of the enmity the

Hippopotamus bears towards the Crocodile. In more modern times we have

more or less fabulous descriptions given by Isidore of Seville and

Vincent de Beauvais, neither of whom appears to have seen the animal.

Belon and Gillius, it would seem, are the first of the moderns who

actually saw the Hippopotamus alive, and this was at Constantinople,

although Sonnini appears to doubt the identity of the animal which

Belon saw. This is hardly justifiable, as Belon was a very accurate

observer, and even points out with much truth the differences between

the one he saw and those he had seen pictured on ancient works of art.

The first Hippopotamus ever seen alive in Great Britain, or indeed in

Europe in modern times, was brought to England on the 25th of May,

1850, and placed in the Gardens of the Zoological Society. Mitchell

gives the following account of its capture and habits:--“Since the

Imperial Exhibitions in the Circus of Rome, no living Hippopotamus

has been imported into Europe, except the young male which the

Society possesses. The difficulty of obtaining such an animal may

be conjectured from the fact that after the Viceroy of Egypt had

determined to present one to the Society, it became necessary for his

Highness to despatch an expedition to the Upper Nile for the purpose

of making the capture, and that success was only achieved after two

thousand miles of the river had been ascended. In the month of July,

1849, the chief huntsman of the party, in searching the reedy margin

of an island in the White Nile, called Obaysch, at last discovered a

little Hippopotamus calf, which, as he conjectured, had been born about

two days. It was so small that, in his delight at having accomplished

the Pasha’s order, he seized it in his arms, and would have carried

it to the boat which waited on him, had not the slimy exudation which

is lavishly poured forth from innumerable pores in the skin of the

young Hippopotamus rendered it so slippery that he was entirely unable

to retain his hold. The animal having thus slipped from his grasp,

all but escaped into the Nile, where the mother doubtless was lying

near at hand. The hunter, however, with the presence of mind which

characterises a good sportsman, seized his spear, and with the sharp

side-hook, which has been in fashion in Egypt for three thousand

years or more, he succeeded in arresting the headlong plunge of his

prize, without inflicting greater injury upon him than a skin wound,

the scar of which he bore to the day of his death. The long voyage

down the river was successfully accomplished in a boat which had been

built for the purpose by the Viceroy’s order, and ‘Obaysch,’ as they

named the Hippopotamus, from his birthplace, was safely delivered in

November, 1849, after a journey of four months, into the care of the

Hon. C. A. Murray, through whose powerful influence the Viceroy had

been prevailed upon to exert his power and assist the Society in an

object for which all exertions of their own had failed. Obaysch spent

his first winter in Cairo, under the charge of his intelligent keeper,

Hamet Saaffi Canaana, a Nubian Arab, whom Mr. Murray engaged for the

purpose. In May, 1850, proper preparations were made, with the obliging

co-operation of the directors, in the Peninsular and Oriental Steam

Navigation Company’s ship _Ripon_, for the transport from Alexandria,

and on the 25th of that month the first Hippopotamus which had breathed

on English soil within this period of history was landed successfully

on the quay at Southampton, and liberated in the Gardens from his

travelling-house at ten o’clock the same evening. On emerging from the

door of it he followed Hamet, who had scarcely ever left him during the

whole voyage from Cairo, into the building which had been prepared for

him, and instantly indulged in a long-continued bath. The ten hours

which elapsed between his removal from the steamer at Southampton, and

his arrival in the Regent’s Park, is the longest period during which he

has ever been without access to water.”

For the first year Obaysch was fed almost entirely on Cow’s milk and

finely-ground Indian corn, and as he grew older he consumed about

100 lbs. weight of hay, chaff, corn, roots, and green food a day. He

rapidly grew, until he reached the enormous weight of about four tons,

and he was one of the chief attractions of the Gardens at the time of

his death in March, 1878.

In 1853 a young female, Adhela, was obtained from the same district,

and in the spring of 1871 the first calf was born, and a second in

January, 1872, both of which were lost shortly after their birth, in

spite of every care and precaution. The third was born on the 5th of

November, 1872, and called “Guy Fawkes,” and has been successfully

reared. Little Guy Fawkes sucked freely shortly after its birth, and

has continued to thrive up to the present time, now rivalling her

mother in size. When she chooses to disport herself in her huge tank,

her vast bulk and enormous gape combine to keep the crowd of onlookers

in a proper state of subjection not unmixed with awe.

Hippopotami roam together in herds, and where they have not been

disturbed come fearlessly to the top of the water, often lazily basking

on the surface, and on the banks; but in places where they have been

hunted and shot at they become very wary, and content themselves by

just showing their noses among weeds, and sometimes they are so

carefully concealed that but for their footprints on the bank of the

river their presence would be unsuspected. Cumming, in his African

hunting experiences, gives a description of seeing an entire colony

of these animals on the banks of the Limpopo. He says:--“Presently

in a broad and deeply shaded pool of the river we heard the Sea Cows

bellowing, and on approaching somewhat nearer beheld a wonderful and

interesting sight. On a sandy promontory of the island stood about

thirty cows and calves, whilst in the pool opposite and a little below

them stood about twenty more Sea Cows, with their heads and backs

above water. About fifty yards farther down the river, again showing

out their heads, were eight or ten immense fellows, which I think were

all bulls, and about a hundred yards below these, in the middle of the

stream, stood another herd of eight or ten cows with calves, and two

large bulls. The Sea Cows lay close together like Pigs, and as they

sprawl in the mire have not the least objection to their neighbours

pillowing their heads on their backs and sides.”

[Illustration: COMMON HIPPOPOTAMUS.]

[Illustration: HIPPOPOTAMUS.

(_From the Living Specimen in the Zoological Gardens, London._)]

Livingstone also gives a description of seeing a herd of Hippopotami

as follows:--“On a shallow sand bank, under a dyke crossing the River

Zambesi near the mouth of the Sinjere, lay a herd of Hippopotami

in fancied security. The young ones were playing with each other like

young puppies, climbing on the backs of their dams, trying to take

hold of one another by the jaws, and tumbling over into the water.

Mbia, one of the Makotols, waded across to within a dozen yards of the

drowsy beasts, and shot the father of the herd, who being very fat soon

floated, and was secured at the village below. The men then gorged

themselves with meat for two days, and cut large quantities into long

narrow strips, which they half dried and half roasted on wooden frames

over the fire.”

[Illustration: HUNTING HIPPOPOTAMI WITH THE HARPOON.]

The harpoon is the weapon usually used by the natives of Africa for

catching the Hippopotamus. One kind of harpoon consists of a shaft

about twelve feet long, at one end of which is a combination of spear

and fish-hook, the spear being let into a socket of the shaft and

also attached to the shaft by means of cords. At the other extremity

is a coil of rope, to which is attached a large float, so that when a

Hippopotamus is harpooned the float shows the position of the animal.

When an animal is struck, it is followed either by men in canoes or on

land, who by means of ropes get possession of the line to which the

float is attached, which they entwine round a tree, and every time the

animal comes up to breathe he is greeted with a shower of spears until

finally finished.

Livingstone in his “African Travels” gives the following interesting

account of this instrument and its makers. He relates that on the

Zambesi River “beyond Pita lies the little island Nyamotobsi, where we

met a small fugitive tribe of Hippopotamus hunters, who had been driven

by war from their own island in front. With the civility so common

among them, the chief ordered a mat to be spread for us under a shed,

and then showed us the weapon with which they kill the Hippopotamus.

It is a short iron harpoon inserted in the end of a long pole, but

being intended to unship, it is made fast to a strong cord of milola,

or hibiscus bark, which is wound closely round the entire length of

the shaft, and secured at its opposite end. Two men in a swift canoe

steal quietly down on the sleeping animal. The bowman dashes the

harpoon into the unconscious victim, while the quick steersman sweeps

the light craft back with his broad paddle. The force of the blow

separates the harpoon from its corded handle, which, appearing on

the surface, sometimes with an inflated bladder attached, guides the

hunters to where the wounded beast hides below until they despatch it.”

Livingstone then goes on to say:--“These Hippopotamus hunters form a

separate people called Akombwi, or Mapodzo, and rarely--the women, it

is said, never--intermarry with any other tribe. The reason for their

keeping aloof from certain of the natives of the Zambesi is obvious

enough, some having as great an abhorrence of Hippopotamus meat as

Mohammedans have of swine’s flesh. Our pilot, Scissors, was one of this

class; he would not even cook his food in a pot which had contained

Hippopotamus meat, preferring to go hungry until he could find another,

and yet he traded eagerly in the animals’ tusks, and ate with great

relish the flesh of the foul-feeding Marabout.”

Sir Samuel Baker relates from personal observation the capture of a

Hippopotamus with the harpoon above described. He says:--“At length

we arrived at a large pool, in which were several sand-banks covered

with rushes, and many rocky islands. Among these rocks was a herd of

Hippopotami, consisting of an old bull and several cows; a young Hippo

was standing, like an ugly little statue, on a protruding rock, while

another infant stood upon its mother’s back that listlessly floated on

the water. This was an admirable place for the hunters. They desired

me to lie down, and they crept into the jungle out of view of the

river. I presently observed them stealthily descending the dry bed

about two hundred paces above the spot where the Hippos were basking

behind the rocks. They entered the river, and swam down the centre of

the stream towards the rock. This was highly exciting. The Hippos were

quite unconscious of the approaching danger, as steadily and rapidly

the hunters floated down the strong current; they neared the rock, and

both heads disappeared as they purposely sank out of view; in a few

seconds later they reappeared at the edge of the rock upon which the

young Hippo stood. It would be difficult to say which started first,

the astonished young Hippo into the water, or the harpoons from the

hands of the howartis! It was the affair of a moment. The hunters dived

directly they had hurled their harpoons, and swimming for some distance

under water, they came to the surface, and hastened to the shore lest

an infuriated Hippopotamus should follow them. One harpoon had missed;

the other had fixed the bull of the herd, at which it had been surely

aimed.

“This was grand sport! The bull was in the greatest fury, and rose to

the surface, snorting and blowing in his impotent rage; but as the

ambatch float was exceedingly large, and this naturally accompanied his

movements, he tried to escape from his imaginary persecutor, and dived

constantly, only to find his pertinacious attendant close to him upon

regaining the surface. This was not to last long. The howartis were

in earnest, and they at once called their party, who, with two of the

aggageers, Abou Do and Suleiman, were near at hand. These men arrived

with long ropes that form a portion of the outfit for Hippo hunting.

The whole party now halted on the edge of the river, while two men swam

across with one end of the long rope. Upon gaining the opposite bank,

I observed that a second rope was made fast to the middle of the main

line; thus upon our side we held the ends of two ropes, while on the

opposite side they had only one. Accordingly, the point of junction of

the two ropes in the centre formed an acute angle. The object of this

was soon practically explained. Two men upon our side now each held a

rope, and one of these walked about ten yards before the other. Upon

both sides of the river the people now advanced, dragging the rope on

the surface of the water until they reached the ambatch float that was

swimming to and fro, according to the movements of the Hippopotamus

below. By a dexterous jerk of the main line the float was now placed

between the two ropes, and it was immediately secured in the acute

angle by bringing together the ends of these ropes on our side. The men

on the opposite bank now dropped their line, and our men now hauled

in upon the ambatch float that was held fast between the ropes. Thus

cleverly made sure, we quickly brought a strain upon the Hippo; and

although I have had some experience in handling big fish, I never knew

one pull so lustily as the amphibious animal that we now alternately

coaxed and bullied.

“He sprang out of the water, gnashed his huge jaws, snorted with

tremendous rage, and lashed the river into foam; he then dived, and

foolishly approached us beneath the water. We quickly gathered in the

slack line, and took a round turn upon a large rock within a few feet

of the river.

“The Hippo now rose to the surface about ten yards from the hunters,

and jumping half out of the water, he snapped his great jaws together,

endeavouring to catch the rope, but at the same instant two harpoons

were launched into his side.

“Disdaining retreat, and maddened with rage, the furious animal

charged from the depths of the river, and gaining a footing, he reared

his bulky form from the surface, came boldly upon the sandbank, and

attacked the hunters open-mouthed. He little knew his enemy: they were

not the men to fear a pair of gaping jaws, armed with a deadly array of

tusks, but half a dozen lances were hurled at him, some entering his

mouth from a distance of five or six paces; at the same time several

men threw handfuls of sand into his enormous eyes. This baffled him

more than the lances: he crunched the shafts between his powerful jaws

like straws, but he was beaten by the sand, and, shaking his huge

head, he retreated to the river. During his sally upon the shore, two

of the hunters had secured the ropes of the harpoons that had been

fastened in his body just before his charge. He was now fixed by three

of these deadly instruments; but suddenly one rope gave way, having

been bitten through by the enraged beast, who was still beneath the

water. Immediately after this he appeared on the surface, and without

a moment’s hesitation, he once more charged furiously from the water

straight at the hunters, with his huge mouth open to such an extent

that he could have accommodated two inside passengers. Suleiman was

wild with delight, and springing forward lance in hand, he drove it

against the head of the formidable animal, but without effect. At

the same time, Abou Do met the Hippo sword in hand, reminding me of

Perseus slaying the sea-monster that would devour Andromeda; but the

sword made a harmless gash, and the lance, already blunted against

the rocks, refused to penetrate the tough hide. Once more handfuls of

sand were pelted upon his face, and again repulsed by this blinding

attack, he was forced to retire to his deep hole, and wash it from his

eyes. Six times during the fight the valiant bull Hippo quitted his

watery fortress, and charged resolutely at his pursuers; he had broken

several of their lances in his jaws; other lances had been hurled, and

falling upon the rocks, they were blunted and would not penetrate. The

fight had continued for three hours, and the sun was about to set;

accordingly the hunters begged me to give him the _coup de grâce_, as

they had hauled him close to the shore, and they feared he would sever

the rope with his teeth. I waited for a good opportunity, when he

boldly raised his head from the water about three yards from the rifle,

and a bullet from the little Fletcher between the eyes closed the last

act.”

Another interesting account is also given by Sir S. Baker of the

capture of a Hippopotamus by means of the spear. The description

conveys a good idea of the habits and wariness of these animals.

“Hippopotami had trodden a path along the margin of the river, as these

animals came out to feed, shortly after dark, and travelled from pool

to pool. Wherever a plot of tangled and succulent herbage grew among

the shady nabbuks, there were the marks of the harrow-like teeth, that

had torn and rooted up the rank grass like an agricultural implement.

“After walking about two miles, we noticed a herd of Hippopotami, in

a pool below a rapid, where the rush of water had thrown up a bank of

pebbles and sand. Our old Neptune did not condescend to bestow the

slightest attention when I pointed out these animals--they were too

wide awake; but he immediately quitted the river’s bed, and we followed

him quietly behind the fringe of bushes upon the border, from which we

carefully examined the water.

“About half a mile below this spot, as we clambered over the

intervening rocks through a gorge which formed a powerful rapid, I

observed, in a small pool just below the rapid, an immense head of a

Hippopotamus close to a perpendicular rock that formed a wall to the

river, about six feet above the surface. I pointed out the Hippo to

old Abou Do, who had not seen it. At once the gravity of the old Arab

disappeared, and the energy of the hunter was exhibited as he motioned

us to remain, while he ran nimbly behind the thick screen of bushes

for about a hundred and fifty yards below the spot where the Hippo was

unconsciously basking, with his ugly head above the surface. Plunging

into the rapid torrent, the veteran hunter was carried some distance

down the stream, but breasting the powerful current, he landed upon the

rocks on the opposite side, and retiring some distance from the river,

he quickly advanced towards the spot beneath which the Hippopotamus was

lying. I had a fine view of the scene as I was lying concealed exactly

opposite the Hippo, who had disappeared beneath the water. Abou Do now

stealthily approached the ledge of rock beneath which he had expected

to see the head of the animal; his long sinewy arm was raised, with the

harpoon ready to strike, as he carefully advanced. At length he reached

the edge of the perpendicular rock. The Hippo had vanished, but far

from exhibiting surprise, the old Arab remained standing on the sharp

ledge, unchanged in attitude. No figure of bronze could have been more

rigid than that of the old river king, as he stood erect upon the rock,

with the left foot advanced, and the harpoon poised in his ready right

hand, above his head, while in the left he held the loose coils of rope

attached to the ambatch buoy. For about three minutes he stood like

a statue, gazing intently into the clear and deep water beneath his

feet. I watched eagerly for the reappearance of the Hippo. The surface

of the water was still barren, when suddenly the right arm of the

statue descended like lightning, and the harpoon shot perpendicularly

into the pool with the speed of an arrow. What water fiend answered

to the summons? In an instant an enormous pair of open jaws appeared,

followed by the ungainly head and form of the furious Hippopotamus,

who, springing half out of the water, lashed the river into foam, and,

disdaining the concealment of the deep pool, he charged straight up the

violent rapids. With extraordinary power he breasted the descending

stream; gaining a footing in the rapids, about five feet deep, he

ploughed his way against the broken waves, sending them in showers of

spray upon all sides, and upon gaining broader shallows he tore along

through the water, with the buoyant float hopping behind him along the

surface, until he landed from the river, started at full gallop along

the dry shingly bed, and at length disappeared in the thorny nabbuk

jungle.”

[Illustration: HIPPOPOTAMI AT THE FALLS OF THE RIVER SENEGAL.]

“I never could have imagined that so unwieldy an animal could have

exhibited such speed; no man would have had a chance of escape, and

it was fortunate for our old Neptune that he was secure upon the high

ledge of rock, for if he had been in the path of the infuriated beast,

there would have been an end of Abou Do.

“The old man plunged into the deep pool just quitted by the Hippo, and

landed upon our side, while in the enthusiasm of the moment I waved

my cap above my head, and gave him a British cheer as he reached the

shore. His usually stern features relaxed into a grim smile of delight;

this was one of the moments when the gratified pride of the hunter

rewards him for any risks. I congratulated him on his dexterity; but

much remained to be done. I proposed to cross the river, and to follow

upon the tracks of the Hippopotamus, as I imagined that the buoy and

rope would catch in the thick jungle, and that we should find him

entangled in the bush; but the old hunter gently laid his hand upon my

arm, and pointed up the bed of the river, explaining that the Hippo

would certainly return to the water after a short interval.

“In a few minutes later, at the distance of nearly half a mile, we

observed the Hippo emerge from the jungle, and descend at full trot

to the bed of the river, making direct for the first rocky pool, in

which we had noticed the herd of Hippopotami. Accompanied by the

old howarti (Hippo hunter), we walked quickly towards the spot; he

explained to me that I must shoot the harpooned Hippo, as we should

not be able to secure him in the usual method by ropes, as nearly

all our men were absent from camp, disposing of the dead Elephants.

Upon reaching the pool, which was about a hundred and thirty yards in

diameter, we were immediately greeted by the Hippo, who snorted and

roared as we approached, but quickly dived, and the buoyant float ran

along the surface, directing his course in the some manner as the cork

of a trimmer with a pike upon the hook. Several times he appeared,

but as he invariably faced us, I could not obtain a favourable shot;

I therefore sent the old hunter round the pool, and he, swimming the

river, advanced to the opposite side, and attracted the attention of

the Hippo, who immediately turned towards him. This afforded me a good

chance, and I fired a steady shot behind the ear, at about seventy

yards, with a single-barrelled rifle. He disappeared beneath the water

at the shot. The crack of the ball and the absence of any splash

from the bullet told me that he was hit; the ambatch float remained

perfectly stationary upon the surface. I watched it for some minutes;

it never moved. Several heads of Hippopotami appeared and vanished in

different directions, but the float was still; it marked the spot where

the grand old bull lay dead beneath.”

In addition to the ordinary means of harpooning, a harpoon is also

used as a sort of trap, it being well known to the hunters that the

Hippopotamus has certain roads or tracks which it habitually uses,

preferring a quiet gully with tall trees and grass overhanging. The

hunter finding such a road prepares a harpoon within six feet of a

moderate-sized tree-trunk, to which he attaches heavy stones. Having

found a suitable tree overhanging the path of the Hippopotamus, he

throws the rope which is attached to the shaft of the harpoon round

a branch, and hauls up his weighted instrument, having done which he

drives a stake on one side of the path and turns the rope round it.

He then drives another stake on the other side of the path, stretches

his rope across, and fastens it to the other stake. The unsuspecting

animal, taking his usual evening stroll, strikes his foot against the

rope, which dislodging the stakes, the harpoon comes thundering down

and the Hippopotamus is transfixed, to be found in the morning by the

trapper, probably dead or dying, a long way from the scene of the trap.

Livingstone gives an account in his “African Travels” of a Hippopotamus

captured by means of this trap, of whose working he was himself an

eye-witness. He says that “both banks of the River Zambesi near the

Mboma village are dotted with Hippopotamus traps, over every track

which these animals have made in going up out of the water to graze.

The Hippopotamus feeds on grass alone, and where there is any danger

only at night. Its enormous lips act like a mowing-machine, and form a

path of short-cropped grass as it feeds. We never saw it eat aquatic

plants or reeds. The tusks seem weapons of both offence and defence.

The Hippopotamus trap consists of a beam five or six feet long,

armed with a spear-head, or hard-wood spike covered with poison, and

suspended to a forked pole by a cord, which, coming down to the path,

is held by a catch, to be set free when the beast treads on it. Being

wary brutes, they are still very numerous. One got frightened by the

ship as she was steaming close to the bank. In its eager hurry to

escape it rushed on shore, and ran directly under a trap, when down

came the heavy beam on its back, driving the poisoned spear-head a foot

deep into its flesh. In its agony it plunged back into the river, to

die in a few hours, and afterwards furnish a feast for the natives.

The poison on the spear-head does not affect the meat, except the

part around the wound, and that is thrown away. In some places the

descending beam is weighted with heavy stones, but here the hard heavy

wood is sufficient.”

The Hippopotamus is also captured by means of pitfalls placed in the

animal’s tracks. The mouth of the pit is carefully concealed by means

of boughs of trees, grass, rushes, &c. Usually two and sometimes three

of these pits are dug in close proximity to each other, the extreme

wariness of the Hippopotamus causing it to be suspicious of danger, and

whilst carefully avoiding one trap it falls into another.

Sometimes these pits catch a very different kind of animal from that

for which they were intended. A good story is told in a book of African

travels of a Frenchman who had the misfortune to fall into one,

and after spending the whole of the morning in getting out, whilst

congratulating himself on his success, and brushing off the mud, he

tumbled into another close by, from which he did not escape until late

in the evening.

The Hippopotamus has been considered by travellers and naturalists

to be of a mild and inoffensive disposition, retiring and shy in its

habits, and unless provoked rarely attacking man. Probably this to a

great extent is true of the animal, but numerous instances are recorded

of most ferocious and quite unprovoked attacks, and when this is the

case few animals are capable of showing such blind rage.

Canoes are sometimes overturned and crunched between the jaws of this

powerful animal without any apparent reason, and even on dry land it

occasionally attacks man. Sir S. Baker relates an account of a bull

Hippopotamus attacking the proprietor of a melon-garden, and killing

him by one crunch of his huge jaws; and Dr. Moffat, the father-in-law

of Livingstone, speaks of a man being literally bitten in half by one

which chased him on dry land. The Hippopotamus does not seem at all

particular as to the size or nature of the objects it assaults, several

instances having been recorded of its charging steamers. Sir S. Baker

gives the following account of one of these onslaughts on the _Bahir

Giraffe_:--“At one p.m., as we were steaming easily, I happened to be

asleep on the poop-deck, when I was awakened by a shock, succeeded by

the cry, ‘The ship’s sinking!’ A Hippopotamus had charged the steamer

from the bottom, and had smashed several floats off her starboard

paddle. A few seconds later he charged our diahbeeah, and striking

her bottom about ten feet from the bow, he cut two holes through the

iron plates with his tusks. On examination two clean holes were found

punched through the iron as though driven by a sharp pickaxe.”

Another attack of this kind is also related by Sir S. Baker in a lake

communicating with the White Nile, which for ferocity and pertinacity

is probably unequalled. He says:--“The night was cold, and the moon

clear and bright. Every one was wrapped up in warm blankets, and I was

so sound asleep that I cannot describe more, until I was suddenly awoke

by a tremendous splashing quite close to the diahbeeah, accompanied by

the hoarse wild snorting of a furious Hippopotamus. I jumped up, and

immediately perceived a Hippo, which was apparently about to attack the

vessel. The main deck being crowded with people sleeping beneath their

thick Mosquito-curtains, attached to the stairs of the poop-deck, and

to the rigging in all directions, rendered it impossible to descend. I

at once tore away some of the ties, and awakened the sleeping people.

My servant, Suleiman, was sleeping next to the cabin door. I called

to him for a rifle. Before the affrighted Suleiman could bring the

rifle the Hippopotamus dashed at us with indescribable fury. With one

blow he capsized and sank the zinc boat with its cargo of flesh. In

another instant he seized the dingy in his immense jaws, and the crash

of splintered wood betokened the complete destruction of my favourite

boat. By this time Suleiman appeared from the cabin with an unloaded

gun in his hand, and without ammunition. This was a very good man,

but he was never overburdened with presence of mind; he was shaking

so fearfully with nervousness, that his senses had entirely forsaken

him. All the people were shouting and endeavouring to scare the Hippo,

which attacked us without ceasing, with a blind fury that I have never

witnessed in any animal except a Bulldog.

“By this time I had procured a rifle from the cabin, where they were

always kept fixed in a row, loaded and ready for action, with bags

of breech-loading ammunition on the same shelf. The movements of the

animal were so rapid, as he charged and plunged alternately beneath

the water in a cloud of foam and wave, that it was impossible to aim

correctly at the small but fatal spot upon the head.

“The moon was extremely bright, and presently, as he charged straight

at the diahbeeah, I stopped him with a No. 8 Reilly shell. To my

surprise, he soon recovered, and again commenced the attack. I fired

shot after shot at him without apparent effect.

“The diahbeeah rocked upon the waves raised by the efforts of so

large an animal; this movement rendered the aim uncertain. At length,

apparently badly wounded, he retired to the high grass; there he lay by

the bank, at about twenty-five yards’ distance, snorting and blowing. I

could not distinguish him, as merely the head was above water, and this

was concealed by the deep shadow thrown by the high grass. Thinking

he would die, I went to bed; but before this, I took the precaution

to arrange a white paper sight upon the muzzle of my rifle, without

which night shooting is very uncertain. We had fallen asleep; but in

about half an hour we were awoke by another tremendous splash, and once

more this huge beast came charging directly at us as though unhurt. In

another instant he was at the diahbeeah; but I met him with a ball in

the top of his head which sent him rolling over and over, sometimes

on his back, kicking with his four legs above the surface, and again

producing waves which rocked the diahbeeah. In this helpless manner he

rolled for about fifty yards down the stream, and we all thought him

killed.

“To our amazement he recovered, and we heard him splashing as he

moved slowly along the river through the high grass by the left bank.

Ultimately he was killed, and on making a _post-mortem_ the following

morning, I found he had received three shots in the flank and shoulder,

four in the head, one of which had broken his lower jaw, and another

had passed through his nose, and passing downward, had cut off one of

his large tusks.”

The uses to which the Hippopotamus can be applied cannot be considered

as many; certainly the flesh is much eaten by the natives of Africa,

and even by Europeans it is not to be despised, although travellers

seem to disagree as to its merits. Cumming says the flesh is excellent

eating, and Baker appears to agree with him, while Dr. Livingstone

speaks of it as being pretty good food when one is hungry and can get

nothing better, and that it is a coarse-grained meat, having something

of the flavour between pork and beef. Probably the Hippopotamus is of

considerable use in clearing the rivers of huge water-plants, which

abound in African rivers, and which might otherwise in time so choke

them up as to convert them from running streams to little else than

swamps.

The whips made of Hippopotamus hide are in much request, and are

highly esteemed in the neighbouring countries for their elasticity

and durability; but the parts of the Hippopotamus most in request,

especially by dentists, are the canine teeth, no other ivory keeping

its colour so well.

THE LIBERIAN HIPPOPOTAMUS.--The second living species of

Hippopotamus (_H. liberiensis_) is a much smaller animal than the

common Hippopotamus; according to Dr. Morton, not being larger than

a middle-sized heifer, though possessing the relative proportions of

the common species. It rarely attains a weight exceeding four hundred

pounds, or a quarter of a ton, as distinguished from the four tons’

weight of Obaysch of whom we have already spoken. One of the more

important differences between them consists in the fact that the

Liberian Hippopotamus possesses only two incisors in the lower jaw.

A young animal belonging to this species was brought over to Great

Britain in 1873, and is stated by Dr. Sclater to have been obtained on

the West Coast, from the little Scarcies River. Unfortunately it died

shortly after its arrival at the Zoological Gardens in Dublin.

* * * * *

The Hippopotamus ranged in the later Tertiary period far beyond its

present home in the African rivers. In the Pliocene age it was very

abundant in Italy, and has been met with as far north as Norfolk and

Suffolk. In the succeeding, or Pleistocene age, also, it haunted the

rivers of France and of England, having been found from the valley of

the Ribble northwards. Its remains are from time to time dredged up

from the bottom of the German Ocean, and are met with in the dens of

Hyænas, as, for example, at Kirkdale, under conditions which prove that

it fell a prey to the wild beasts then inhabiting the country. Strange

to say, remains of this animal, now flourishing only under a tropical

climate, are met with side by side with the remains of the Reindeer,

which now flourishes only in a cold temperature, under circumstances

which compel us to believe that both animals were living in the same

region at approximately the same time. This singular fact can only be

accounted for on the supposition that in those days the summer heat was

great, and the winter cold severe, such as we find to be the case in

Central Asia. These climatic extremes would allow of the same district

being inhabited by these animals at different seasons of the year.

An extinct species of Hippopotamus (_Hexaprotodon_), which is

characterised by the possession of six instead of four incisors in the

upper and lower jaws; lived also in India in the later Tertiary age.

We have seen that at the present time Africa is inhabited by two kinds

of Hippopotami, respectively of large and small size. We have also seen

that in the Pleistocene age the larger animal inhabited Europe. It is

a singular fact that abundant remains of a smaller fossil species, or

Pentland’s Hippopotamus, should abound in the bone caves of Sicily,

and that this dwarfed species should range from that island to Malta,

Crete, and the Morea. It is closely allied to the Liberian species,

although it is pretty clear that it differed from it in certain

details, such as in the form of its molar teeth. A small species of

Hippopotamus has been found fossil in Madagascar.

THE ANOPLOTHERES (ANOPLOTHERIDÆ).

[Illustration: ANOPLOTHERE RESTORED.]

Certain extinct animals living in the Eocene times, included by Cuvier

in his division of the Pachyderms, and closely allied to the Hogs

and Hippopotami, constitute the family of Anoplotheres. They were

first revealed by the genius of Cuvier from the study of the remains

discovered in the gypsum quarries at Montmartre; and they owe their

name and their most distinguishing character to the fact that their

teeth, which in all number forty-four, form an even, unbroken series,

like those in man, the canines not standing out sharp and prominent

above the rest, as in the case of the Carnivores and the Palæotheres

found in association with them. These animals presented remarkable

variations in size, some being as large as a Pony, while others were

about the size of a Gazelle. They varied also in their proportions,

some being heavily built, as in the restoration given above, while

others were slender and elegant like the Antelopes. They are of

peculiar interest, because they are the parent stock from which in

succeeding geological ages the Ruminants are derived.

W. BOYD DAWKINS.

H. W. OAKLEY.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] _Fissipedia._

[2] From the Greek, αἴλουρος, a Cat, and εἶδος, form.

[3] From κύων, a Dog.

[4] From ἄρκτος, a Bear.

[5]

Section I.--ÆLUROIDEA (Cat-like animals).

Family 1. _Felidæ_ (the Cat family).

_Examples_: Cat, Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Jaguar, Puma, Ocelot,

Serval, Lynx, Cheetah, &c.

Family 2. _Hyænidæ_ (the Hyæna family), contains the Hyænas only.

Family 3. _Cryptoproctidæ_, the Cryptoprocta only.

Family 4. _Protelidæ_, the Aard-Wolf only.

Family 5. _Viverridæ_ (the Civet family).

_Examples_: Civet, Genette, Ichneumon, Suricate, Binturong, &c.

Section II.--CYNOIDEA (Dog-like animals).

Family 6. _Canidæ_ (the Dog family).

_Examples_: Dog, Wolf, Fox.

Section III.--ARCTOIDEA (Bear-like animals).

Family 7. _Ursidæ_ (the Bear family).

_Examples_: The various kinds of Bear.

Family 8. _Procyonidæ_ (the Racoon family).

_Examples_: Racoon, Coati, Kinkajou, Cacomixle.

Family 9. _Ailuridæ_, contains the Panda only.

Family 10. _Mustelidæ_ (the Weasel family).

_Examples_: Weasel, Stoat, Ferret, Badger, Skunk, Ratel, Glutton,

Marten, Polecat, Otter.

[6] _Felidæ._

[7] _Felis leo._

[8] “Tower Menagerie.”

[9] Judges xiv. 5, 6.

[10] 1 Samuel xvii. 34-36.

[11] 2 Samuel xxiii. 20.

[12] Humboldt: “Views of Nature.”

[13] Livingstone.

[14] Mr. Bartlett, the able Superintendent of the Zoological Gardens.

[15] _Felis tigris._

[16] Sir Joseph Fayrer: “The Royal Tiger of Bengal: his life and death.”

[17] _Felis pardus._

[18] Sir James Emerson Tennent, “Sketches of the Natural History of

Ceylon.”

[19] _Felis onca._

[20] “Naturalist’s Voyage.”

[21] _Felis concolor._

[22] A weapon used by the Gauchos, and consisting of three cords,

knotted together at one end, and having each a ball or stone attached

to the other. The smallest of these is held in the hand, and the Gaucho

“whirls the other two round and round his head, then taking aim, sends

them like chain shot rushing through the air.”

[23] _Felis uncia._

[24] _Felis macrocelis._

[25] _Felis pardalis._

[26] Buffon.

[27] _Felis marmorata._

[28] _Felis viverrina._

[29] _Felis pajeros._

[30] _Felis macrura._

[31] _Felis tigrina._

[32] _Felis ferox._

[33] Brehm.

[34] _Felis jaguarondi._

[35] _Felis eyra._

[36] _Felis serval._

[37] _Felis rubiginosa._

[38] _Felis bengalensis._

[39] Jerdon.

[40] _Felis aurata._

[41] _Felis torquata._

[42] Scott, quoted by Jerdon.

[43] _Felis manul._

[44] _Felis maniculata._

[45] _Felis catus._

[46] Brehm.

[47] _Felis domestica._

[48] Pennant, “British Zoology.”

[49] “Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.”

[50] “Natural History of Selborne.”

[51] White’s “Selborne.”

[52] _Felis chaus._

[53] _Felis lynx._

[54] Tschudi, quoted by Brehm.

[55] _Felis pardina._

[56] _Felis canadensis._

[57] _Felis rufa._

[58] _Felis caracal._

[59] _Felis jubata._

[60] “Mammals of India.”

[61] _Hyænidæ._

[62] The dental formula is--incisors, (3-3)/(3-3), canines,

(1-1)/(1-1), premolars, (4-4)/(3-3), molars, (1-1)/(1-1) = 34.

[63] _Lycaon._

[64] _Hyæna crocuta._

[65] Andersson.

[66] Harris.

[67] _Hyæna brunnea_ or _fusca_.

[68] _Hyæna striata._

[69] Canon Tristram.

[70] _Cryptoproctidæ._

[71] _Cryptoprocta ferox._

[72] _Protelidæ._

[73] _Proteles Lalandii._

[74] _Viverridæ._

[75] The dental formula is, therefore, incisors, (3-3)/(3-3), canines,

(1-1)/(1-1), premolars, (4-4)/(4-4), molars, (2-2)/(2-2) = 40.

[76] _Viverra civetta._

[77] _Viverra Zibetha._

[78] _Viverra pallida_ seu _rasse_.

[79] _Genetta vulgaris._

[80] _Herpestes griseus._

[81] A plant allied to that which produces the well-known _nux vomica_.

It is used by Indian physicians in fevers, and as an antidote to

poisons.

[82] A tree allied to that which produces Peruvian bark. It is called

the Mungo, or “Earth-gall,” by the Malays. It is also supposed to be an

antidote to poisons.

[83] The “birth-wort.” It is used in India as a remedy for gout, and in

England is given to Cows after calving.

[84] A tree allied to the acacias and to the sensitive plant.

[85] _Pharsalia_, lib. iv. 729.

[86] The nux vomica plant.

[87] _Urva cancrivora._

[88] _Paradoxurus musang._

[89] _Arctictis binturong._

[90] N.B.--The description of some members of the Viverridæ, or Civet

family, has been inadvertently omitted from our chapter on that group,

and will be found at the end of the article on the Land Carnivora (pp.

206-208).

[91] _Canidæ._

[92] _Canis familiaris._

[93] 2 Kings xvii. 31.

[94] Darwin’s “Animals and Plants under Domestication.”

[95] Youatt: “The Dog.”

[96] Darwin, “Animals and Plants under Domestication.”

[97] “Proceedings of the Zoological Society,” 1875.

[98] Darwin’s “Origin of Species.”

[99] Dr. Huggins, _Nature_, Vol VII.

[100] Youatt.

[101] Youatt.

[102] Darwin’s “Expression of the Emotions.”

[103] Moles.

[104] _Quarterly Journal of Science_, April, 1876.

[105] “St. Ronan’s Well.”

[106] From the _Globe_ newspaper.

[107] “Animal Depravity,” _Quarterly Journal of Science_, 1875.

[108] Quoted from the _Daily News_ in the article on “Animal Depravity”

in the _Quarterly Journal of Science_ for 1875.

[109] See Sir Thomas Watson: “Hydrophobia and Rabies,” _Nineteenth

Century_, December, 1877.

[110] Sir J. Richardson’s “_Fauna Boreali-Americana_.”

[111] Hayes, quoted by Jesse.

[112] Youatt.

[113] Tristram.

[114] Youatt.

[115] Youatt.

[116] “The Straits of Malacca, Indo-China, and China.”

[117] _Canis primævus._

[118] Williamson, quoted by Youatt.

[119] _Canis dingo._

[120] Youatt.

[121] Youatt.

[122] _Canis lupus._

[123] Virgil, Ec. ix., 53:--

“All, all forgotten now, those youthful lays;

My voice will follow, ay, my voice decays;

The Wolf hath eyed me first, hath Mœris eyed.”

[124] L. Énault, quoted by Brehm.

[125] Jesse: “History of the British Dog.”

[126] Richardson: “Fauna Boreali-Americana,” 1829.

[127] _Canis latrans._

[128] Richardson.

[129] _Canis aureus._

[130] _Canis vulpes._

[131] _Canis lagopus._

[132] _Canis zerda._

[133] _Megalotis Lalandii._

[134] The dental formula is, therefore, incisors, (3-3)/(3-3); canines,

(1-1)/(1-1); premolars, (4-4)/(4-4); molars, (4-4)/(4-4) = 48.

[135] _Nycterentes procyonides._

[136] _Lycaon pictus._

[137] Gordon Cumming quoted by A. Murray: “Geographical Distribution of

Mammals.”

[138] _Ursidæ._

[139] _Ursus arctos._

[140] “Lake ’Ngami.”

[141] _Ursus americanus._

[142] _Ursus ferox._

[143] _Ursus syriacus._

[144] _Ursus isabellinus._

[145] _Ursus tibetanus_ and _U._ (_Helarctos_) _malayanus_.

[146] Jerdon: “Mammals of India.”

[147] _Ursus_ (or _Melursus_) _labiatus_.

[148] Tickell, quoted by Jerdon.

[149] Tannent: “Ceylon.”

[150] _Ursus_ (or _Helarctos_) _ornatus_.

[151] _Ursus_ (or _Thalassarctos_) _maritimus_.

[152] R. Brown, quoted from “Arctic Manual.”

[153] Quoted by Jesse: “History of the British Dog.”

[154] _Procyonidæ._

[155] The dental formula is--Incisors, (3-3)/(3-3); canines,

(1-1)/(1-1); premolars, (4-4)/(4-4); molars, (2-2)/(2-2) = 40.

[156] _Procyon lotor._

[157] _Nasua narica._

[158] _Cercoleptes caudivolvulus._

[159] _Bassaris astuta._

[160] _Ailuridæ._

[161] _Ailurus fulgens._

[162] _Mustelidæ._

[163] “Fur-bearing Animals: a Monograph of North American Mustelidæ.”

[164] _Gulo luscus._

[165] The dental formula is--Incisors, (3-3)/(3-3); canines,

(1-1)/(1-1); premolars, (4-4)/(4-4); molars, (1-1)/(2-2) = 38.

[166] _Mustela martes._

[167] _Mustela Pennantii._

[168] _Mustela zibellina._

[169] Coues.

[170] _Putorius vulgaris._ The Weasel is very commonly referred to the

genus _Mustela_, but this name properly belongs to the Martens.

[171] _Putorius erminca._

[172] _Putorius fœtidus._

[173] _Putorius furo._

[174] _Putorius lutreola_ and _P. vison_.

[175] _Galictes vittata._

[176] _Galictes barbara._

[177] _Mellivora capensis_ and _M. indica_.

[178] _Meles vulgaris._

[179] _The Times_, Oct. 24th, 1877.

[180] _Taxidea americana._

[181] _Mydaus meliceps._

[182] _Ictonyx zorilla._

[183] _Mephitis mephitica._

[184] Coues.

[185] _Mephitis (or Spilogale) putorius._

[186] _Mephitis (or Conepatus) mapurito._

[187] _Lutra vulgaris._

[188] The dental formula is--Incisors, (3-3)/(3-3); canines,

(1-1)/(1-1); premolars, (4-4)/(3-3); molars, (1-1)/(2-2) = 36.

[189] “Malacca, Indo-China, and China.”

[190] _Lutra canadensis._

[191] _Pteronura Sandbachii._

[192] _Enhydra lutris._

[193] Dental formula--Incisors, (3-3)/(2-2); canines, (1-1)/(1-1);

premolars, (3-3)/(3-3); molars, (1-1)/(2-2)=32.

[194] Capt. C. M. Scammon, “American Naturalist,” Vol. IV., 1870.

[195] H. W. Elliott, quoted by Coues, “Fur-bearing Animals.”

[196] The dental formula is--Incisors, (3-3)/(3-3); canines,

(1-1)/(1-1); premolars, (2-2)/(2-2); molars, (1-1)/(1-1) = 28.

[197] The dental formula is--Incisors, (3-3)/(3-3); canines,

(1-1)/(1-1); premolars, (4-4)/(4-4); molars, (3-3)/(3-3) = 44.

[198] “Les Enchaînements du Monde animal, dans les temps géologiques.”

Paris, 1878.

[199] _Cynogale Bennettii._

[200] _Cynictis penicillata._

[201] _Crossarchus obscurus._

[202] _Suricata zenick._

[203] _Pinna_, a fin; _pes_, a foot.

[204] _Pinna_, a fin; _gradus_, a step.

[205] From the Greek, θρίξ, a hair, and ἔχω, I have.

[206] From the Greek, οὖς, ὠτός an ear.

[207] From the Greek, φώκη, a seal.

[208] _Trichechus rosmarus._

[209] _Otaria ursinus_, the genus _Callorhinus_ of certain authorities.

[210] _Otaria Stelleri_, the genus _Eumetopias_ of Gray and others.

[211] _Otaria Gilliespii._

[212] _Otaria Hookeri_, the genus _Arctocephalus_ and _Phocarctos_ of

Gray.

[213] _Otaria albicollis_, the _Neophoca lobata_ of Gray.

[214] _Otaria jubata._

[215] _Otaria falklandica_, placed under the genus _Arctophoca_ by

Peters, and _Euotaria_ by Gray.

[216] _Otaria pusilla_, the _Arctocephalus antarticicus_ of Gray.

[217] _Otaria Forsteri_, the _Gypsophoca tropicalis_ of Gray.

[218] _Otaria (Euotaria) cinerea._

[219] _Phoca vitulina_, the genus _Callocephalus_ of some authorities.

[220] _Phoca fœtida, or Phoca hispida_; the genus _Pagomys_ of Gray.

[221] _Phoca groelandica_; the genus _Pagophilus_ of Gray.

[222] _Phoca barbata._

[223] _Halichœrus gryphus._

[224] _Monachus albiventer._

[225] _Cystophora cristata._

[226] _Macrorhinus elephantinus_; the genus _Morunga_ of Gray.

[227] _Ommatophoca Rossii._

[228] _Stenorhynchus leptonyx._

[229] _Stenorhynchus (Leptonyx) Weddellii._

[230] _Lobodon carcinophaga._

[231] _Platanista gangetica._

[232] _Inia Geoffrensis._

[233] _Pontoporia Blainvillii._

[234] _Z. cavirostris._

[235] _Z. indicus._

[236] _M. Sowerbiensis._

[237] _Berardius Arnouxi._

[238] _Hyperoodon rostratus._

[239] _Physeter macrocephalus._

[240] _Kogia breviceps_; the _Physeter simus_ of Owen.

[241] _K. (Euphysetes) Grayii_ of MacLeay.

[242] _Globiocephalus melas._

[243] _Grampus griseus._

[244] _Phocœna communis._

[245] _Orca gladiator._

[246] _Delphinus delphis._

[247] _D. tursio._

[248] _Beluga leucas._

[249] _Monodon monoceros._

[250] _Balæna mysticetus._

[251] _Megaptera_; μέγας, great, and πτερόν, fin.

[252] _Rhachianectes glaucus_ of Cope.

[253] _Balænoptera_; φάλαινα, a whale, and πτερόν, fin.

[254] _Rhytina Stelleri._

[255] _Halicore dugong._

[256] παχὺς, thick; δέρμα, skin.

[257] _Elephas indicus._

[258] _Graphic_, June 12, 1875.

[259] _Elephas africanus._

[260] From the Latin _unguis_, _ungula_, a hoof.

[261] περισσός, uneven; δάκτυλος, toe.

[262] ἄρτιος, even; δάκτυλος, toe.

[263] _Tapirus americanus._

[264] _Tapirus villosus._

[265] _Tapirus malayanus._

[266] _Philosophical Transactions_, xlii.

[267] _Rhinoceros Oswellii._

[268] The numbers in each figure refer to the digits, the thumb being

always absent. The seven square-shaped bones above the digits in each

figure constitute the wrist or carpus. Above these are the large

radius, and the small ulna in some.

[269] ἀ, without; ὀπλή, a hoof; θηρίον, wild beast; wild beast without

hoof.

[270] _Sus scrofa._

[271] _Sus scrofa_ (Indian variety).

[272] _Phacochœrus Ælianus._