HIPPOPOT'AIIIIS (Gr. Hrer-horse), a genus of pachydermatous quadrupeds, constitut ing it family by itself, and of which, until very recently, only one species was known as now although the fossil remains of others indicate the greater abundance 4nd wider distribution of the torus in other periods of the earth's history. The largest and best known species, H. amphibius, within historic periods, has been—found in almost all parts of Africa, to which quarter of the globe it is entirely confined. A smaller species, H. Liberienais, has recently been described as an inhabitant of the rivers of western Africa within the tropics, and is said to differ from the common species, and from all the fossil species, in having only two incisors, instead of four, in the lower jaw. The common hippopotamus is one of the largest of existing quadri]. peds, the bulk of its body being little inferior to that of the elephant; although its legs are so slnit that its belly almost touches the ground, and its height is not much above five feet. It is extremely aquatic in its habits, living mostly in lakes or rivers, often in tidal estuaries, where the saltness of the water compels it to resort to springs for the purpose of drinking, and sometimes even in the sea, although it never proceeds to any considerable distance from the shore. Its skin is very thick—on the back and sides more than 2 in, ; it is dark brown, destitute of hair, and exudes in great abun dance frOm its numerous pores a thickish oily fluid, by which it is kept constantly lubricated. The tail is short. The feet have each four toes, nearly equal in size, and hoofed. The neck is short and thick. The head is very large. with small ears, and small eyes placed high, so that they are easily raised above water, without much of the animal being exposed to view. The muzzle is very large, rounded, and tumid, with large nostrils and great lips concealing the large front teeth. The hippopotamus cuts grass or corn as were done with a scythe, or bites with its strong teeth a stein of considerable thickness neatly through, The skull, while it is distinguished by remark able peculiarities, corresponds in the most important characters with that of time hog. The respiration of the hippopotamus is slow, and thus it is enabled to spend much of its time under water, only cooling to the surface at intervals to breathe. It sic ims and dives with great ease, and often walks along the bottom, completely under water. Its food consists chiefly of the plants which grow in shallow waters, and about the margins of lakes and rivers; and it probably renders no unimportant service in preventing slow streams from being choked up by the luxuriance of tropical vegetation, the effect of would, of course. be an increase of the extent of swampy land. It often, how
ever, leaves the water, chiefly by night, to feed on the banks, and makes inroads on cultivated fields, devouring and trampling the crops. It is a gregarious animal, and the havoc wrought by a herd of twenty or thirty is very great; so that wherever culti vation extends, war is waged against the hippopotamus, and it disappears from regions where it formerly abounded. Thus it is no longer found in Lower Egypt, although still abundant further up the Nile. It is taken in pits, which are (Jigged in its usual tracks; it is killed by poisoned spears, is pursued by means of canoes, is harpooned. and is shot with the rifle. The flesh is highly esteemed; the fat, of which there is a thick layer immediately under the skin, is a favorite African delicacy, and when salted is known at the cape of Good Hope as speck—that is, lake-cow bacon. The tongue. and the jelly made from the feet, are also much prized. The hide is used for a variety of purposes, and the great canine teeth ore particularly valuable as ivory, and are a very considerable article of African commerce.
The hippopotamus. is lively and playful in its native waters; it soon learns to avoid men, and when it cannot retire among reeds for concealment, It dives and remains long under water. raising only its nose to the surface when :mother breath becomes neces sary. The female hippopotamus may sometimes lie seen swimming with her young one on her back. The hippopotamus is generally inoffensive, but is occasionally roused to fits of rage, in which it becomes extremely dangerous, particularly to those who pursue it in boats. The voice of the hippopotamus is loud and harsh, and is likened by Burekhardt to the creaking and groaning of a large wooden door. That the hippo potamus is capable of being tamed, and of becoming much attached to man, has been sufficiently proved by the instances of living spechnens in London and Paris. The first hippopotamus brought to Europe in modern times, a young one from the Nile, arrived in London in 1850. The hippopotamus, however, sometimes appeared in the spectacles of the ancient Romans. It is very generally supposed to be the behemoth of the book of Job.
Fowil six species of hippopotamus have been described from the later tertiary strata—the pliocene and Pleistocene of Lyell. They occur in fresh-water marls, and in the hone-caves, into which they had been carried for food by the carniv orous animals that used the caves as dens. One species found in England, and in con siderable abundance in the southern countries of Europe, was of a size as much greater than the living species, as its companion, the mammoth, was greater than the living elephant.