her of which will tempt him to make
extraordinary exertions, and which seems almost unnatural in so simple a
feeder.

HIPPOPOTAMUS.

When all London, and half England, have been to see the Hippopotamus, at
the Zoological Gardens, I feel as if a work on animals, written at the
present moment, would be incomplete unless it contained some notice of
this animal. Nevertheless, in spite of research into old and new books,
into private reminiscences, and personal recollections, I find it
difficult to raise him to the intellectual place of those which have
been, or will be treated of in my pages. When I heard praises so
lavishly bestowed upon him, when I became even reproached for not having
been to see him, I began to think I had been mistaken, and that my
former acquaintance with his brethren must have been made under
circumstances which had caused prejudice; I therefore paid him a visit,
spent some little time in watching and observing him, and came away,
more than ever astonished at the marvellous effects which novelty and
variety will produce in the minds of men; throwing beauty and interest
over the most ungainly form and good-natured stupidity. He certainly
looks to greater advantage in this country than he does in his own; for
here a rose-coloured blush tinges his skin, and there he is too often
covered with mud, to wear any other appearance than that of a dirty
brown.

The hippopotamus is exclusively a denizen of Africa; and perfectly
harmless when unprovoked; except that he sometimes gets into the
plantations in the vicinity of his haunts, and crushes and devours a
crop of maize, or millet. He would rather avoid fighting or quarreling;
but, like all other brute creatures, can retaliate an injury with a
fury, which is rendered frightful by his enormous weight. He looks best
when walking in the shallow part of a lake or river, just under the
water, with his eyes open; but if there should be a boat, or canoe on
the surface, the sooner it bears its freight to the shore the better;
for he is sure at least to try and upset it with his huge back; not that
he has any murderous intentions, but he probably thinks it is an
intrusion on his peculiar domains.

The hide of the hippopotamus, of which tremendous whips are made, is at
least two inches thick, and has no hair upon it; his legs are so short,
that the body of one that is full grown, almost reaches the ground, and
sometimes measures five feet across; his tail