Chambers's encyclopædia; a dictionary of universal knowledge . nty or thirty is very gieat, so thatwherever cultivation extends, war is waged againstthe H., and it disappears from regions where itformerly abounded. Thus it is no longer found inLower Egyjit, although still abundant further upthe Nile. It is taken in pits, which are digged inits 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 highlyesteemed; the fat, of which there is a thick layerimmediately under the skin, is a favourite Africandelicacy, and whe
Chambers's encyclopædia; a dictionary of universal knowledge . nty or thirty is very gieat, so thatwherever cultivation extends, war is waged againstthe H., and it disappears from regions where itformerly abounded. Thus it is no longer found inLower Egyjit, although still abundant further upthe Nile. It is taken in pits, which are digged inits 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 highlyesteemed; the fat, of which there is a thick layerimmediately under the skin, is a favourite Africandelicacy, and when salted, is known at the Capeof Good Hope as Zee-Jcoe speck—that is. Lake-cowbacon. The tongue, and the jelly made from thefeet, are also much prized. The hide is used for avariety of purposes ; and the great canine teethare particularly valuable as ivory, and are a veryconsiderable article of African commerce. The H. is lively and playful in its native waters ;it soon learns to avoid man, and when it cannotretire among reeds for concealment, it dives and. Hippopotamus [H. amphihius). remains long under water, raising only its nose tothe surface when another breath becomes female H. may sometimes be seen SAvimmingwith her young one on her back. The H. is gener-ally inoffensive, but is occasionally roused to fitsof rage, in which it becomes extremely dangerous,particularly to those who pursue it in boats. Thevoice of the H. is loud and harsh, and is Ukened byBurckhardt to the creaking and groaning of a largewooden door. That the H. is capable of beingtamed, and of becoming much attached to man,has been sufficiently jn-oved by the instances ofliving specimens in London and Paris. The first to Europe in modern times, a young onefrom the Nile, arrived in London in 1850. The H.,however, sometimes appeared in the spectacles ofthe ancient Romans. It is very generally supposedto be the Behemoth of the book of Job. Fossil species.—Some six species of II. ha
Size: 1575px × 1587px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookp, bookyear1868, hippopotamus
