Page:Babyhood of Wild Beasts.djvu/57

Rh like fans, the eyes bulge, and the forehead is low and flat, with two foolish looking ears sticking up on either side of it.

The weight of this great beast averages from four thousand to eight thousand pounds.

His voice is not true to his character. It consists of a deep, hog-like grunt, followed by four sharp, high pitched, shrill squeals. One would expect a deep, resonant bass from such a sober, phlegmatic beast and is shockingly surprised by his ear-splitting tenor.

The Hippopotamus is herbivorous. He lives a great part of the time in water but is an air breathing mammal. The mothers have but one baby at a time and suckle it as a cow does her calf.

Whips and other articles of commerce are manufactured from their thick, tough hide and the flesh is eaten by the natives.

So the poor Hippo has many enemies. We hope the game laws will protect him, as we couldn't possibly spare him, he is so intensely interesting.