The National tribune., 1890-04-10

in fact, is 80. Most explorers and sportmen in
Africa have mentioned the hippopotamas, but
it is quite difficult TO extract anything like q
complete account of the creatures habits of life
and disposition from their cursory and i'm
perfect notices. It is far from being the rule in
nature that females are more amiable than
males but in the case of hippopotami there
seems to be little doubt that such is the case.
On the other hand, with great unanmity,
writers have described the bulls as irritable
and pugnacious, constantly fighting among
themselves, very generally aggressive toward
vOyagers upon African rivers, and not infre-
quently as subject to what appear to be spon-
taneous fits of fury. During such paroxysms
the animal seems to be mad, as sometimes,
no doubt, it really is. It has tremendous
voice, immense strength and considerable
activity, so that when seen by stranger leap
ing out of the water, dashing about in shadows
amidst storm of mud and foam, roaring and
charging everything that attracts its attention,
the spectacle is very impressive and may be
assumed TO be one that is not calculated to in
sure a dispassionate judgment. These creatures
communicate with each other by sounds Of the
voice, but although we are told that their
vocalizations vary with seasons and Circum-
stances, something that might perhaps have been
anticipated by most people, no equivalent in
formation exists with regard to the significance
of such notifications MS has been accumulated
with respect to those of the elephant or even
the lion. On the tributaries of the White Nile
HIPPOPOTAMUs HUNTERS
form class by themselves The weapon used
is harp0oD, to which is attached a rope with
float of the very light ambatch wood, sery-
ing to mark the course and determine the posi-
tion of the wounded animal when under water.
Ropes passed beneath this line by the
hunters assistants, aud the brute is partly
dragged, partly tantaized toward the shore.
There his charge is thwarted by handfuls of
sand thrown into eyes, and he generally
perishes under repeated lance wounds. Not
always however, unavenged since fatal acct
dents are not uncommon, and the animal fire.
quontly assumes an aggressive attitude, and
often with success. DIR. Holub says: Of all
the larger mammalia of South Africa, | am dis
posed to think that TO an unarmed man the hip
popotamus is the most dangerous" Certainly,
under those circumstances and in those places
where the attack usually occurs, no has the
double advantage of position and weapons,
since his means of otfense are such that Sir
Samuel Baker and others state he can cut q
man in half with II single bite. In other cases
this animal is killed by heavily weighted
spear suspended over the path to some feeding
place on shore and which loosened by the pas
sage of his body. European hunters of course,
use the rifle. and need to use it well to hit the
small spot in the forehead where n ball is i'm
mediatey fatal. On the Upper Congo, Zambesi
aud other rivers of the interior, this unfortunate
creature finds enemies among men so savage
that they possess no means of putting it to
comparatively sudden death, but actually in
close small herds, when caught in favorable
posi- ions, with picket-fences, and starye them
to death.
ITO be confinued1