Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1908-11-18


HOZIY7Z.D
Among the game animals of Afric
In regard to whose habits and mod
OF life our information has hithert
been exceedingly vague and unsatis
factory, may be included the pigm,
hippopotamus of the forests of Ii
IBERIA and the adjacent districts of thu
West Coast. For a long time after it,
first discovery-and it has been known
to naturaHsts for many years, although
specimens have always been rare il
museums-the pigmy species was sup
posed to closely resemble its gigantic
relative in general habits; that is tC
say, 1t was regarded as being in the
main a water rather than a land ami
mai. According, however. to reports
from some of the comparatively few
travellers who in former days visited
Liberia. this is altogether wrong.
1t has been stated, indeed, by DR.
Buttikopfer that in its general mode
OF life the pigmy species is much more
like a wild pig than an ordinary hip
about the tropical forests in pairs, to
great extent without regard TO the
neighborhood of rivers and lakes.
These observations are, in the main.
fully confirmed by a series of interest
ing ffeld-notes from the pen of Capt.
Il. Murray of the East Surrey regi-
Inent, England.
& 10 -
ton extending over a period of nearly
Tour years, and from Trustworthy in
formation obtained from both Euro
Peans and natives, Capt. Murray is of
opinion that the pigmy hippopotamus
IS fairly common throughout the pro-
tectorate of Sierra Leone and Liberia.
As rule, it frequents the densest
patches OF covert in the forest, rarely
leaving such shelter, except, perhaps
at nighttime to visit some adjacent
farm for food. Rivers do not seem in
any degree essential to its comfort.
,sWampS and marshes-esDecialI
where there is two or three feet of
soft mud beneath the surface-being
far more in favor. provided that such
spots are in the midst OF dense bush,
or have such covert within easy reach.
When far removed from civilization,
dhese animals subsist on roots. a kind
OF wild plum, and the leaves of va
rious shrubs and trees. Their favor
lite foods are, however, cassada root.
gourds, Indian corn, etc; but these, of
course, are luXuries only to be OBJ
tanned close TO towns and villages;
although it is far from uncommon to
come across a cassada field that is
visited nightly by these creatures and
90 find the plants uprooted in all d.
rections.
The narrator goes on to observe that
his experience leads him to believe
that these dwarf hippos are solitary.
and do not, as has been suggested, as
sociate in pairs. At night, however,
they undoubtedly meet their fellows
at favorite spots, such as farms and
mud-dips. Nevertheless. although in
some parts the bush is a perfect net
work of tunnels and runs made by
these hippos, Capt. Murray never dis
covered from the tracks that any one
such run is used by any other than it's
solitary owner.
On the other hand, it Is compara.
lively common to find the tracks of a
COW hippo with a well-grown calf at
her heels; and it would seem quite
likely that this may have given rise
to the idea that the adults usually as
sociate in pairs. In the daytime the
pigmy hippos resort to the densest
shelter they can find, probably for
the purpose of repose, although. espe-
cially in Sierra Leone and Liberia il
is out OF the question to verify this by
actual experience, as it is impossible
for any human being to follow the low.
thorny and twisting tunnels these crea-
lures make through the bush without
being detected long before reaching
the retreat of the owner.
On one occasion, indeed. after some
three hours painful "squirming" on
his stomach, the narrator actually suc.
ceeded in finding a spot still warm
where one of these animals had re-
Gently been lying down; but even then
he must have been detected while still
long way Oh. Usually these hippos
seem to commence their wanderings
about dusk, although notable excep-
ton to this was the behavior of a large
specimen seen at Daru in broad day
night This. however, appears to
have been very exceptional behavior.
since not one Of the numerous native