unwieldy an animal could exhibit such speed; no man would have had a chance of escape, and it was fortunate for our old guide that he was secure upon the high ledge of rock, for if he had been in the path of the infuriated beast, there would have been an end of him. His usu 8. The old man plunged into the deep pool just quitted by the hippo, and landed upon our side; while in the enthusiasm of the moment I waved my cap above my head, and gave him a cheer as he reached the shore. ally stern features relaxed into a grim smile of delight: this was one of those moments when the gratified pride of the hunter rewards him for any risks. I congratulated him upon his dexterity; but much remained to be done. I proposed to cross the river and to follow upon the tracks of the hippopotamus, as I imagined that the buoy and rope would catch in the thick jungle, and that we should find him entangled in the bush; but the old hunter gently laid his hand upon my arm and pointed up the bed of the river, explaining that the hippo would certainly return to the water after a short interval. 9. A few minutes later, at a distance of nearly half a mile, we observed the hippo emerge from the jungle and descend at full trot to the bed of the river, making direct for the first rocky pool in which we had noticed the herd. Accompanied by the old hunter we walked quickly towards the spot. He explained to me that I must shoot the harpooned hippo, for we should not be able to secure him in the usual method by ropes, nearly all our men being absent from camp. 10. Upon reaching the pool, which was about a hundred and thirty yards in diameter, we were immediately greeted by the hippo, which snorted and roared as we approached, but quickly dived, and the buoyant float ran along the surface, indicating his course in the same manner as the cork of a trimmer with a pike upon the hook. Several times he appeared, but, as he invariably faced us, I could not obtain a favorable shot; I therefore sent the old hunter round the pool, and he, swimming the river, advanced to the opposite side and attracted the attention of the hippo, causing him to turn towards him. 11. This afforded me a good chance, and I fired a steady shot behind the ear, at about seventy yards, with a singlebarreled rifle. As usual with hippopotami, whether killed or not, he disappeared beneath the water at the shot. The crack of the ball and absence of any splash from the bullet told me that he was hit, and the float remained perfectly stationary upon the surface. I watched it for some minutes; several heads of hippopotami appeared and vanished in different directions, but the float was motionless; it marked the spot where the grand old bull lay dead beneath. SIR SAMUEL BAKER. 68. THE PARADOXICAL ANIMAL. as-sid'u-ous, industrious. chan'neled, with channels. frag'ile, easy broken. 1. THERE are few animals that have attracted such universal attention, both from scientific men and the reading world in general as the ornithorhynchus,* or duck-bill. It resembles the bird, the fish, the reptile, and the mammal, and seems to have been created to drive naturalists to despair. It is, however, a true mammal. *Ornithorhynchus, from Greek ornis, bird, and rhynchos, beak. This little creature the largest are less than two feet in length-inhabits the sides of lakes and the banks of rivers in Australia and Tasmania. 2. The duck-bill is an essentially aquatic and burrowing animal, and is suitably formed for its residence in the water or under the earth. The fur is thick and soft, and is readily dried while the animal enjoys good health, but becomes wet and draggled when the creature is sick. The opening of the ears is small and can be closed at will, and the feet are furnished with large and complete webs, extending beyond the claws in the fore limbs and to their base in the hind legs. 3. It can swim almost as rapidly as a fish, but is obliged frequently to come to the surface to breathe. The fore-feet are employed for digging as well as for swimming, and are therefore armed with powerful claws rather more than half an inch in length, and rounded at their extremities. With such force can these natural tools be used, that the duckbill has been seen to make a burrow two feet in length through hard gravelly soil in the space of ten minutes. While digging, the animal employs its beak as well as its feet, and the webbed membrane contracts between the joints so as not to be seen. 4. The food of the duck-bill consists of worms, water insects, and little mollusks, which it gathers in its cheekpouches as long as it is engaged in its search for food, and then eats quietly when it rests from its labors. The teeth, if teeth they may be called, of this animal are very peculiar, consisting of four horny channeled plates, two in each jaw, which serve to crush the fragile shells and coverings of the animals on which it feeds. It seems seldom to feed during the day, or in the depth of night, preferring for that purpose the first dusk of evening or the dawn of morning. During the rest of the day it is generally asleep. While sleeping, it curls itself into a round ball, the tail shutting down over the head and serving to protect it. 5. The mode of nursing the young is very singular. It appears that the mother makes her young ones follow her into the water, and that she diffuses her milk around her; this liquid floats to the top of the water, and is immediately sucked up by her young. This manner of proceeding would suffice in itself alone to make the duck-bill one of the most astonishing of animals. 6. This creature seems to accommodate itself to bondage very badly. Mr. Bennett possessed two young ones, which he had captured in a burrow; and although he had not removed them from their native country, and had bestowed upon them the most assiduous attentions, he could not keep them alive: they died after five weeks of captivity. "They were," says Mr. Bennett, "very frolicsome little things, and played like kittens. They were very fond of dabbling about in a dish filled with water and furnished with a tuft of grass; they slept a great deal, especially during the day. Their food consisted of bread sopped in water, of hard boiled eggs, and meat chopped very fine." |