from the foot to the
top of the shoulder! An authority on this subject, who measured the
largest he could meet with in different parts of India, found none that
stood over twelve feet, and this appears to be the actual height of the
very biggest of elephants.

The African elephants have not been tamed--at least not in modern times;
but it is certain that the elephants used by the Carthaginians in their
wars with the Romans were of this species; and also that African
elephants were the species exhibited by Caesar and Pompey in the Roman
arena.

In a wild state the African elephant has a wide range--from the Cape
country on the south to Senegal on the western side, throughout the
whole of Central Africa, and along the oriental coast to the valley of
the Nile; but it is not very certain whether the elephant of the eastern
countries of Africa is the African species or a variety of the Asiatic
kind. The African elephant is said to be fiercer than that of Asia; but
this is a doubtful statement; and perhaps the habits of the two do not
materially differ, farther than might be expected from a difference of
climate, food, and other external circumstances.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

THE HIPPOPOTAMUS, RHINOCEROS, AND TAPIR.

Though these three kinds of creatures belong to different genera, there
is a certain family likeness among them that entitles them to be classed
together; and since there are not many species of each, they will
conveniently form a group.

Of late the hippopotamus has been the most notorious of the three;
though he is far from being as interesting an animal as the rhinoceros.
Since, however, he is at present the most popular, we shall give him the
foremost place in our sketch.

The Hippopotamus was known to the Greeks and Romans. His name is Greek,
and, as every one knows, signifies the River-horse. Why so called? you
may ask--since between this unwieldy creature and the beautiful horse
there does not appear a single point of resemblance. The answer is,
that the cry of the hippopotamus was fancied to resemble the neighing of
a horse; and in some respects this is really the case. Hence the
misnomer. The Dutch of the Cape Colony call the creature a Cow, or
Sea-cow, which is also an ill-adapted name. The cow is well enough, for
the head and mouth of the animal bear a very striking resemblance to
those of a broad-muffled cow; but what the "sea" has to do with it is
not so clearly understood: since th