river horse, a genus of quadrupeds, belonging to the order of belluae; the characters of which are these: It has 6 foreteeth in the upper jaw, disposed in pairs at a distance from each other; and four prominent foreteeth in the under jaw, the intermediate ones being longest; the dog-teeth are solitary and obliquely truncated; and the feet are hoofed on the edges.

There is but one species of hippopotamus, viz. the amphibius or river-horse. The history of this quadruped, though next to the elephant in magnitude, is far from being sufficiently delineated. The best description hitherto given of him is that of Frederic Zerenghi, an Italian surgeon, published in the year 1603. Zerenghi killed two of them (a male and a female) on the banks of the Nile, preserved their skins, and brought them to Rome. Every skin took 400 pounds of salt in curing. He says, the skin of the hippopotamus is about an inch thick, extremely hard, impenetrable by a common musket-ball; and there are only a few short white hairs scattered very thin over it. The teeth are not protruded out of the mouth, as is commonly believed; for, when the mouth is shut, although the teeth be extremely large, they are entirely covered by the lips. The dimensions of the female, of which Zerenghi gives a figure, are as follow: From the point of the muzzle to the origin of the tail, between 11 and 12 feet; the circumference of the body about 10 feet; the height of the body, 4½ feet; the circumference of the leg, near the shoulder, 2 feet 9 inches, lower down 1 foot 9½ inches; the height of the legs about 1½ foot; the length of the feet from the extremity of the claws, 4½ inches; the claws are nearly of an equal length and breadth, and are somewhat more than two inches; each toe is furnished with a claw, and each foot with four toes. The tail is about one foot long, more than a foot in circumference near the origin, and about 3 inches near the point. The tail is not round, but flattish. The head, from the extremity of the lips to the neck, is about 2 feet 4 inches, and the circumference 5 feet 8 inches. The ears are about 3 inches long, and nearly as broad; they are a little pointed, and covered in the interior side with short white hair. The mouth, when open, is about 1½ foot wide, and furnished with 44 teeth of different figures. Their teeth are of such a hard substance, that they give fire with steel. These dimensions are taken from a female hippopotamus; but the male is generally about one third larger.

With such powerful arms, and such a prodigious strength of body, the hippopotamus might render himself formidable to every other animal. But he is naturally of a mild disposition; and besides, his body is so heavy, and his motions so slow, that he cannot overtake any other quadruped. He swims swifter than he runs, and preys upon fishes. He dives in the water, and can stay very long under. He has no membrane betwixt his toes, as the catfish or the otter; and he only swims easily in consequence of the great bulk of his belly, which makes him nearly of an equal specific gravity with the water. Moreover, he often keeps himself at the bottom, and walks upon the channel with the same freedom as upon dry land. Besides preying upon fishes, crocodiles, &c., he frequently goes out of the water and feeds upon sugar-canes, rushes, millet, rice, roots, &c. These he devours in large quantities, and often does great damage in the cultivated field. But as he is more timid on land than in the water, he is easily drove away. His legs are so short, that he cannot escape by flight when at a distance from the river. He generally flies when approached by people in boats; but, if they wound him, he returns with fury, attacks the boats with his teeth, and frequently overleaps them.

This animal seems to be confined principally to the rivers rivers of Africa. The male and female generally go together, and the female is said to produce but one at a birth.

**Hippuris**, in botany, a genus of the monandria monogynia clas. It has neither calix nor corolla; the stigma is simple; and there is but one seed. There is only one species, viz. the vulgaris, a native of Britain.

**Hippuris**, in ichthyology. See Coryphaena.

**Hircania**, in geography, the provinces of Persia in Asia, which lie on the southern shore of the Caspian sea.

**Hirschfield**, a city of Germany, in the circle of the upper Rhine, and landgraviate of Hesse Cassel, situated on the river Fulda, in E. long. 9° 32', N. lat. 50° 47'.

**Hirteilla**, in botany, a genus of the triandra monogynia clas. The calyx is divided into five parts; the petals are five, and equal; the filaments are spiral, and the style is lateral. There is but one species, a native of Brazil.

**Hirudo**, the leech, in zoology, a genus belonging to the order of vermes intestina. The body is flat, jointed, and moves either forward or backward. There are nine species, principally distinguished by that colour. This well known animal is used for bleeding children, &c. When they once fix, they seldom quit till they are glutted with blood. Salt makes them quit their hold, and throw up the blood.

**Hirundo**, in ornithology, a genus of birds, of the order of passerines. The bill is small, crooked, subulated, bent a little inward, and depressed at the base. There are 12 species, principally distinguished by their colour. This includes the common swallow, martin, &c.

**Hispaniola**, an island of America, in the Atlantic ocean, situated between 67° and 74° W. long, and between 18° and 20° N. lat., being about 420 miles long from east to west, and 120 in breadth. It is frequently called St. Domingo, from the capital thereof.

**Historiographer**, a professed historian, or writer of history.

**History**, a description or recital of things as they are, or have been, in a continued orderly narration of the principal facts and circumstances thereof.

History, with regard to its subject, is divided into the history of Nature, (See Nat. Hist.) and the history of Actions. The history of Actions is a continued relation of a series of memorable events.

**Histrio**, in the ancient drama, signified an actor or comedian, but more especially a pantomime, who exhibited his part by gestures and dancing.

**Hitching**, a market-town in Hartfordshire, fourteen miles north-west of Hartford, and thirty-two north-west of London.

**Hirthe**, one of the Cinque Ports in the county of Kent, situated on the English channel, six miles west of Dover.

**Hive**, in country affairs, a convenient receptacle for bees. See Apis.

**Hiving of Bees**, See Apis.

**Hoache**, in natural history, a kind of earth approaching to the nature of chalk, but harder, and feeling like soap; whence some think, that it is either the same with our soap-rock of Cornwall, or very like it. The Chinese dissolve it in water, till the liquor is of the consistence of cream, and then varnish their china-ware with it.

**Hoarhound**, in botany. See Marubium.

**Hoarseness**, in medicine, a diminution of the voice, commonly attended with a preternatural asperity or roughness thereof.

**Hobby**, in ornithology. See Falco.

**Hoe**, in country-affairs, a tool made like a cooper's adz, to cut upwards in gardens, field, &c. This tool is commonly called the hand-hoe. See Agriculture.

**Hog**, in zoology. See Sus.

**Hogshead**, in commerce, a measure of capacity, containing sixty-three gallons.

**Hogue**, a town and cape on the north-west point of Normandy in France, near which admiral Rook burnt the French admiral's ship called the Rising-fun, with twelve more large men of war: W. lon. 2°, and N. lat. 49° 50'.

**Hohio**, a river of North America; which rising in the Appalachian mountains, near the confines of Carolina and Virginia, runs south-west, and falls into the river Mississippi.

**Hoke-day**, the Tuesday after Easter-week; which was the day on which the English conquered and expelled the Danes: this was therefore kept as a day of rejoicing; and a duty, called hoke-tuesday-money, was paid to the landlord, for giving his tenants and bondmen leave to celebrate it.

**Holcus**, in botany, a genus of the polygamia monœcia clas. The calyx of the hermaphrodite is a double-flowered glume; the corolla is a glume with an awn; and there are three stamens, two styli, and one seed. The calyx of the male is a double valved glume; it has no corolla, but three stamens. There are ten species, only two of them natives of Britain, viz. the lanatus, or meadow soft-grass; and the mollis, or creeping soft-grass.

**Holderness**, a peninsula in the east riding of Yorkshire, which has the German ocean on the east, and the river Humber on the south.

**Holding**, in Scots law, the tenor or terms upon which a proprietor of lands holds or enjoys them of his superior.—See Blend, Burgage, Feu, Ward.

**Holland**, one of the United Provinces. It is about one hundred miles long from north to south, and scarce thirty miles broad: but enjoys the greatest trade of any province in the world, and in point of strength and riches is equal to the other six united provinces. It is situated one hundred miles east of England, and is bounded on the north and west by the German sea, on the east by the Zuider sea, and on the south by the provinces of Zealand and Utrecht.

**Holland** is also the name of the south-east division of Lincolnshire.

**Holland**, in commerce, a fine and close kind of linen, linen, so called from its being first manufactured in Holland.