It was still worse when it came to the turn of the hippopotami. A
thousand ill-digested memories from the illustrated papers were in
her mind, all mixed up. Where did the Nile and the Zanzibar flow?
Which was it that separated Egypt from Senegal? And the gigantic
hippopotamus, looking perfectly huge and out-of-place in a gondola
fit for a sultana, appeared to her, floating down the calm stream,
a red fez with a golden star on his head, puffing away at a
peculiar double-bowled pipe, the pride of the collection of a
retired police-officer in the village, who had it from the real
cousin of a sea-captain from Marseilles.

"Do you see those little lumps there enclosed between four boards?
It is a nest of land-tortoises. The largest, called the Giant
tortoise, easily supports on its back a weight of two hundred
pounds. This shell which weighs so heavily is its house. At the
least alarm, it retreats into its house and stays there, till all
danger is past." This plan of walking about with your house on
your back seemed rather a good one to Mother Etienne. You could go
out on rainy days without getting wet, and on cold days it would
keep your back nice and warm.

"Near at hand is a collection of mammals, the kangaroo family. The
kangaroo is the largest mammal of Australia. It is generally a
peace-loving animal, but bites, scratches, and claws if it is
teased. Its best defence however is flight." All these technical
details left the good woman cold. What she remembered best were
the practical qualities of the creatures. The kangaroo has one
very great peculiarity, the female has a pouch, a sort of bag, in
which she hides her young if danger appears, just as the soldier
has his knapsack.