NATURAL HISTORY. 145 



injured by dragging on the ground, a board is fastened to the 

 under side of it, and wheels are often attached to the board. 

 The peculiar fat of the tail is considered a great delicacy, and 

 is so soft as to be frequently used as butter. The weight of a 

 large tail is about seventy pounds. 



The Wallachian or Cretan sheep is found in Crete, Wallachia, 

 Hungary, and Western Asia, Its horns are exceedingly large, 

 and twisted in a manner resembling the horns of the Koodoo. 

 It is very strong, and extremely vicious and unruly. In this 

 and several other sheep the fleece is composed of wool and hair 

 mixed. The hair of the Wallachian sheep is long and silky 

 like that of a spaniel, and of great length-, falling almost to the 

 ground. 



THE GIRAFFE. 



This beautiful and extraordinary animal is found only in 

 Africa. As the gnoo seems to ccmbinc the properties of the 

 antelope, horse, and buflalo, so the GIRAFFE appears to bear 

 the characteristics of the antelope and the camel. ' In the 

 opinion of modern naturalists, it holds a place by itself between 

 the deer and antelopes ; it forms, at all events, a group to 

 which no other animals belong. 



The height of the Giraffe varies from thirteen to eighteen 

 feet. Its beautiful long neck enables it to brows-c en the leaves 

 of the trees on which it feeds. It is very dainty while feeding, 

 and plucks the leaves one by cue with its long and flexible 

 tongue. On its head are two very remarkable projections, 

 closely resembling horns. These projections are not horns, but 

 only thickenings of the bone of the skull, covered with skin, 

 and bearing a tuft of black hair at the extremity of each. The 

 fore-legs at first sight appear longer than the hind cnes, but 

 this apparent difference is only caused by the great length of 

 the shoulder-blades, as both pair of legs are of the same length 

 at their junction with the body. Its eyes are very large and 

 prominent, so that the animal can see on every side without 

 turning its head. Just over and between the eyes is a bony 

 prominence resembling the projecting enlargements of the skull, 

 called horns. The use of these projections is not very well 



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