]2 THE GIRAFFE. 



fested also some alarm and inquietude. Its conductors were 

 considerably embarrassed, not knowing how to induce it to 

 continue its course. Just at that time an inhabitant of the 

 town, who had until then preceded it on horseback, returned 

 to them, and proposed to try if it would follow him ; and in 

 fact the giraffe, as soon as it saw the horse of which it had 

 suddenly lost sight as the latter passed through the gate, 

 became again tranquil, and marched behind it, following it 

 closely with the Arabs, who held it with four reins : the 

 horse, however, became uneasy, and its rider could scarce 

 hold it in, as the giraffe from time to time stretched forward 

 its neck and applied its nose to the horse's crupper. In this 

 course the giraffe had to pass through many of the public 

 promenades, and always strove to reach the branches of the 

 trees near which it passed ; without, however, losing sight of 

 the horse it had chosen for its guide, which it followed faith- 

 fully to the stable destined for its temporary abode. M. Salze,* 

 who relates the above anecdote, makes the following observa- 

 tions on the same giraffe. " She has great pleasure in being 

 let out of her stable, and when she is permitted to walk in 

 the gardens of the Prefecture in fine weather, which often 

 occurs, she bounds like a young horse, but in a manner quite 

 peculiar and indescribable, raising herself pretty high from 

 the ground, and falling stiff and immoveable upon her legs. 

 Sometimes she will start forward in a gallop, and then she 

 drags along the four Arabs who keep hold of her ; and we 

 have seen her, in a moment of gaiety, drag even five strong 

 men. It is with difficulty she brings her mouth on a level 

 with the ground ; in doing so she separates widely her fore- 

 legs, draws in her crupper, sticks her shoulders as it were 

 out of their place, and elongates her neck in a stiff and truly 

 ludicrous manner : in this position one may readily perceive 

 she could take up a branch from the ground, but one cannot 

 conceive that she could drink. When in this position, she 

 seems dislocated or crippled. It appears that she cannot 

 bend her neck easily downwards towards her fore-feet ; but 

 we have seen her often carry her mouth to the crupper and 

 all along the thighs ; the neck then bends easily into a com- 

 plete circle. If the giraffe cannot reach the ground without 

 difficulty, she possesses on the other hand an extreme facility 

 in reaching the leaves that are far above her ; stretching out 

 her neck, raising her head, and elongating her tongue to seize 

 the branches that are two or three feet beyond her stature. 

 Thus she can browse, without changing her situation, on the 

 branches of trees for a considerable extent. This animal is 



* Annates du Museum. 



