10 THE GIRAFFE. 



its hind-legs to perform the next movement, the near one 

 being brought rather forward but wide, until the off hind-leg 

 is advanced between the fore ones 5 this requires some time 

 to accomplish, during which it is poised with the weight of 

 its head and neck, until it feels that its legs are quite clear 

 and well arranged ; it then throws itself on its side and is at 

 ease. When it sleeps, it bends its head back, and rests the 

 head on the hind quarter." Besides the loose folds of skin 

 in the situation above described, there are others at the first 

 joints of the fore-legs, which, like pockets or bags, receive 

 the projecting part of the bone termed ulna, when the joint 

 falls back during progressive motion, but are quite empty 

 when the animal is at rest. In a preceding part of our de- 

 scription, we have alluded to the apparent disproportion in 

 the length of the fore- and hind-legs. This appearance is, 

 however, in a great measure deceptive ; for, when the extre- 

 mities themselves are attentively examined, especially when 

 seen in the skeleton, they are found to be of nearly the same 

 length. The sinking of the hind quarter is then seen to de- 

 pend partly on the greater angle at the bending of the thigh 

 upon the body, but chiefly on the great depth of the chest, 

 together with the great elevation of the spines of the vertebrae 

 at that part, for the purpose of giving a firm and extensive 

 attachment to the strong elastic ligament which supports the 

 neck and head. The tail of the giraffe reaches below the 

 hocks, and is terminated by a long tuft of coarse hairs. 



With respect to the habits of the giraffe in a state of na- 

 ture, our knowledge is confessedly vague and general. The 

 Arabs who accompanied the two young females from which 

 the preceding description has been drawn, asserted that they 

 were taken at a distance of eight or ten days' journey of the 

 caravans, to the south of Sennaar, not far from a district 

 which was mountainous, and covered with deep and extensive 

 forests. It may be presumed, that this country is near to 

 where the Nile and its tributary streams begin to leave the 

 mountains of Abyssinia to flow along the plains ; and here 

 the Arabs stated that ostriches, gazelles, antelopes, a small 

 species of lion and panthers abounded, while deeper in the 

 forests, elephants and rhinoceroses were met with. They 

 observed that the giraffes were found in small number, that 

 they inhabited the forests, and rarely appeared on the plain, 

 when they were united in groups of three and four, two old 

 ones, and one or two young ones, but seldom more. They 

 do not fly at the first view of man ; but if he approaches them, 

 they suddenly start off in a gallop or succession of bounds 

 with such speed, that they leave far behind them the swiftest 



