EAST AFRICAN MAMMALS IN NATIONAL MUSEUM. 5% 
plentiful they do great damage to the plantations of the natives, so much so that they 
then have to be taken off the list of preserved game and their destruction encouraged. 
Their enormous jaws sweep in quantities of plants, or lush grass, or corn, or vegetables, 
at a mouthful, while their appetites are as gigantic as their bodies. In spite of their 
short legs, they go at a good gait on shore, but the water is their real home, and they 
always seek it when alarmed. They dive and float wonderfully, rising to the surface 
or sinking to the bottom at will, and they gallop at full speed along the bottoms of 
lakes or rivers, with their bodies wholly submerged; but as is natural enough, in view 
of their big bodies and short legs, they are not fast swimmers for any length of time. 
They make curious and unmistakable trails along the banks of any stream in which 
they dwell; their short legs are wide apart, and so when they tread out a path they 
leave a ridge of high soil down the center. Where they have lived a long time, the 
rutted paths are worn deep into the soil, but always carry this distinguishing middle 
ridge. 
The hippopotamuses doubtless trample over and thus ruin far 
more of the natives’ garden truck than they eat. Although the ani- 
mal has a stomach capacity of 5 or 6 bushels, its food is compara- 
- tively slowly taken, is gathered largely by the lips, and is well mas- 
ticated before being swallowed. 
Family GIRAFFIDZ. 
Genus GIRAFFA Brisson. 
1762. Giraffa Brisson, Regn. Anim., p. 12. (G. camelopardalis.) 
1784. Camelopardalis ScHREBER, Saéiugthiere, pl. 255. (G. camelopardalis.) 
1816. Orasius OKEN, Lehrb. Nat., 3ter Theil, 2te Abth., p. 744. (G@. camelo- 
pardalis. ) 
1848. Trachelotherium GisTEL, Naturg. Thierr., p. 81. (G. camelopardalis.) 
No authentic specimens of the true Giraffa camelopardalis' from 
northern Sudan, or of the allied Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum ? 
from Kordofan, are contained in the National Museum collection. 
Other forms of the giraffe described from the territory covered by 
this report and not included in the collection are Giraffa camelopar- 
dalis cottoni Lydekker * from Koten Plain, south of Toposa, northern 
Uganda, and Giraffa hagenbecki Knottnerus-Meyer ‘ from Gallaland, 
southern Abyssinia. The former has been regarded by authors as 
indistinguishable from Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi, and hagen- 
becki, based on an immature example living in Hagenbeck’s zoological 
collection, is probably synonymous with Giraffa camelopardalis 
reticulata. 
For measurements of specimens see page 59. 
1 Cervus camelopardalis Linneus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, vol. 1, p.66. 1758. 
2 Camelopardalis antiquorum Jardine, Nat. Library, vol. 21, p. 187, pl. 21. 1838. 
3 Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1904, p. 207. June. 
4 Zool. Anz., vol. 35, p. 800. June 21, 1910. 
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