THE OK API OF (ENTKAL AFKIC^A. (>()8 



panied by the skull of th(> dead animal, and a smaller skull which he 

 had obtained separately. The skin and skulls were forwarded to Lon- 

 don, where they arrived after considei-able delay. The British Musevuii 

 intrusted the settin*:- u}) of the okapi to ]Mr. Kowland Ward, of Picca- 

 dilly, and from the mounted skin and other data 1 have made the 

 drawings which illustrate this article. I also give a photograph, taken 

 l)y myself, of a bit of forest where the okapi was found. Before 

 sending this skin to Europe, and while it still retained some indica- 

 tions of the shape of the animal, I made the colored drawing which 

 appears as the frontispiece to this issue of McClure's Magazine, and 

 which will also be given in the Proceedings of the London Zoological 

 Society. This colored drawing differs in some particulars from the 

 appearance of the t)kapi as set up ))v Mr. Rowland Ward, and as rep- 

 resented in the illustrations of the presenc article. Until the okapi has 

 been photographed alive or dead, and its exact shape in the flesh is 

 thus known, it is diflicult to say which of my two drawings is the more 

 correct. In the first illustration, which appears as the frontispiece, I 

 have given the creature a more horse-like build. Li the sketch which 

 accompanies this article, and which is in the main drawn from iVIr. 

 Rowland Ward's Iniilding up of the animal from the flat skin, the shape 

 of the bodv inclines a little more to the giraffe, the okapi's nearest 

 ally. 



The size of the okapi is that of a large stag. It stands relatively 

 higher in the legs than any mem))er of the ox tribe, otherwise I should 

 compare its size to that of an ox. Like the giraffe, this creature has 

 only two hoofs, and no remains whatever of the other digits, which 

 are represented in the deer, oxen, and in most antelopes by the two 

 little ''false hoofs" on either side of the third and fourth toes. 



The coloration of the okapi is quite extraordinary. The cheeks and 

 jaws are v'ellowish white, contrasting abruptly with the dark-colored 

 neck. The forehead is a deep red chestnut; the large, broad ears are 

 of the same tint, fringed, however, with jet black. The forehead 

 ranges between vinous red and })lack in tint, and a black line follows 

 the bridge of the nose down to the nostrils. The muzzle is sepia col- 

 ored, but there is a faint rim or mustache of reddish-yellow hair round 

 the upper lip. The neck, shoulders, barrel, and back range in tone 

 from sepia and jet black to rich vinous red. Ttie belly is blackish, 

 except just under the knees. The tail is bright chestnut red, with a 

 small black tuft. The hind quarters, hind and fore legs are either 

 snowy white or pale cream color, touched here and there with orange. 

 They are boldly marked, however, with purple-black stripes and 

 splodges, which give that zebra-like appearance to the limbs of tlu^ 

 okapi that caused the flrst imperfect account of it to indicate the dis- 

 covery of a new striped horse. The soft parts of the animal being 



