306 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
marked of the many so-called races of the common giraffe. As its 
name implies, this animal has network-like markings, these being 
of white on a darker background, whereas the others in varying 
degrees have the yellowish ground-coloring broader, thus giving 
the whole more of a blotched effect. The Reticulated Giraffe is 
regarded by systematists as a distinct species, with all other 
giraffes races of another species. The validity of this seems doubt- 
ful in view of the fact that there is no natural barrier or dividing 
line between the Reticulated Giraffe and races of the other species, 
such as Cotton’s Giraffe and the Baringo Giraffe, that come near- 
est to it, and undoubtedly the two so-called species intergrade. 
On my visit to Nanyuki I had the amusing experience of taking 
part in the attempted capture of some of the reticulated variety. 
My host had built a stockade in thorn-bush country where a small 
herd was in the habit of browsing. On the day in question a 
number of natives on horseback rounded up the herd, and as we 
saw the party heading towards us galloping all out, while we sat 
watching from the lower slopes of a kopje, it was as thrilling to 
me as any Grand National. As the troop stampeded past, followed 
closely by the horsemen, we took up the chase in Hook’s rather 
ramshackle utility car in order to assist in heading off the herd in 
the right direction, and to get them between the converging 
“wings” leading to the stockade. This was managed all right, 
and then came the final spurt to make sure the animals had no 
time to hesitate about going through the gate. This final phase 
was tense and, to me, somewhat painful, for my host let the old 
bus go all out, crashing between thorn-bushes, over pot-holes and 
ant-heaps, until I thought that some of my ribs must be broken. 
The leading bull was only twenty yards from the stockade gate 
when he broke through the wings, constructed of thorn-bush 
branches piled to a height of seven to ten feet, and the rest followed 
through the gap and got away. This was the disappointing end to 
a long and exciting chase. 
A more up-to-date method of capturing giraffes is to drive the 
herd into fairly open country, then single out the one required 
and give chase in a high-powered light lorry. By this method the 
animal can be overtaken quickly, and it then comes to a standstill 
and can be easily lassoed. In the old method of rounding up 
