Giraffe 



way of observing one from over the top of a tree 

 makes them look most absurd animals. 



The bull is the biggest in the herd, and dis- 

 tinguishable, as he is darker than the rest. As is 

 well known, they are splotched with big chestnut 

 marks, separated from one another by narrow 

 white lines. Their colour varies very much, from 

 an almost blackish bull to a brilliantly marked 

 fawn-coloured cow. I think that the fact of their 

 various colourings being lighter or darker bears 

 not the smallest relation to their different species, 

 but a cow is always much lighter than a bull. 



I have met with the five-horned as well as the 

 three-horned giraffe under Kilimanjaro. The 

 former carries five horns, all covered with skin ; 

 two in the usual place about four to six inches 

 long, and a third attempt at a horn nearly as low 

 as between the eyes and shorter, and two more 

 horns growing from the back of his skull behind 

 his ears ; whilst the three-horned variety is with- 

 out these two latter horns. 



He likes fairly open or thin bush country, with 

 plenty of thorn trees, which form his staple food. 



I have never seen one drinking, nor have I 

 seen their tracks round water. 



I have come across them in great numbers 

 round Kilimanjaro, in herds of from four to ten, 

 and I know of one instance of over fifty-two, but 

 that last is quite out of the common. They are 

 also to be met with near the Thika-Thika and 

 Tana rivers, and north of Lake Baringo. 



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