THE GIRAFFE 



919 



As it is largely owing to the peculiar nature of these horn-like appendages that 

 the giraffe is referred to a distinct family, they require somewhat fuller notice. 

 These horns, as they may be conveniently called, are only a few inches in length, 

 and are present in both sexes, making their appearance even before birth. They 

 are erect, subconical processes of bone, which at first are entirely separate from the 

 bones of the skull, although in later life completely uniting with them. They are 

 thus essentially different from the horn cores of the oxen and their allies, from 

 which they are likewise distinguished by being invested with skin instead of horn; 

 while, as we shall see in the 

 next chapter, they are equally 

 distinct from the antlers of 

 the deer. With the excep- 

 tion that they are at first 

 separate bones, instead of 

 part and parcel of the skull, 

 they appear on the whole to 

 come nearest to the horn 

 cores of the prongbuck, 

 which, as already mentioned, 

 are coated with a hairy skin 

 beneath the deciduous 

 horny sheath. In addition 

 to these paired horns, there 

 is a dome-like bony protuber- 

 ance occupying the middle 

 line of the skull between the 

 eyes, which is frequently re- 

 ferred to as the third horn. 

 The position and relations of 

 these three appendages of the 

 skull are well indicated in 

 our figure of the giraffe's 

 skeleton. 



The skull of the giraffe 

 is further characterized by 

 the great elevation of the 

 forehead and face above the 

 level of the eyes, this being 

 due to the development of 

 a number of air cells in the 

 bones. There is also a large 

 unossified space immediately 

 below the eye. As regards the teeth, those of the upper cheek series are remarkable 

 for the lowness and breadth of their crowns, and the roughness of the enamel 

 with which they are invested, while there are no canines in the upper jaw. 



GIRAFFES AT A POOL. 



