THE GIRAFFE AND OKAPI 105 



of the most stirring sensations in the world the 

 hunter may well stay his hand, and let the beautiful 

 giants go unscathed. It may be noted as a most 

 singular fact that giraffes are voiceless, incapable of 

 uttering a sound even in the agonies of death. 

 Although not distantly related to the deer family 

 Rutimeyer, the Swiss naturalist, has well called them 

 " a most fantastic form of deer " the giraffe has no 

 false hoofs. The hoof itself is somewhat ox-like, but 

 very elongate. The spoor of a well-grown specimen 

 is enormous, and will measure about a foot in length. 

 The Boers invariably call this animal kameel (the 

 camel), and by the name " camel " all English 

 hunters in the South African interior also know the 

 animal. It is worth noting, by the way, that the 

 giraffe progresses, just as does the camel, by moving 

 both legs on either side of the body simultaneously, 

 in contradistinction to the gait of nearly all other 

 quadrupeds. The Bechuana name for the giraffe is 

 Tutla (pronounced tootla) ; the Matabele and Zulus 

 call it Ntutla ; the Hottentots, Naip ; the Masarwa 

 Bushmen, Nghabe ; the Swahili of East Africa, 

 Twiga ; the Masai, Oladogaragat ; the Wandorobo, 

 Njangitomara ; the Somalis, Geri. 



THE OKAPI 



No account of modern African game would be 

 complete without some reference to that extraordinary 

 beast, the newly discovered Okapi (Okapia johnstoni}, 

 which has been accorded the honour of being placed 



