THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 211 



*' Historia ^Ethiopica " of Ludolphus and the " Commentarius " 

 of the same writer appears to establish two facts : that animals 

 of this species were at that date reserved as gifts to Royalties 

 and persons exercising sovereign powers ; and that before the 

 end of the seventeenth century three had been so sent to the 

 Sultan of Turkey, one to the Pasha of Suakin (who sold his 

 to an Indian for presentation to the Great Mogul), and two 

 to the Governor of the Dutch East India Company, who at 

 once shipped them to Japan, as a gift to the Emperor.^ 



The first example of the Cape jumping hare was also received 

 in 1899. Many previous attempts to introduce this animal 

 had been made, but all had failed. A male Selous' antelope 

 was obtained from Mr. Cecil Rhodes by exchange, in the hope, 

 which was not fulfilled, that the stock might be perpetuated.t 

 The Hon. Walter Rothschild deposited a fine series of casso- 

 waries ; six species, represented by fifteen individuals, were new 

 to the collection. 



A young male giraffe, probably obtained in Portuguese East 

 Africa, was purchased from Mr. Reiche, of Alfeld, for £800. J In 

 their Report the Council, while admitting that the price seemed 

 high, pointed out that the difiiculty of obtaining living speci- 

 mens was very great. They hoped that, when adult, the animal 

 would form a mate for Daisy. The giraffe was injured at the 

 time of its capture ; two of the bones of the neck afterwards 

 grew together, causing a pressure on the spinal cord, and the 

 animal died in January, 1902. According to Owen {Transac- 

 tions, ii. 231), the first giraffe lost from Thibaut's herd died 

 from a similar cause, though in that case it was one of the 

 lumbar vertebrae that was injured. 



In 1900 the Rocky Mountain goat was introduced, and 

 this example was probably the first living specimen to reach 

 any part of the Old World. It is worth noting that a mounted 

 specimen was figured in the Museum Catalogue of 1829. Two 

 skins were presented by the Hudson's Bay Company, and one 



♦ Proceedings, 1905, i. 145-47. 



t The male died on January 24, 1905, and the female, presented in 1890, two 

 days later. 



X Mr. Lydekker is of opinion that this approaches the type of Ward's giraffe 

 —Froceedinffs, 1904, i. 256. 



