116 LECTURE IV. 



of the modern editions of the Systema Nature of 

 Linnaeus, was once considered as a species of 

 Deer ; but it differs from the Deer tribe in its 

 horns, which are never cast, but are permanent, 

 simple or unbranched, covered by a skin, and 

 terminated by a tuft of short bristles. The Ca- 

 melopardi or Giraffe is the tallest of all Quadru- 

 peds, often measuring seventeen feet from the top 

 of the head to the soles of the fore feet : its neck 

 is of a vast length, and the fore-parts of the ani- 

 mal appear, on account of their conformation, to 

 be considerably higher than the hinder. The 

 whole aspect of the Camelopardi is at once sin- 

 gular and elegant in the highest degree : its co- 

 lour is a very pale yellowish or whitish brown, 

 with numerous, large, squarish spots of light 

 chesnut-colour. The history of this animal has 

 been much elucidated of late years by the re- 

 searches of various African travellers, and speci- 

 mens of the complete skin have been brought 

 into Europe, of which one of the finest is in the 

 Museum of the late Mr. Hunter j now the Mu- 

 seum of the College of Surgeons. Mr. Pennant, 

 in his History of Quadrupeds observes, that, had 

 he not seen the dried skin of the Camelopardi, 



