THE CAMELS. 



437 



back and forth like the mast of a ship dancing on 

 the top of high waves." One requires a very good 

 Horse to overtake a fleeing Giraffe, and it is espe- 

 cially difficult to pursue it to the end, as nearly all 

 other animals tire out sooner than it does. 



The attitude the animal assumes when desirous of 

 picking up some object from the ground, or of drink- 

 ing, is very peculiar. Old descriptions assert that 

 the Giraffe kneels down for this purpose, and in ex- 

 ceptional cases it may do so. As a rule, however, 

 it lowers its fore-quarters by straddling its fore-legs 

 to such an extent as to enable it to reach the ground 

 conveniently with its long neck. People who have 

 not witnessed this feat believe it to be impossible. 

 While sleeping it lies on its side and folds both or 

 only one of its fore-legs. Its sleep is not very pro- 

 found, and lasts but a short time. 

 Peculiarities of It stands to reason that the food of 



the Diet of the Giraffe harmonizes with its shape 

 Giraffes. anc j other characteristics. The ani- 

 mal is entirely unfitted for devouring grass from the 

 surface of level ground, but is far better able to 

 break the foliage from trees. Its remarkably mobile 

 tongue is of the greatest help to it. Most Ruminants 

 use the tongue for the plucking of their food, but 

 none of them use it so much and so effectually as 

 the Giraffe. What the trunk is to the Elephant, the 

 tongue is to the Giraffe. It can pick up the smallest 

 objects with it, pluck the tenderest leaf and convey 

 it to its mouth. "In our zoological garden," says 

 Oken, "more than one lady, while gazing at the 

 Giraffes, has been deprived of the artificial flowers 

 adorning her hat. It seems as if the Giraffe is guided 

 by its eye rather than by its nose in the selection of 

 its food, and thus it frequently happens that the ani- 

 mal deceives itself, as in the cases where it tears the 

 artificial flowers from a hat." In the free state the 

 branches, buds and leaves of the mimosas furnish the 

 principal diet of the Giraffe; but it is also fond of 

 browsing on the creepers, which envelop the forest 

 trees of northern Africa in such profusion. As the 

 above-mentioned trees do not grow to be much higher 

 than the animal, the latter obtains its sustenance with- 

 out difficulty. In the dry season, when the majority 

 of the trees are bare of foliage, and the tall, dry grass 

 affords it but scant fare, it sometimes travels for miles 

 to drink from some pool or the puddles which re- 

 main from the streams that only flow during the 

 rainy season. 

 Development of The perceptive senses of the Giraffe, 

 the Senses of especially those of sight and hearing, 



the Giraffe. are acutely developed; and its mental 

 capacity is of a very high order. It is clever, intelli- 

 gent and extremely gentle, and in proportion to its 

 size it is a highly good-natured, peaceable creature, 

 living on amicable terms not only with its own kind, 

 but also with other animals, as long as the latter do 

 not annoy or persecute it. In case of necessity it 

 knows full well how to defend itself effectually, not 

 with its horns, which seem to be merely ornamental, 

 but by dint of vigorous kicks administered by its 

 long, sinewy legs. 



Methods of The hunting of the Giraffe is a pas- 



Hunting the time of which the African natives as 

 Giraffe. we n as Europeans are passionately 

 fond. The former hunt it with the aid of a Camel 

 or a Horse, pursuing the Giraffe until it is thor- 

 oughly exhausted, when the pursuers first hamstring 

 it to disable it from kicking, and then kill it. The 

 flesh of the animal is in great demand as an article 

 of food, and other parts of its body are put to va- 



rious uses. Europeans in hunting it employ fire- 

 arms, but as a rule succeed in despatching the wary 

 animal only after a prolonged chase, even when pos- 

 sessed of long range arms. According to Selous' 

 experiences, one can overtake a fleeing Giraffe with 

 even an indifferent Horse, sufficiently at least to al- 

 low the sportsman to dismount and send a well-aimed 

 bullet after it, for it develops its highest speed only in 

 the last extremity. The different parts of the carcass 

 of a Giraffe are put to good use in many ways. The 

 hide is tanned into an excellent durable leather, the 

 tail-tuft is used for fly brushes, the hoofs furnish a 

 good quality of horn, and the flesh is excellent food. 

 Yet the natives especially rejoice when they can 

 possess themselves of a living Giraffe. The striking 

 animal is liked everywhere and everybody is pleased 

 to own one. In the villages in the interior of Africa 

 the traveler frequently sees a couple of Giraffes' 

 heads looming up and peering over the high walls 

 of a garden; and not infrequently one meets tame 

 specimens coming and going at will in the environs 

 of a settlement. At our arrival in Karkodj, a ham- 

 let on the Blue River, a Giraffe was the first inhab- 

 itant to come up to our barge to greet us. It fear- 

 lessly and confidingly approached quite close to 

 the boat, ate bread and grains of durra out of our 

 hands, and demeaned itself toward us as if we were 

 old friends. It soon appreciated how great a pleas- 

 ure it was giving us; for during our sojourn in the 

 place it came several times daily to be caressed. 

 The Arabian name "Serafe," "the lovely one," which 

 has been corrupted into Giraffe, became thoroughly 

 appreciable to me at that time. 



Unfortunately the Giraffes exported to other coun- 

 tries endure confinement for a protracted time only 

 with the best of care. The majority die of a pecu- 

 liar disease of the bones, which has been termed 

 " Giraffe disease." Lack of exercise and inappro- 

 priate diet may be the causes of this fatal malady. 



£be Camele. 



SECOND FAMILY: Camelid^e. 



The family of the Camels {Camelidce) are distin- 

 guished by callous foot-soles; by the absence of 

 horns and of rudimentary toes; by a cleft upper lip, 

 and by their peculiar dentition. In regard to the 

 latter the Camel differs from all other Ruminants by 

 the possession of two (and in earliest youth six) 

 incisor teeth in both the upper and the lower jaws. 

 The hoofs are very small, being really only ungulate 

 toe-nails of the callous soles. The stomach has only 

 three compartments, as the manyplies is so small 

 that it is usually considered one with the rennet. 

 Physical Charac- The Camels are very large Rumi- 



teristics of the nants, with long necks, elongated 

 Camels. heads, bodies cylindrically com- 

 pressed in the region of the loins, and shaggy fur of 

 nearly woolly texture. 



North Africa, central Asia and southwestern Amer- 

 ica are the homes of these animals. The few spe- 

 cies which this family contains have been almost 

 entirely domesticated in the Old World and partly 

 in the New. In the latter they inhabit the moun- 

 tains up to elevations of 13,000 feet above sea level; 

 in the former they preferably range over the hot, 

 parched plains. Herbage, leaves and branches of 

 trees, thistles and thorns constitute their food. They 

 are very frugal feeders, and are able to endure hun- 



