THE GIRAFFE 



often blend with their surroundings, not only in the 

 dry, but also in the rainy season. The general color of 

 the giraffe varies considerably, even within the same 

 herd. It ranges from pale chestnut to very dark choco- 

 late, the females and young males being, as a rule, 



BULL GIRAFFE AT ONE HUNDRED METRES DISTANCE 



light in color. I have seen herds of forty-five and more 

 animals the members of which differed greatly in their 

 coloring, particularly in the irregularly shaped blotches; 

 the old males are, in general, darker than the rest. 



The giraffe preferably frequents the arid African 

 plains ; seven-tenths of German East Africa consists of 

 nothing else, and are therefore an "Eldorado" for the 

 giraffe, which need not select its haunts within easy 

 reach of drinking-places, as it can go for days without 

 water. Yet where water is available it drinks freely. 

 Ordinarily the sap of leaves and twigs on which it feeds 

 supplies liquid in sufficient quantities. Not only the 

 different species of acacia, but als(^ other leaf-bearing 

 trees furnish the giraffe with food, but it never eats 

 " 177 



