CHAPTER XIV. 



MISCELLANEOUS EXAMPLES. 



In this chapter a few of the rarer examples of hair-clad mammals 

 which present remarkable changes at critical areas of their hairy 

 coats may be considered with advantage. I have chosen six, of 

 which three appeared in my former book. 



The Giraffe. 



The two drawings of a giraffe, Figs. 43 and 44 were made for me 

 for the purpose of illustrating one of its habits and two of its 

 peculiarities of arrangement of its hair. This stately creature 

 is the tallest known animal and is the sole representative of its 

 ancient family, more common in the days when giants abounded. 

 Its range is becoming more limited and its enemies not less dangerous, 

 and it is expected in the course of some j'ears to add to the number 

 of the recently-extinct creatures. 



Habits. 



Living mainly in dry sandy regions giraffes find their food 

 exclusively in leaves plucked from trees, and are said by some 

 authorities to exist for a long period without drinking, but an 

 interesting account quoted by Lydekker from Selous should be 

 mentioned here. Selous writes that on a certain occasion he 

 reached camp " a little before sundown, just in time to see three 

 tall, graceful giraffes issue from the forest a little distance beyond, 

 and stalk across the intervening flat, swishing their long tails to 

 and fro, on their way down to the water. It is a curious sight to 

 watch these long-legged animals drinking, and one that I have 

 had several opportunities of enjoying. Though their necks are 

 long, they are not sufficiently so to enable them to reach the water 

 without straddling their legs wide apart. In doing this, they 

 sometimes place one foot in front, and the other as far back as 

 possible, and then by a series of little jerks widen the distance 

 between the two, until they succeed in getting their mouths down 

 to the water ; sometimes they sprawl their legs out sideways in a 

 similar manner." Lydekker adds that this position has to be 



12 



