14© MOSTLY MAMMALS 



resemblance to the spotted hyaena, is an equally remarkable 

 representative of the dog family. Although formerly found in 

 Europe, the spotted hyaena itself is now exclusively African. 



Passing by the rodents, or gnawing mammals, as being 

 less familiar to non-zoological readers, we have the two 

 species of hippopotamuses absolutely confined to Africa at the 

 present day; we are all familiar with the common species 

 in the "Zoo," but the small West African kind, which has 

 more the habits of a pig, is much less commonly known. 



The stately giraffes are solely African, but are mainly 

 confined to more or less open districts; while their ally 

 the okapi is a forest species. The herds of antelopes, for 

 the most part belonging to generic type's unknown elsewhere, 

 with the exception of a few in Arabia, form one of the most 

 distinctive features of African life. Many of them, like the 

 strange gnus and the graceful gemsbok group, are confined 

 to the open districts of the south and east ; but others, 

 such as the bush-bucks and the harnessed antelopes, have 

 representatives in the forest districts of the west. Both 

 species of African rhinoceros are quite different from their 

 Oriental relatives ; but only one of these, the common 

 species, has a wide distribution in the country. Zebras 

 and the extinct quagga are familiar and striking African 

 animals, although most of them are confined to the open 

 plains and mountains. On the other hand, the African 

 elephant, which differs so widely in the structure of its 

 teeth from its Asiatic relative, has a much more extensive 

 distribution, and may therefore be classed among the most 

 characteristic of Ethiopian animals. Even more peculiar 

 are the little dassies (Procavia), the miscalled coneys of 

 our version of the Bible, which form a family absolutely 

 peculiar to Africa, Arabia, and Syria ; some of the species 

 dwelling among rocks, while others are active climbers, and 



