384 ON THE 



The body, as previously observed, hears resem : 

 blance to a well formed horse; its long, elegant, 

 and slender legs, to that of the Stag, the half for- 

 med spurious hoof on each foot, being peculiar to 

 itself; while the orbits of the eyes, approximate 

 the nearest to the Antelope. 



The Gnou feeds in large herds on the African 

 plains, where it fiercely and furiously defends 

 itself against its adversaries with its very power- 

 ful horns, which serves an instrument of great 

 defence. 



We have here another very striking proof of 

 some portion of the external form peculiar to dif- 

 ferent animals being united in one species, with- 

 out interfering with the particular laws arid 

 habits by which each is governed ; thus display- 

 ing the variety in which nature loves to indulge, 

 without losing sight of those fixed and determin- 

 ate rules, by which her operations are generally 

 governed. 



The Giraffa, or Camelcopard, is an African 

 Animal of very singular appearance; the neck 

 being remarkably long in proportion to the body, 

 which, covered with a beautiful spotted skin not 

 unlike that of the Panther, slopes back so mnch 

 as to give a still greater prominence to the neck, 

 and to render the animal, when the neck and 

 head are erect, more than eighteen feet in height, 

 and thus the tallest of the Quadruped race. 



Its head bears a considerable resemblance to 



