1906.] FCETUS OP THE GIRAFFE. 631 



a much less extensive, more feebly developed, and less sharply 

 marked patch of hairs. 



On the head each horn consisted of a fold of skin in which the 

 separate and movable horn-core could be felt as of gristly con- 

 sistency. This fold of skin was capped by long hairs, which were 

 black at the extremity as in the newly born and adult Giraffe. 

 The mane was quite visible as a distinctly marked tract of close-set 

 longish hairs definitely fawn-coloured ; it ended just below the 

 shoulder. At the root of the tail and for a little way down it 

 there was a continuation of this crest, but not nearly so well- 

 mai-ked or so circumscribed. The tuft of black hairs at the end 

 of the tail was quite obvious. A smaller tuft of shoiter whity- 

 brown hairs also existed at the extremity of the tail below the 

 black patch. 



On the ventral median line in the abdominal region and upon 

 the sternum was also a band of hair, not so pronounced as the 

 mane, but still very conspicuous ; this was not found between the 

 legs, either hind or front. 



Finally, the vulva was encircled with longish white hairs. 



These are, I believe, the chief facts concerning the distribution 

 of the hairy covering of the young Giraffe. The material does 

 not exist for much comparison with the mode of hair-growth in 

 other Ungulates, and it is therefore all the more important to 

 record the facts with a view to future comparisons. 



In the meantime I have been able to compare this foetus with 

 one of evidently not very different age of Ovis vignei. I propose, 

 however, to accumulate more facts with regard to the distribution 

 of the hair and other external characters in the foetus of Mammals 

 as opportunity serves me, and do not therefore give any detailed 

 description of this foetus, the characters of which, moreover, are 

 probably well enough known. 



I desii'e, however, to call attention to a patch of strongish haii-s 

 upon the winst, exactly in the same position as the tuft of hair in 

 the Giraffe illustrated in text-fig. 109. In the foetus of Ovis the 

 patch was of very much less extent, not reaching nearly so far 

 down the metacarpus. It was, furthermore, not nearly so sharply 

 marked off from the surrounding integument as in the Giraffe, 

 though composed of hairs of exactly the same whity-brown 

 colour. 



