1902.] 



DR. C. I. FORSYTH MAJOR ON THE OKAPI. 



77 



The new materials in the Congo Mnseum show that the adult 

 Okapi is endowed with two frontal hoi-ns. In the female they are 

 small, conical, inserted almost vertically, and completely covered by 

 the skin. In the male they are larger, directed obliquely backwards 

 and somewhat triangular; that the tips of the horns were not 

 covered by skin seems certain, inasmuch as they have a polished 

 appearance. There is no third median horn as in the skull of the 

 northern GirafFe (text-fig. 12, p. 76); the osseous protuberance 

 corresponding to this horn is in the Okapi (text-fig. 7, p. 73) less 

 developed than in the Cape Giriiffe{Girafa camelopardalis capensis) 

 (text-fig. 11). 



We may say, in a general way, that the skull of the Okapi 

 differs from the Girafie skull in the lesser development of all the 

 osseous protuberances and sinuses. In this respect the Okapi is 

 intermediate between the Giraffe and Samotherium, as charac- 

 terized above. Even in the adult jSamotherium (text-fig. 13) the 

 sinuses are much less developed than in a young Okapi still 

 retainine- most of the deciduous teeth. 



Text-fig 



p.o 

 Supraorbital portion of left frontal of SamotJierhim hnissieri (adult ^ or immature 

 (??), showing a rudimentar}^ horn-core. Nat. size. Samos. Barhej' Col- 

 lection, no. 712.— The specimen is referred to in Geol. Mag. (4) viii. p. 243 

 (1901), where it is erroneously assigned to the right side. 



/t= rudimentary horn-core; o.s=upper margin of left orbit ; 

 j).o=orbital process of frontal. 



The Okapi is besides intermediate between these Miocene forms 

 and the recent Girafie in the position occupied by the frontal 

 horns. In the Samotheritim the horns, as mentioned, are situated 

 above the orbits ; they are situated slightly farther backwards in 

 the Okapi, but stop at the coronal suture ; whereas in Girafa they 

 encroach considerably on the parietals. 



