202 MR. R. LYDEKI ER OX THE [Feb. 2, 



5. On the Subspecies of Giraffa canielopardalis. 

 By R. Lydekkee. 



[Received November 27, 1903.J 



(Plates IX.-XVI.* and Text-figures 23-37.) 



The bi"inging of the present communication to the notice of the 

 Zoological Society has been to some extent an almost involuntaiy 

 act on my part, and due rather to the force of circumstances than 

 to any desire to add to the burden of zoological nomenclature. 



Some time ago the British Museum receiv-ed the skins of a pair 

 of giraffes which had been shot by Major Powell-Cotton in East. 

 Africa, and are now mounted and exhibited to tlie public ; and 

 it became my duty to give them names. 



As is well known, the recognition of distinct forms of Giiufie is 

 no new event. Mr. de Winton, in a communication to the Society t 

 some years ago, recognised two species and one subspecies from 

 the northern, eastern, and southern districts of the African 

 continent, namely Giraffa camelopardalis^ G. c. reticulata, and 

 G. capensis. Later on Mr. Thomas t regarded reticulata as a 

 distinct species, and relegated capensis to the rank of a race of 

 canielopardalis. Two other forms have also been described by 

 Di'. P. Matschie from East Africa. 



I found myself unable to identify the Museum specimens with 

 any of these named forms, stricto sensu. Consequently a revision 

 of the whole group was necessaiy. 



With some trouble I have succeeded in obtaining a collection 

 of paintings and photographs of these animals (which I intend to 

 present to the Museum) such as I think has never previously 

 been bi'ought together. And I may here express my indebtedness 

 to our President for his liberality in defraying the cost of these 

 paintings. 



I have previously given a preliminary account of some of the 

 new forms, now more fully described, in a popular journal §, but 

 the acquisition of yet other specimens by the Museum has induced 

 me, largely owing to the advice of my friend Mr. Thomas, to lay 

 the results of my investigations before the Society. 



I may add that whatevei- may be the general opinion as to the 

 advisability or otherwise of naming local subspecific forms of 

 animals, there i .n instance precisely analogous to the present 

 one in the case of the Bonte-Quagga, or Burehell's Zebra {Bquus 

 hurchelli) ; and that if the local phases of the lattei- ai'e thought 

 worthy of recognition, most certainly the same recognition should 

 be accorded to the local forms of Giraffe. But I may go further 

 than this and add tliat, so far as I know, whereas the local forms 

 of the Bonte-Quagga are distinguished solely by colour and 

 markings, most, if not indeed all, of the subspecies of Giraffe are 

 distingviishable by cranial differences, j^oi- is this all, for one of the^ 



* For explanation of tlie Plates, see p. 227. 



t P.Z.S. 1897, p. 277. J Ibid. 1901, vol. ii. p. 471. 



§ ' Animal Life and the World of Nature,' vol. ii. p. 78. 



