226 MR. R. LYDKKKER ON THE [Feb. 2, 



the netted type ; and this tendency is still nioi'e niai-ked in the 

 female Southeiii Giraffe now living in the Society's Gardens, 

 which came from the Sabi River in Poi'tuguese teriitoiy, con- 

 siderably to the north of Cape Colony {cf. P. Z. S. 1895, p. 161). 

 Compared with G. c. cajjensis, the light lines between the spots 

 are much narrower and more shai'ply defined, while the spots 

 themselves tend on the lower part of the hind-quarters to become 

 serrated on the margin. The stai'iiiig and splitting-up of the 

 spots chara,cteristic of the North Ti'ansvaal Giraffe ai'e notice- 

 able in the living animal. Unlike the typical form of the Cape 

 race, the lower part of the legs is not completely spotted, the 

 spots on the hind pair not extending to any gi-eat distance below 

 the hocks. 



Although this cannot be determined without compai'ison of 

 the skulls, I think it probable that this Gii-affe may belong to 

 G. G. wardi. 



The young male Giraffe from the Ti'ansvaal, probably neai- the 

 borders of Portuguese East Africa, purchased by the Society in 

 the spring of 1899*, also appears, according to the excellent 

 photogi'aph by Mr. Dando exhibited to the Meeting, to approach 

 the type of G. c. loardi. 



A coloured figure of the true Cape Giraffe is given in plate xi. 

 of Sir Cornwallis Harris's ' Portraits of the Game and Wild 

 Animals of South Africa,' which, judging from the other plates 

 in the same work, may be considered a faii'ly correct, although 

 pei'haps somewhat too highly coloured, poi'trait of the animal. 

 According to this picture, the ground-colour of the skin is bright 

 oi-ange-fawn (or almost flesh-coloui'), upon which are lai'ge widely 

 separated blotches, with ill-defined borders and the centrt.s 

 mai'kedly darker (deep chestnut) than the periphery. On the 

 upper part of the limbs the spots tend to become somewhat 

 iii-egular and jagged in outline, and they gradually decrease in 

 size as the hoofs are approached. A white area is shown on the 

 sides of the head and neck below the eai". 



C. Tncerke sedis. 

 10. Nigerian Giraffe. 



giraffa camelopardalis pkralta. 



Giraffa ccmyielopardcdis peralta Thomas, Pioc. Zool. Soc. London, 

 1898, p. 40. 



Hah. Nigei'ia, in the neighbourhood of Lokoja, at the junction 

 of the Niger and Benue rivers. 



Since this form was described only on the evidence of the 

 skull and limb-bones, it is at present impossible to assign it to its 

 true position in the series. The limb-bones indicate an animal 

 of great bodily height. The skull (text-fig. 37, p. 227), although 



* See P, Z. S. 1899, p. 596. 



