THE GIRAFFE. 205 



feet six inches and his length three feet. He is less sociable 

 than other species of his kind, living alone with his family 

 and not in herds like the Fallow Deer. He is found in Scot- 

 land and in the northern parts of Europe. 



The Giraffe. The Giraffe {Camelopardalis giraffa) belongs 

 to Abyssinia, Nubia and South-Africa. It is the tallest of 

 living animals, attaining to the height of eighteen feet. Its 

 body has some similarity to that of the camel in form, and 

 its head, which surmounts a neck seven feet long and bears 

 two horns six inches long, resembles generally that of a horse. 

 Its tongue, which can be extended seventeen inches, is very 

 mobile and can be so tapered as to enter a small ring. It 

 is used in tearing off the foliage of the trees upon which the 

 animal feeds. Its neck, but for its length, is like that of the 

 stag, and its legs are slender. The hide is spotted like that 

 of the leopard and when young is of a light red colour, which 

 becomes deeper with age, that of the female becoming a 

 yellow brown and that of the male a dark brown approaching 

 to black. In repose it lies on its side, resting its head on 

 its hind quarters. Though only living in a wild state, the 

 Giraffe is a mild and docile animal, only fighting in self- 

 defence, and then making powerful use of its heels. The 

 lion is its great enemy and if it succeeds in leaping upon its 

 back there is not much chemce for the giraffe, which usually 

 runs until it drops from exhaustion. A blow from the heel 

 of the Giraffe in the right place would probably kill any of 

 its enemies, and even the lion has been known to pay dearly 

 for coming within its reach. 



The History The Giraffe was known to the ancients, though, 

 of the Giraffe, like the gorilla, it has been re-discovered in 

 recent years. Le Vaillant saw and described the giraffe, but 

 he was credited with having invented it, and it was not 

 imtil a live specimen of it was brought to Paris that his 

 credibility was established. Mrs. Bowdich, who happened to 

 be in Paris at the time this animal arrived, gives an amusing 



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