CHAPTER XXVI. 
THE GIRAFFE. 
I nave before hinted at the degree in which Cummings 
has made Harris his model, in his new book, “Five Years 
in South Africa.” I therefore propose to give, one after the 
other, the account each has furnished of his first interview 
with the giraffe. They are different, yet alike in many 
curious particulars; and as their fasts are equally inter- 
esting, it is pleasing to compare the impressions of these 
two notorious, if not remarkable examples of the Hunter- 
Naturalist, from nearly the same point of view. I give 
Cummings the advantage of presenting his first. 
This day was to me rather a memorable one, as the first 
on which I saw and slew the lofty, graceful-looking giraffe 
or camelopard, with which, during many years of my life, I 
had longed to form an acquaintance. 
These gigantic and exquisitely beautiful animals, which 
are admirably formed by nature to adorn the fair forests 
that clothe the boundless plains of the interior, are widely 
distributed throughout the interior of Southern Africa, but 
are nowhere to be met with in great numbers. In countries 
unmolested by the intrusive foot of man, the giraffe is found 
generally in herds varying from twelve to sixteen; but I 
have not unfrequently met with herds containing thirty indi- 
viduals, and on one occasion I counted forty together; this, 
however, was owing to chance, and about sixteen may be 
reckoned as the average number of a herd. 
» These herds are composed of giraffes of various sizes, from 
the young giraffe of nine or ten feet in height, to the dark, 
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