218 WILD ANIMALS. 



flies and stinging insects that sw^arm in their millions in 

 Africa. 



Mr. Selous, describing these animals quenching their thirst, 

 observes, " It is a curious sight to watch these long-legged animals 

 drinking, and one that I hare had several opportunities of enjoy- 

 ing. Though their necks are long, they are not suflBciently so to 

 enable them to reach the water without straddling their legs wide 

 apart. In doing this, they sometimes place one foot in front, and 

 the other as far back as possible, and then by a series of little 

 jerks widen the distance between the two, until they succeed in 

 getting their mouths down to the water ; sometimes they sprawl 

 their legs out sideways in a similar manner." 



They have to go through the same performance when feeding 

 from the ground, through being unable to reach there except by 

 divaricating the fore-legs or straddling, which gives them an 

 awkward appearance when so engaged. 



They are peculiarly silent animals, and have never been heard 

 under any circumstances to utter a cry or sound of any descrip- 

 tion. Their hide is very tough, and being an inch and a half 

 thick, a rifle-ball does not easily penetrate it, unless it is fired from 

 a rather short range. - 



The gait of a giraffe is generally an amble and a very peculiar one, 

 due to their moving both legs on the same side together in each 

 stride, which gives them a singular and yery ungainly mode of 

 progression ; it is made still more clumsy-looking by the habit 

 they have of stretching forward their long necks when galloping. 

 Sir W. 0. Harris says, " The rapidity with which these awkwardly- 

 formed animals can move is beyond all things surprising; our 

 best horses being unable to close with them under two miles. 

 Their gallop is a succession of jumping strides, the fore and hind- 

 leg on the same side moving together, instead of diagonally as in 

 most other quadrupeds, the former being kept close together, and 

 the latter so wide apart, that in riding by the animal's side 

 the hoof may be seen striking on the outside of the hors*e, 

 threatening momentarily to overthrow him. Their motion alto- 

 gether reminded me rather of the pitching of a ship, or rocking of 

 a rocking-horse, than of anything living ; and the remarkable 



