HUNTING THE OKAPI 267 



named Eriksson, in the service of the Congo State, sent a 

 complete skin with skull to Sir Harry Johnston at Entebbe, 

 who then saw that this animal with its cloven hoof -bones 

 was not a zebra after all, but closely allied to the giraffe. Sir 

 Ray Lankester, the well-known authority on the okapi, has 

 placed it in the new genus, Okapia. The okapi and giraffe are 

 the only survivors of the once extensive group of the girafidce 

 of the Miocene period. The okapi's range extends through 

 the Equatorial forests, but it is locally distributed and I 

 do not think it would be found where the large-leaved 

 plant does not grow, the tender shoots of which seem 

 essential to its existence, and this is not surprising when one 

 sees how weak are the front teeth of the animal. 



Except in the case of our Angu specimen, and that of 

 Major Powell-Cotton's from the River Ituri, the localities 

 of all the specimens now in Europe are unknown ; so the 

 exact distribution has still to be determined. So far, Angu 

 is the westernmost range that is known. The natives on 

 the Welle, however, told us that it was to be found in the 

 neighbourhood of the Likati river, and during my stay in the 

 forest near Banzyville a native came in saying that he had 

 seen an okapi with a young one in the forest. On our j ourney 

 from Angu up the Welle, we could find no trace of the animal 

 to the north of the river where the forest limit is reached. 



And now to return to my story. 



I stayed three days with Jose at Beritio, waiting for the 

 skin~'of the okapi to dry. At first it seemed doubtful that 

 we should save it, for rain fell heavily every day and I was 

 almost in despair. I shall never forget that anxious time ; 

 how eagerly we seized the opportunity of every little interval 



