MAMMALIA. PECORA. Giraffe. 



3° 5 



XXXVI. GIRAFFE.— 35. CA ME LOP ARD A LIS. 



Has fimple perfiftent horns, covered with fkin, blunt and abrupt 

 at the ends, and terminated with a tuft of black hair. In 

 the lower jaw are eight broad, thin fore-teeth ; the outermoft, 

 in each fide, being deeply divided into two lobes. 



Of this genus there is but one fpecies known; or rather the animal, though nearly allied to the 

 Deer and Antelope kinds, is fo fingular in its ftru&ure as to require being confidered, in fyftem, as a 

 diftin£t genus. 



I. Camelopardalis. — 1. Camelopardalis Giraffa. 

 Is remarkably higher at the fhoulder than at the rump. Schreber, v. t. cclv. 



Camelopardalis. Plin. hift. nat. viii. c. 18. Dion Caffius, xliii. Oppian, cyneg. iii. 461. Gelil. 

 quad. 160. Aldrov. bifulc. 927. f. p. 931. Jonft. quad. 98. t. 39. 45. Charelet. exerc. 13. Raj. 

 quad. 90. Pr. Alp. Aeg. i. 236. t. 14. f. 4. Ludolf, JExh.. i. c. 10. n. 33. comm. p. 149. Prae- 

 neftine pavement,. in Schaw, fuppl. 88.: — Cervus Camelopardalis. Syft. nat. ed. xii. 92. n. 1. Haf- 

 felq. It. Pal. 203. Act. Upfal. 1750, p. 15.— Orafius, or Oraflus. Vincent, {pec. doclx. 19. c. 97. 

 Albert, de anim. 223. — Giraffa, Gyraffa, or Giraffe. Nieremb. hift. nat. 191. Belon, obf. 118. f. 

 p. 119. Theven. cofmogr. i. 388. b. fig. fol. 389. a. .Lobo, Abyff. i. 292. Sm. Buff. vii. 107. 

 pi. ccxi. Leo, Afr. 337. Klein, quad. Briff. quad. 61.- Camelus indicus, or Indian Camel. Jonft. 

 quad. t. 40.- Camelopard Giraffe. Penn. hift. of quad. n. 15. — Tragus Giraffa. Zimmerm. 534. — 

 Camelpard. Gefn. thierb. 236. f. p. 237. 238. 



Inhabits Sennarj Ethiopia, and the interior parts of Africa; rarely in Abyffinia, and is never found 

 in Guinea ; it extends fouthwards to the country behind the Dutch fettlements at the Cape of Good 

 Hope. — This fingular quadruped feeds chiefly on the leaves and tender fhcots of trees, but likewife 

 grazes occafionally, at which time it is obliged' to fpread its fore feet very wide. It is very gentle, ti- 

 mid, and fhy ; runs very aukwardly, and is eafily taken, but is very fcarce; when about to lie down, 

 it kneels like the Camel ; when ftanding ereft and holding up its head, it meafures feventeen feet 

 from the crown of the head to the ground, eighteen feet from the point of the nofe to the end of the 

 tail, is only nine feet high at the rump, the neck is feven feet long, and the diftar.ce from the withers 

 to the rump is fix feet. This is a very handfome animal, of a dirty white, or mixed reddifh and 

 white colour, marked with numerous large rufty fpots; the head fomewhat refembles that of a Horfe, 

 having middle fized, erecl, pointed ears, and fhort ere£t horns about fix inches long, which are co- 

 vered with 3 hairy fkin ; thefe are blunt, as if cut off at the ends, and tufted with a brufh of coarfe 

 black hairs ; the neck is long, thin, and erect, and is provided on the ridge with a fhort erect mane, 

 which extends along the back almoft to the origin of the tail ; the tail is long and round, reaching 

 to the fecond joint of the hind legs, and is tufted with long, flowing, coarfe hairs at the end. It is a 

 vulgar error that the fore legs are longer than - thofe behind, for the great difproportion between the 

 height of the fore and hind parts, depends on the great depth of the fhoulders, and the length of the 

 neck. 



Vol, I. Qq XXXVII 



