152 A HAND-BOOK OF THE MANAGEMENT OF ANIMALS 



and they will bound on to the top in an instant. But however good the 

 accommodation may be, they will never thrive in captivity in Bengal 

 unless much freedom is allowed them to roam about. Much attention 

 should be paid to the bodily cleanliness of the domestic sheep, as other- 

 wise dirt adhering to the coat will irritate their delicate skin and cause 

 sores to break out; and for this purpose they should be frequently 

 washed with soap and water and the skin rubbed dry, and at least 

 twice sheared during the hot weather. As they mostly come from cooler 

 regions, they would prefer a thin coat and frequent baths. 



Food. — The domestic goats should have some leaves and herbs every 

 day, besides the ordinary food consisting of grains, &c, allowed them in 

 captivity. If allowed liberty the ibex and uryal will pick up much of 

 their own food ; they are very fond of rose leaves, both dry and green ; 

 in fact they thrive better on various kinds of leaves and hay than on 

 grain : they should have ready access to lumps of rock salt at all times. 



Treatment in sickness. 



Diarrhoea is the common complaint among these animals, gene- 

 rally brought about by the effect of climate and improper feeding ; many 

 of them have, at one time or another, been affected by and fallen victim 

 to rinderpest. 



The habits of these animals have been already mentioned. 



(198) THE GIRAFFE. 

 (GIRAFFA CAMELOPARDALIS— Linn.) 



This most striking animal is characterized by its long neck and 

 limbs, the sloping back, and its frontal appendages consisting of a pair 

 of short, erect bony processes placed over the junction of the frontal and 

 parietal bones, and covered externally with hairy skin ; anterior to these 

 is another bony eminence in the middle line of the frontal bone also 

 covered with skin, and is spoken of as a third horn : these processes are 

 present in both sexes. Ears are large ; lips thin, mobile and somewhat 

 produced ; tongue long and semi-prehensile ; tail long and well tufted ; 

 the ground colour of the body pale brownish chestnut, with large blotch- 

 es of a darker tint ; the under parts and the limbs below the knee 

 uniform pale ; height of a full-grown male about 16 feet ; that of 

 a female about 14. 



Hah. — Africa south of the Atlas. 



Length of life in captivity. 



From December 1877 to April 1887, the death being the result of 

 an unfortunate accident. 



Treatment in health. 



Housing.— The principle of accommodation should be the same as in 

 the case of a zebra, with such modifications of detail as the size and the 

 characteristic structure of the animal require ; it is very delicate and 



