02 VARIOUS ANIMALS 
the parts immediately around the wound must be cut 
out before the rest of the body imbibes the poison, 
which would otherwise penetrate through it, and 
render it unfit for food. 
The precise nature of the habitat frequented by 
these animals has nothing of a uniform character, 
but, as might naturally be expected from the dif- 
ferent modifications of organic structure observable 
throughout the genus, differs according to the par- 
ticular species. Some frequent the dry sandy deserts, 
and feed upon the stunted acacias and bulbous plants 
which spring up even in the most arid situations, 
where the stony nature of the ground gives a certain 
degree of adherence to the soil; some prefer the 
open stony plains, the steppes of Central Asia, and 
karroos of Southern Africa, where the grass, though 
parched, is still sufficient for their subsistence ; some 
again inhabit the steep rocky mountains, and leap 
from cliff to cliff with the ease and security of a 
wild goat, whilst others are found only in the 
thick and almost impenetrable forests of tropical 
countries. 
Three different and beautifully-marked species of 
the horse genus, the zebra, the dauw, and the quagga, 
likewise inhabit the plains and karroos of Southern 
and Central Africa, and the graceful zerapha or 
camelopard is occasionally found in small herds 
traversing the sandy plains, and picking up a scanty 
subsistence from the prickly acacias which abound in 
