The Giraffe 



its cheek-bones are certain deficiencies known as lachrymal 

 vacuities, which show its relationship with the deer tribe. 

 Unlike the ox, but like the horse, it has no gall-bladder. 

 Amongst its peculiarities are the absence of all traces of sup- 

 pressed digits above its hoofs, the presence of a prominence 

 in the middle line between the forehead and root of nose, and 

 hair-covered stumps which represent its lost antlers. These 

 latter are produced on bones which in young animals are not 

 united (ankylosed) to the skull ; nor are they placed in pre- 

 cisely the same positions as the horns of oxen or the antlers of 

 deers, but rather further back. The stumps on the skull of the 

 giraffe are spoken of as " horn-cores " (Owen, p. 476). They 

 are on distinct and separate bones placed on the coronal 

 sutures, but in old animals they coalesce. They are present 

 in both sexes. Possibly they are more closely analogous to 

 the pedestals for antlers in deer than to the horn-cores of 

 cattle, &c. 



The elevated eyes of the giraffe are supposed to enjoy a 

 wider range of vision than those of any other quadruped. It 

 is even believed to be able to some extent to look backwards. 

 In connection with this it is of interest to note that, like the 

 hippopotamus, it possesses a bony bulla in the floor of its 

 orbit which serves to support the eyeball. 



The colouration of the giraffe is of much interest and is not 

 quite the same in different localities. The habitats of the 

 animal extend from Ethiopia to Cape Colony, and there is a 

 marked difference in colour between northern and southern 

 districts. Although it is usual to describe its colour as con- 

 sisting of chocolate blotches on a yellow ground, in some the 

 colour is a deep brown or bay mapped out by narrow streaks 

 of paler tint, almost white. All gradations between these 

 may be observed, the lines of white gradually becoming wider 

 until they constitute the greater extent and leave the darker 

 areas as mere blotches. 



The facts above stated may be studied to great advantage 

 in a splendid group which has recently been completed in the 



