814 



AFRICA. 



times swallow up wliole caravans and armies, and suffocate tliem in tlieir pathless depths. A 

 singular phenomenon which these deserts exhibit is the Mirage, an optical deception produced 

 by the powerful rays of the sun upon the broad surface of sand, which often cheats the eye of 

 the thirsty traveler with the image of a lake of water in the midst of the desert. In Egypt it 

 is not uncommon to see the towers and minarets of a city reflected by the mirage upon the 

 plain before it, with such distinctness, that the spectator finds it impossible not to believe it a 

 wide sheet of- water spread before his eyes, rather than a dry expanse of sand. 



9. Jlnimah. The animal kingdom of Africa has not been thoroughly explored, yet it is 

 known to abound in species which are either remarkable for their magnitude or their singular 

 qualities. We shall only attempt to describe a few of them. 



1. Elephant. 



2. Hippopotamus. 



3. Hyaena. 



4. Two Horned Rhinoceros. 



5. Chimpanzee. 



6. Camelopard. 



7. Zebra. 



8. Lion. 



9. Quagga. 



. Secretary Vulture. 

 . Gnu. 



:. Ostrich. 



Comparative Size of Animals of Africa. 13. Crocodile. 



The Chimpanzee or Pongo (Pilheca troglodytes) lives in Guinea and Congo, where it is 

 found in troops. It constructs huts of leaves and branches of trees, arms itself with stones 

 and clubs, and employs them to repulse from its dwelling both men and elephants. It ap- 

 proaches the human form more nearly than any other animal. Naturalists have constantly 

 confounded it with the orang outang ; but it can walk upright, which that animal cannot do. 

 It is said by travelers to exceed the human stature. Tiie JMagot or Barbary Jlpe (^Macacus 

 syhanus), abounds in Barbary and in other parts of Africa. The Baboon (^Cynocephalus) is 

 almost wholly confined to Africa, where there are several species inhabiting all the mountain 



