586 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
The Giraffe (Camelopardalis giraffa ) is at home in the regions near the 
sands of Sahara, and when in his native element, is a very symmetrical creature 
in spite of his tremendous stature. His head resembles that of a camel, but he 
has a special hair sand-protector for his nostrils, whose safety is further secured 
by the obliqueness of their setting, and the possession of a muscular cover by 
which th z. giraffe can close them at will. The beautiful, silken skin of th z giraffe, 
and its mild, large, lustrous eyes are certainly objects of beauty. He is an 
accomplished 
kicker, and his 
length and power 
of limb render him 
a very dangerous 
antagonist. A 
large-sized giraffe 
will measure six¬ 
teen or seventeen 
feet from the top 
of its head to its 
fore feet, and the 
larger part of this 
is neck. But 
since he is to 
graze on nothing 
smaller than trees 
and has at the 
same time to pro- 
tect himself 
against enemies 
who will not dis¬ 
dain to take ad¬ 
vantage of any 
philosophical 
wool-gathering, it 
must be conceded 
that he seems to 
be built to order 
for the conditions 
of his life. His 
skin makes an ex¬ 
cellent leather, 
and his flesh is 
group of giraffes. edible. He moves 
about in small 
herds and is safe against carnivorous animals, unless these surprise him. He 
runs slowly on level ground and can easily be overtaken by a horse but he is 
bullet-proof, except in spots. The natives catch him in pits which they dig in 
such fashion that when he falls in he will find his belly on a hill, and his legs 
dangling in the air. below. The giraffe is easily domesticated, and is interest- 
mg from its affectionateness, its active curiosity and its delicacy and fas¬ 
tidiousness in eating. 
