37 
in the middle and later Tertiary, so that those now existing 
may be looked upon as the last of an expiring line, and they 
are, in fact, disappearing so rapidly that while some one of the 
African species is now and then available, it is doubtful if 
the Society will ever be able to replace “Pete,” the huge 
male of the Indian species, who died in 1901, after spending 
twenty-seven years in the Garden. 
The native country of the Giraffe ( Giraffa Camelopardalis ) 
is the central and eastern part of Africa, from about the 
tenth or fifteenth degree of north latitude almost to the 
Cape; but in most parts of this vast region they are now 
scarce, few, if any, being found south of Mashonaland. 
They are found in small herds, browsing on the branches of 
such trees as may be within their reach. Their long legs 
unfit them for feeding on the ground, as it is a work of much 
difficulty for the giraffe, by straddling its fore legs widely 
apart, to get its nose down to the level on which it stands. 
It is a ruminant, closely related to the antelopes. The 
horns, or protuberances on the head, are never shed, but 
are composed of solid bone, covered with skin like the re¬ 
mainder of the skull. 
As with the elephant, the height of the giraffe is much 
over-estimated in popular opinion ; it probably does not 
average over sixteen feet. They are very delicate in con¬ 
stitution, and in our climate require the most careful atten¬ 
tion. 
Of late years few giraffes have been shipped from Africa, 
and at the present time they are costly luxuries in collections 
which possess them. 
At present the Society does not possess a hippopotamus, 
which was formerly kept in this building, but it is hoped that 
this want may be supplied, and a special and suitable building 
be erected for their care. 
There are two species of the animal, one of small size, 
found on the west coast of Africa, and the better known one 
(.Hippopotamus amphibius')— the River-horse of the ancients— 
found in many of the African rivers. Being of great bulk, 
with disproportionately short legs, they are clumsy out of 
water, although they forage freely at night among the grain 
fields, where cultivation is carried on along the river banks, 
doing much damage, not only by the amount carried off in 
