THE GIRAFFE.

7

at others exceedingly rough. The lips possess great flexibility, the upper one being longer than the lower, and rather pointed at the end, and therefore adapted to assist the tongue in drawing in boughs, but when grinding the food it is contracted.

As in all other ruminants, the front or incisive teeth are wanting in the upper jaw. The giraffe lies down when it chews the cud; and with respect to this action, Sir Everard Home observes that "it is curious to see the cud rise gradually through the length of the oesophagus to the mouth." This gradual motion might probably result from the weak state of the animal he observed; for in the healthy specimen at Paris, it was still more wonderful to watch the rapidity with which the cud traversed the long neck to reach the mouth; the eye could hardly follow it in its passage.

It would seem, from the silence of the carly describers of the giraffe, that the horns were either occasionally deficient, or, from their small size and peculiar covering, had been overlooked. The latter is the more probable supposition, for in none of the instances, in which this animal has come under observation since the importance of careful scrutiny in Natural History has been duly appreciated, have the horns been found wanting. In the female giraffe now living at the Garden of Plants, they are seven inches in length, perfectly conical for one half of their extent, whilst the other half, which is cylindrical, is curved backwards, and ends obtusely. Each horn is eleven inches in circumference at the base, four inches in circumference at the middle, and the The skin of the head covers them same at the extremity. entirely, and the hair is of the same length there as on other parts, except at the extremity of the horn, where the hairs are longer, and hang off like a tuft or brush.

In order to understand completely the nature of these horns, it becomes necessary to consider those of ruminating animals in general. The weapons with which these otherwise defenceless animals are provided, are situated on the upper part of the head, and are wielded with a vigour proportionate to the vast muscular apparatus connected with that part. They are of two kinds. In the ox, the sheep, the goat, and the antelope, the horns are composed of a true elastic horny sheath, encased upon a bony core, which is a production or branch of the frontal bone of the skull. These two parts grow together; they are never shed. After death the outer sheath separates, sooner or later, from its bony core; its cavity early suggested its utility as a drinking-vessel, &c.,and in Natural History all this class of horns are technically

termed 'hollow'. In the elk and the stag, on the contrary, the horns consist of bone only*-of a core without a sheath, and are termed 'solid.' The nutrient vessels, which lie safely protected beneath their covering in the preceding examples, could not carry on their functions under the present form: the horn, therefore, soon falls after it is completed, and provision is made for its immediate renewal.

Whilst the growth of the stag's horn proceeds, the vessels which carry and deposit the bony material are protected by an integument covered with short hairs, and termed technically the velvet: this outer covering is co-extended with the horn. Were the horns destined, as apparently in the giraffe, to be mere ornaments, they might have retained their hairy investment, and have become permanent; but, being formed for purposes of defence and combat, the nutrient vessels are compressed between tubercles of bone thrown out at the base of the antlers, forming the burr; their growth is thus arrested, the integument covering them shrivels and peels off, and they remain naked and insensible weapons. But being thus cut off from any vital connexion with the part from which they grew, the antlers, after a short period, are cast off by a process of absorption set up at their base, in accordance with an universal law, by which dead parts are separated from living.

Now it is obvious that the giraffe differs from both the preceding groups of ruminants in the nature of its horns; for, to say nothing of the female possessing them as well as the male,—a circumstance which rarely occurs in the solidhorned ruminants,-they differ also from those of the latter tribe, in being permanent, and in retaining their investment, which is the cause of their permanency. In the nature of this investment, the horns of the giraffe differ essentially from the hollow horns, as well as in their bony nucleus, which is not an immediate production from the skull, but is a distinct bone articulated to the former by an expanded base. Of the two tribes, however, it is obvious that the giraffe, in this respect, most resembles the solid-horned ruminauts or deer; and the analogy is almost complete, if we compare its horns with those of a red deer in the second year, while in the growing state, or in the velvet. This condition, however, which is transitory in the stag, is permanent in the giraffe; and hence we have one of those anomalous genera standing alone and isolated, and partaking more or less remotely of the characters which are found to separate into

The term horns' is therefore obviously improper. The French, who appear to have early appreciated the difference, call the stag's horns 'bois', in contradistinction to those of the ox, termed 'cornes'.

THE GIRAFFE.

9

distinct groups the animals most resembling it in general

structure.

But there remains another peculiarity more remarkable and unexpected than any that have previously been alluded to in this anomalous animal;-it is a third horn, situated on the median line of the head, between the other horns and the nostrils. It has precisely the same structure as the other horns, and differs only in form and relative size, being more widely extended at the base, with considerably less elevation, so that externally it is only recognised as a protuberance on the part of the head above mentioned.

The head of the giraffe thus ornamented, is supported on an extremely long neck, which is compressed and thin near its junction with the head. This very long neck contains, however, according to Sir Everard Home, (to whom we are indebted for all the anatomical knowledge we possess respecting the giraffe,) but seven vertebræ, the same number as is found in man. From their form and mode of articulation, they however permit every necessary degree of flexibility, and the motions of this part are almost as free and graceful as those exhibited by the swan.

The skin upon the neck, the trunk, the thighs, and part of the fore-legs, is marked with large spots of a reddish or clear yellow hue, upon a dull white ground. These spots, being very close together, present an angular form, more or less approaching to a rhomboid: they are arranged with some degree of regularity, something like the squares of a chessboard. This animal has a mane like the ass or mule, which extends from the back of the head to the withers, composed of short and very stiff hairs. This mane and the ears are of a yellow colour. The under part of the body, with the insides of the thighs and extremities of the legs, are a faded white. The hoofs are black, well divided, and well placed; they are reduced to a very little thickness behind. The giraffe has generally been described as having, like the camel, a callosity between the fore-legs, supposed to result from a similar manner of resting on the chest when lying down: but Mr. Davis observes, "There are between the fore-legs what, to the casual observer, may appear such; but these are folds of loose skin, which enable it to separate its fore-legs when reaching downwards. Its mode of resting is, like most quadrupeds, on its side; but the operation of lying down is curious and peculiar I will endeavour to describe it.-We will suppose it to be preparing to lie on the off-side: the first action is to drop on the fetlock of the off fore-leg, then on the knee of the near one, to bring down the other knee: it then collects

its hind-legs to perform the next movement, the near one being brought rather forward but wide, until the off hind-leg is advanced between the fore ones; this requires some time to accomplish, during which it is poised with the weight of its head and neck, until it feels that its legs are quite clear and well arranged; it then throws itself on its side and is at ease. When it sleeps, it bends its head back, and rests the head on the hind quarter." Besides the loose folds of skin in the situation above described, there are others at the first joints of the fore-legs, which, like pockets or bags, receive the projecting part of the bone termed ulna, when the joint falls back during progressive motion, but are quite empty when the animal is at rest. In a preceding part of our description, we have alluded to the apparent disproportion in the length of the fore- and hind-legs. This appearance is, however, in a great measure deceptive; for, when the extremities themselves are attentively examined, especially when seen in the skeleton, they are found to be of nearly the same length. The sinking of the hind quarter is then seen to depend partly on the greater angle at the bending of the thigh upon the body, but chiefly on the great depth of the chest, together with the great elevation of the spines of the vertebræ at that part, for the purpose of giving a firm and extensive attachment to the strong elastic ligament which supports the neck and head. The tail of the giraffe reaches below the hocks, and is terminated by a long tuft of coarse hairs.

With respect to the habits of the giraffe in a state of nature, our knowledge is confessedly vague and general. The Arabs who accompanied the two young females from which the preceding description has been drawn, asserted that they were taken at a distance of eight or ten days' journey of the caravans, to the south of Sennaar, not far from a district which was mountainous, and covered with deep and extensive forests. It may be presumed, that this country is near to where the Nile and its tributary streams begin to leave the mountains of Abyssinia to flow along the plains; and here the Arabs stated that ostriches, gazelles, antelopes, a small species of lion and panthers abounded, while deeper in the forests, elephants and rhinoceroses were met with. They observed that the giraffes were found in small number, that they inhabited the forests, and rarely appeared on the plain, when they were united in groups of three and four, two old ones, and one or two young ones, but seldom more. They do not fly at the first view of man; but if he approaches them, they suddenly start off in a gallop or succession of bounds with such speed, that they leave far behind them the swiftest

THE GIRAFFE.

horses. However, if they happen to be driven fairly into the plain, they are soon run down, being much shorter-winded than the horse: but, when thus fatigued, they make a sudden turn to the right-about, and defend themselves vigorously with their fore-feet, which they fling out with great force: in fact, the Arabs are unable to take the full-grown giraffes alive, and are obliged to kill them on the spot. They eat the flesh; and out of the skin, which is hard and thick, they make long straps, cut from the top of the head to the end of the fore-feet. The old giraffes are asserted by the Arabs to be able to defend themselves successfully by kicks of their fore-feet, against the most redoubtable animal of the desert. The lion, which learns by experience the resources opposed to him by the giraffe, and the futility of pursuit along the plain, prefers waiting near a stream where that animal drinks, or crouches in view of the grove of Mimosa, whose summits afford him a rich pasturage, and by a single bound falls unawares upon his prey, which is thus taken by surprise and unable to put into use its natural means of defence. If, however, the lion in springing from his ambuscade miscalculates his leap, and is unable to fix on the hinder. parts of the giraffe, the latter makes head against him, and often renders mortal the first blow, from the violent and rapid flinging out of the fore-legs: should he miss his stroke, however, and the lion succeed in fixing upon him, he becomes defenceless and falls a victim.

The giraffe in a state of captivity, when teased or offended, manifests his natural mode of defence, by striking out with his fore-legs, and sometimes by kicking with the hinder ones like a horse; but he has never been observed to butt, or to make any demonstration with his horns, but on the contrary always keeps his head raised as high as possible when he is disquieted or afraid.

The Arabs assert that the only chance of taking the giraffe alive is while he still suckles, and even then it most frequently happens, that in their struggles to free themselves they break some of their limbs, or dislocate their neck; at other times they refuse all sustenance, pine away, and die. If, however, they chance to be preserved for a few days, they then become tranquil and soon familiar, readily following those who have the care of them, and even horses or camels.

This propensity was manifested in a singular manner by the giraffe at present living in Paris. After its disembarcation at Marseilles, it passed without any sign of fear through the gates of the Lazaretto, and walked tranquilly as far as an ancient gate of the city, where it suddenly stopped, neither attempting to go forward nor to retrace its steps; it mani