OCR Text |
Show 226 MR. R. LYDEKKER OX THE [Feb. 2, the netted type; and this tendency is still more marked in the female Southern Giraffe now living in the Society's Gardens, which came from the Sabi River in Portuguese territory, considerably to the north of Cape Colony (cf P. Z. S. 1895, p. 161). Compared with G. c. capensis, the light lines between tlxe spots are much nax-rower and more sharply defined, while tlxe spots themselves tend on the lower part of the hind-quarters to become serrated on the margin. The starring and splitting-up of the spots characteristic of the North Transvaal Giraffe are noticeable in the living animal. Unlike the typical form of the Cape-race, the lower part of the legs is not completely spotted, the spots on tlxe hind pair not extending to any great distance below the hocks. Although this cannot be determined without comparison of the skulls, I think it probable that this Giraffe may belong to G. c. warcli. The young male Giraffe from the Transvaal, probably near the borders of Portuguese East Africa, purchased by the Society in the spring of 1899*, also appears, according to the excellent photograph by Mr. Dando exhibited to the Meeting, to approach the type of G. c. ivardi. A coloured figure of the true Cape Giraffe is given in plate xi. of Sir Cornwallis Harxis's ' Portraits of the G a m e and Wild Animals of South Africa,' which, judging from the other plates in the same work, m a y be considered a faix-ly correct, although perhaps somewhat too highly coloux-ed, pox-trait of the animal. According to this picture, the ground-colour of the skin is bright orange-fawn (or almost flesh-colour), upon which are large widely separated blotches, with ill-defined borders and the centres markedly darker (deep chestnut) than the periphery. On the upper pai-t of tlxe limbs the spots tend to become somewhat irregular and jagged in outline, and they gradually decrease in size as the hoofs are approached. A white area is shown orr the sides of the head and neck below the ear. C. Incertce sedis. 10. NIGERIAN GIRAFFE. GIRAFFA CAMELOPARDALIS PERALTA. Giraffa camelopardalis peralta Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1898, p. 40. Hub. Nigeria, in the neighbourhood of Lokoja, at the junction of the Niger and Bexxrre rivers. Since this form was described only on the evidence of the skull and limb-bones, it is at present impossible to assign it to its true position in the series. The limb-bones indicate an animal of great bodily height. The skull (text-fig. 37, p. 227), although * See P. Z. S. 1899, p. 595. |