The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1837-04-05

cithc. my lOunu WIN -""" w ''N'y
description IN grea. abundance, which en-
'bled them to survive their long pilgrimage,
md to return healthy and robust. The
yreatesi danger they encountered was from {
Wild animals, which they found in great
plenty, but which required more skill and ,
idroitness To capture than even the willy
Selninoles. A huge African Lion, which
hey brought home with them, was caught
by accident. As the expedition was NOV
ing slowly forward, some of the mules were
seized with u sudden excitement, and the
cause was soon explained. Tins Lion
sprang from a copse completely over three I
of the mules, aud landed among The net I
iings which the company were carrying
with them in order To euirap smaller anu !
mals. His roar was tremendous, aud his !
rx~rtions to dsemtangle himself frightful ; !
bni oae of the men, with great presence oi
mind. threw over hic, an additional quan-
iiiy Of MEETINGS, and he was finally secured.
lie /. nov very docilr, aud measures nIIIe-
teen and half feet from his nose To the mp
~ hi, tail. His liLe was probably never
b-fDr. exhibited in ANY civilized c"un,ry.
But the greatest curios;lrs obtained by
The expedition were two large GuaGcs-thc
only ones ever brough, to this country, and
kpr which ten thousand pounds were offered
nj the Cape, in order 10 convey TO Europe.
We suboin Buttons description Of this AMI
NAL.
THE Cameleopard or Giraffe, is one Of
the ta!lcs'. most beautiful, and most bnrm-
less animals in nature. The enormous
disproporion Of It's legs Che fore legs being
as long aynin us the hinder ones) is II great
obstacle to The usr of is Strength lis mo-
lion il wadhIiog and s!ia'; ii can neither
ny from i;s enemies in n free state, nor
serve It's innsler in a domestic one. The
species is not ypIy numerous, and has al
WAYS been confined To The deserts of Ethi-
opi,, nnd some other provinces of Africa
nni India. As these countries were un-
known 10 the Gr,eks, Aristotle makes no
,n.stion Of this animal; but PIiny speaks
Of it, aud Oppinn describes 1t in ~ manner
that j. Ear from eguivOcal. The Cnm-
elnpard," says this author, al has some re-
scnhIncc to the camel its head and ears
are small, It's fees broad, mud IT'S legs long
but the beigb, Of the last is very unequal,
the fore legs being much longer than the
hinder, which nre very short So that, when
he animal appears standing and n, rest,
ii has somewhat the appearance of dog
sitting. There are two promincnces upon
the hcnd, just between the ears; they re-
srmhIe two small aud straight horns. Its
mouth is like The stays; its teeth small and .
white its eyes full of fire its tail short,
and furnished with black hair at its end"
"Therc is" says Strabo, Z" large beast IN
Ethiopia, called Camelopordalis although
il bears no resemblance to the panther, for
its skin is not spotted in the same manner
the spots of the panther are orbcular, and
those of this animal nre long, and nearly re-
sembling those of the fiwn ar yonng stag
). Gi,hus' description seems still better.
have SEEM" says he, "three Camclopards
nj Cairo. On their heads are two horns,
six inches long; and in the middle of their
forehead, II tuberclc rises To about the height
Of two inches. which appears like n third
horn. This animal is sixteen feet high
when he holds his head erect. Its neck
nlonc is seven feet mud it is twenty feet
long, from the tip of the nose to the end of
the tail It's fore and hind legs are nearly
of IN equal height; but the thighs before
nrc so loug in comparison To those behind,
that its back seems to slope like the roof Of
n honsr. It's whole body is sprnkled with
large brown spots, which are nearly Of the
same form. Its feet are cloven like those,
of the OK.
Since the period when Buffon wrote, the
Giraffe has become much better known.
Several have been carried TO Europe. One
WAS sent as a present tn the King ot Eng
land w III. pacIa of Egypt, and arrived
there in 1927. 1t died recently. There Is
still one existing in the Jnrdin DIES Plnntes,
n, Paris. NJ. lr valiant, the first naturalist
who had an opportunity of closely exam
ming The Giraffe, gives n full AMI accurate
account of it in his travels. "The Giraffe
chcws the cod, as all horned animals with
cloven feet do. Like them, too, it crops
,he grass; though seldnm, because pasture
! il scarce in the country which IT iEhablts.
Its ordinary food is the leaf Of sort of
! mimnsa, called by the natives k0neop, aud
hy the planters komei do0rn. The tree he
ing peculiar To the canton, anJ growing on
ly there, this M " he the reason why 1t takes
up its abode in il, aud why 1t is not sTen III
those regions of the south of Africa where
the tree does not grow. This. however, Is
n vague conecture, aud which the reports
of the ancients seem to contradict
Several black Os,riches--a huge Condor
"a new species of Balloon several most
beautiful Gnzelles-two splendid Africa,
Leopards-a large species of ferociou,
Hycna--and Il great number of minor ami
nials--complc,e The results of this grea
expedition, which has contributed NOR,
largely to the advancement of Zoology, a!
"a science, and heea more successful thar
any ever before undertaken.
) STEAM PowER.-The New York Exprcs,
tells ofa curious fellow in the cellar of til,
: great As;or House, without head or heels
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