The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-07-10

| pL IlItuIlllS, ana LuSll ScllSieti ASS -
the Bedouins and Soudanese in hunt-
ing, these timid animals have been
driven far to the south of the Soudan,
and the wars waged by the British
have closed the Soudan route to the
country lying south of 1t, The only
| gateway that is practicable to bring
them out Of Africa now lies through
| Cape Town, and for the last half dozen
years even that presents almost insu-
perable difficulties, on account OF the
| constant wars between the natives ana
| the Beers and English. 1t is hardy
adventurer, indeed, who will brave the
dangers of the Bengulas' country with
a caravan moving slowly overland
Indeed, all traffic in animals at the
Cape has been stopped for the last tlve
years, except in such as could be Sc
cured near by,within the immediate
sphere of British protection. AT the
beginning of the present century 81
RATES. ranged as far south as the banks
of the Orange river, but they are not to
be met now below the North Kalahari
country.
There has never been @ very large
number of giraffes in American collec-
| lions, though one year--that was IN
| 1SS3---the Barnum show Went long on
giraffes and exhibited a herd OF tWen-
ty-one, the largest number, probably,
| that has ever been seen together, since
| in the wild state they do not herd IN
large numbers, and are never found in
groups of more than four or five.
The first giraffe was landed in TINS
country in 1887, just one year after the
first recorded importation of one into
England. So it is shown that Ameri-
can enterprise, even in the early wagon
show days. was not very far to the
rear. Two calves We're taken to Lon
don In 1886 for the Geological society by
M Thibaut, who captured them in the
Soudan. There is no record of any gi-
RATES. having been taken into Europe
before that in modern times, though
there is abundant evidence that the an
imals We're known to ancient Rome
and that the Moors brought them into
Spain.
In the spring of 1887 single speci-
men was landed in New York by Mr..
Clayton. The animal came from the
other extremity of the African plateau
from the early English specimens Sc
cured by Mr.. Clayton in Cape Town,
and brought over with four African
antelopes.
1t was some years after when the
next giraffe was brought to this coun-
try by Stebin June, who went to Africa
in search of specimens for his show.
In 1854 two giraffes were brought to
| New York for the late P. T. Barnum,
who rented them to Van Amburgn,
Raymond & Co. for the Raymond Il
Drisback menagerie, to travel through
the New England states, Mr.. Barnum
receiving, ON account Of their great
rarity, twenty-five per cent of the re-
ceipts for the use of the giraffes and
cages. In the fall the larger Of the two
was bought by Van Amburgh, who
shipped 1t to New Orleans for the float
ing palace, an enterprise formed to
travel and exhibit on Mississippi riv-
: er steamboat. While 1t was being
landed at New Orleans the animal
. jumped overheard and was drowned.
Mr.. Van Amburgh refused to pay fol
| it, as Barnum's keeper, a man named
Graves, was in charge when the acct
dent happened A lawsuit resulted
; which was settled only last year, lone
after the death of both principals. Tho
l OIneT SiFdue WAS ldhell ny WI. iSdt lieth
to his museum at Broadway and Anr
street, New York, and exhibited there
until the spring of 1855, when 1t was
, bought for the Drisback menagerie anc
circus and shipped to the show al
GAINESVILLE, o. 1t died the next fall ir
winter quarters at Cincinnati.
But one other giraffe was brought tc
! this country before the close of the civ
: il war. It reached New York in 1868
: and was exhibited for five years, dyins
! in 1858 After the war the animals be
came more common in the better grade
of shows, and the display eliminated
in the big Barnum herd of twenty-one
S The giraffe is not a hardy animal II
: captivity 1t does not thrive on dry
food. like most ruminant animals
9 which do almost as well on hay as OF
grass. In the wild state the GRAFT
feeds almost entirely on the leaves anC
q twigs of a species of acacia, which tn
/ Beers call kameel-doorn, or came
!, thorn, the giraffe itself being known t.
- them as kameel, or camel.
: The food causes the animal to Civ
i out pleasant odor, similar to that o
!, the acacia, while 1t imparts to the flesl
pungent aromatic flavor, whicl
q makes giraffe steaks a delicacy highl
esteemed by African hunters There !
o. no animal that gives its keeper NOR
;. trouble in a menagerie, not even tn
treacherous elephant. While the 81
:, | raffe is gentle in disposition, and no
;, given to attack, even in the wild state
% 1t is stupid and obstinate and canno
a be taught to mind.
= A full-grown one cannot be take
a alive for when defence is not longe
it possible it will kill itself. Self-destruc
= ton Is not difficult in it's case, either
is for the long neck is easily broken.
The giraffe presents a peculiar com
l. bination of grace and awkwardness, c
n beauty and malformation. With hin
n quarters that are as graceful as thos
W of an antelope, and not larger tina
lie those of horse, it's forelegs are a
l. stocky as those of a camel, and it's nee
If raises the head to height of eighties
II feet. The neck tapers prettily, tn
Is head is small and graceful, and tn
y countenance decidedly beautiful.
1t Though of such enormous length, tt
st giraffe's neck is far from swan-like
n flexible 1t contains only the usui
lie seven cervical vertebrate. but each
is greatly elongated. When the amin;
D runs the neck waves up and down sti
1t fly, with little more undulation than
or composed of a single piece. The nee