The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1901-11-19

Travellers In Africa Discover Crea-
ture of Unknown Species.
Naturalizts Must Prepare "A Glass and
Name for Strange Quadruped-
Parts of Several Animals
Combined.

The finding OF the strange giraffe
like animal, the "okapi," in the
dwarf-inhabited forests of Central
Africa is one of the most astonish-
ing discoveries of modern times. New
varieties of well-known animals are
from time to time brought home by
travellers, but the discovery of a hith-
erto unknown animal forming new
genus or family is rare occurrence
and naturally has created a great
amount of interest in the geological
world. Though utterly unknown as
a living animal until during the past
few years, the existence of such
beast was limited at by some fossil
bones dug from the miocene deposits
of ancient Greece, in which they had
lain hidden for thousands of yea ~.
The helladotherium, as paleontolo-
gists named this prehistoric, giraffe
like animal, was larger than the gil
raffe, but his shorter neck and legs
covered animal in a way which adds
further romance to the discovery,
says a London exchange.
Sir H. M. Stanley was the first to
hear of the okapi when travelling
through the Congo forests on his last
expedition, the natives frequently in
forming him of strange horse-like
creature marked with stripes. Sir
Henry, however, failed to see him,
"for moving as we did," he says, "and
caravan two or three miles in
length, everything of a mild or timid
nature fed before u.s." Many tracks
seen on wet mud confirmed the sto-
ries of the natives, so that Sir Harry
Johnston, special commissioner for
Uganda, when exploring recently in
the district of the Congo state, which
touches the Uganda frontiers be-
tween the Ituri and Semliki rivers,
determined, if possible, to learn more
of the strange okapi. He first OBJ
tanned two pieces of the animals
skin, which he sent home, and on the
evidence of these it was supposed
that new species of striped horse
had been discovered.
But later on two skulls and COM
plete skin were obtained and shipped
from Mombasa to London, and these
now show that the okapi is not a
horse, but a cloven-hoofed ruminant
of most astonishing coloration and
appearance, allied to the living gil
RATES. and the fossil helladotherium
of Greece, but having, according to
Prof Ray Lancaster, unique features
which necessitate its being regarded
as a new genus. When giraffelike
outline (no complete skeleton has
yet arrived, the ocapia johnstoni
like deer upon his body and neck,
while his legs and hind quarters are
striped after the fashion set by the
zebra. The large ears characteristic
of forest animals are rudy and
fringed with blue-black hairs and the
face is striped with so bright a red
streak that the okapi is perhaps the
most wildly colored of all mammals
Why the okapi should have such
queer stripes and markings on his
body and why they should oe so
strangely placed are questions which
inevitably arise even from O cursory
glance at the animal. That these
stripes so like zebra's are init
mately connected with his habits and
history would accord with the the
cries of modern science. But because
the stripes resemble a zebra's it
must not be supposed that the okapi
Is q giraffe which has recently been
crossed with a zebra. The okapi
male breeds unhindered with the
okapi female in the deep forest av'
enues and the stripes persist on their
young.
1t must be remembered that the
tiger carries stripes for his own con
venience and the square patches or
the giraffe also assist him during his
daily business of eating and keeping
alive. The tigers yellow stripes
match the tall grass in which he
stalks and his black bands are
scarcely to be recognized from the
shadows of the bent grasses. The
giraffe stands under his favorite tree
and his spots initiate the fecks o.
shadow in such a way that natives
are frequently misled as to whether
the tree is giraffe or the giraffe 1
tree. 1t can scarcely be doubted tha'
the stripes on the okapi have a sim
liar protective significance. 1t is pos
sible that the okapi was formerl,
striped all over and that with I
growing timidity he protected him
self more and more by hiding anC
needed less and less the stripes upo,
his body. When carefully watched
it will doubtless be found that thu
okapi stands with his body bidder
among the leaves of trees which onl,
expose his limbs to the view of tn,
enemy, from whom fight is the onl.
means of preserving his life. Tn
grassy looking stripes must save tn
okapi from many a foe.
Happening of the Unexpected
At considerable length the superin
tendent of the Sunday school had Sc