New-York tribune., 1901-05-19
A QUEER RUMINANT.
POSSIBLY 1T MAY BELONG TO A SPECIES
SUPPOSED TO BE EXTINCT.

being one that was supposed to be extinct. The
creature is related to the giraffe in form, though
scarcely larger than horse The nos
trils strikinsly like those of giraffe Most
of the body is of a deep reddish brown, but
parts of a crimson hue. while the hind
quarters striped like a zebra, the coloring
being purplish black and white. The animal
is without horns.
Sir Harry Johnston, British official in
Uganda not especially noted as a naturalist
IS inclined to believe that this creature, called
the okapi 10y the natives is identical with the
teadotherum. whose fossil remains have been
found in Greece. Hence the name \
plete skin and two skulls are on their way to
England for the British Museum. on arrival
the geological experts of that institution will be
able to say whether Sir Harrys suspicious
correct whether the specimens represent
some other animal-an unusual kind OF antelope,
for instance.
If the okapi and helladotherium are iden-
teal the discovery will be one of great interest
The latter animal lived back in Miocene or
Pliocene days The number of helladotheria
whose remains have been found is small Not
more than two three have been exhumed in
Greece. and even these were more or less i'm
perfect Professor Gaudry. of the Paris Museum.
che of the leading paleOntologists of the world.
has attempted a restoration of the skeleton.
No restoration with flesh and skin on has ever
been made by experts. The only other fossil
that has been confidently regarded a hella-
dotherium came from the Siwak Hills in In
dia and merely skull. Still Professor
Gaudry accepts it belonging to the same
species the Greek finds
In one sense il should be no more remarkable
that the hclladotherium survives to-day than
mat the giraffe does. Giraffes are known to
have been abundant in MOcene and Pliocene
days, but the scarcity Of remains OF the hella-
dotherium, and the fact that it was a more
primitive type of giraffe than its contempora-
ries. lend peculiar Importance to the posi-
biity that il still lives
Sir Harry Johnston got his first hint regard
ing the existence of this animal from Stanley.
who had heard of it in the Congo for
ests The dwarfs of that region had spoken
Of it a strange horse or ass Sir Harry made
dIlgent inquiry. and was AT last able to secure.
pieces Of the hide Of the creatures These were
sent home to England years ago Mr Sclatcr, a
naturalist there classed the animal as "A horse
and named it "Equus Johnstoni' Through the
courtesy of Belgian officials at Fort Mbeni. Sir
Harry has now secured complete hide and
TWO skulls The London Times supplies the
following particulars:
The complete skin sent home now shows The
animal to be coiored in the most extraordinary
manner. The checks of the rather large. head
are SelIOHISn Nnitc ana the tapcTing muZZle Is
backish brown. The forehead is a most vivid
red. narrowing down into a thin black linz, CON b
tlnued along the ridge of the nose To the nos
trlls. The long asslike OF deep reddish
brown, with silky black fTingeS. The neck shoul-
ders, stomach and back deep reddish
brown, which IN parts has almost "A crimson
tlnSe and in others becomes blackish The
hndquarters and hind legs, down the hooks I
and the front legs from the elbow to tn. wrist
Jolnt are boldly striped in purplish black and
white, the white having here and there faint
touches of orange. The hind legs from the /
mock downward. of a creamy color The
ront legs are also cream color but Il bold
black line runs down the front of the leg in an
onllque manner The fetlocks Of all four feet
are black and cream color The tail is bright
reddish brown. with a black tuft at the end
There are no horns. but ii may be seen from
the skulls that far back in its history this
creature possessed three horn cores similar to
those of the giraffe. but by long disuse these /
horn cores have degeneratcd into rounded
bumps on the skull, two of them being situ-
ated "A little above the eyes, and at the be /
ginning of the nasal bones ON the skin lust
over the two bigger bumps are two tiny and /
comcal little twists of hair. which represent all /
that remains outWardly Of horns or horn cores
The animal stands slightly higher at the with
crS than at the hindquartcrS but it's neck is
not proportonatcly longer than that of a horse
The head IS rather large in proportion To the |
body and in outline slightly resembles the head /
or a taplr. The nOStris are two long Sits com
Pletely covered with hair. and resembling the
to Il point. There are OF course. front teeth /
IN the upper jaw, as the animal is Il true rumi- /
nant The front teeth in the lower law are so |
small ana feeble as Ia suggest the idea that the
creature. like the giraffe must possess a pre-
henslle tongue for furnishing food for the molar /