. Mammals of other lands;. Mammals. 240 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD. Phota ty ^. S. Rudland & Sons A GIRAFFE GRAZING Grazing is evidently not the natural mode of feeding of these animals^ ivhich are essentially broiusers his chest, neck, and arms. Alwaysafterthatwe donned cord coats, when running giraffes in bush and forest country. In regions where they have been little disturbed, giraffes no doubt wander across open plains, and are to be seen well away from the denser forests,feedingamong scattered islets of acacias, easily exposed to the human eye. But in South Africa they are now s
. Mammals of other lands;. Mammals. 240 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD. Phota ty ^. S. Rudland & Sons A GIRAFFE GRAZING Grazing is evidently not the natural mode of feeding of these animals^ ivhich are essentially broiusers his chest, neck, and arms. Alwaysafterthatwe donned cord coats, when running giraffes in bush and forest country. In regions where they have been little disturbed, giraffes no doubt wander across open plains, and are to be seen well away from the denser forests,feedingamong scattered islets of acacias, easily exposed to the human eye. But in South Africa they are now seldom to be met with out of the forest region. Once, and once only, have I seen giraffes in the open. This was on the outskirts of the forest, and the great creatures had been tempted to a little knoll of mokala trees, rising like an islet from the sea of grass. One's first impression of these creatures in the wild state is very deceptive. I well remember first setting eyes upon a troop of five or six. As they swung away from the leafage on which they were feeding, my friend and I cantered easily, thinking that we should soon come up with them. We were completely deceived. With those immense legs of theirs, the great creatures, going with their easy, shuffling, but marvellously swift walk, were simply striding away from us. Discovering our mistake, we rode hard, and the giraffes then broke into their strange, rocking gallop, and a headlong, desperate chase began, to be terminated by the death of a fine cow. Like the camel, the giraffe progresses by moving the two legs upon either side of the body simultaneously. At this strange, rocking gallop these animals move at a great pace, and a good Cape horse is needed to run into them. By far the best plan, if you are bent on shooting these animals, is to press your pony, so soon as you sight giraffes, to the top of its speed, and force the game beyond its natural paces in desperate gallop of a couple of miles or so. If well mount
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