The Musk Deer is a native of the mountainous region between Siberia, China and Thibet.
THE HORNED RUMINANTS.
The family of Common Ruminants form a natural group comprehending the greatest number of Ruminants. The feature which distinguishes the animals composing it, not only from the Camel family, but also from all the other Ruminants, is the existence of two horns on the forehead of the male, and sometimes on the female.
The structure of these horns presents various differences, and has caused the division of this large and important family into three tribes, namely, Ruminants with hairy and permanent horns, hollow-horned Ruminants and Ruminants which shed their horns.
RUMINANTS WITH HAIRY AND PERMANENT HORNS.
GIRAFFE.
This tribe consists of a single genus, that of the Giraffe, which has also but one species.
The height of the Giraffe, the singular proportions of its body, the beauty of its coat and the peculiarity of its gait, are sufficient to explain the curiosity which these animals have always excited.
Its long and tapering head is lighted up by two large, animated and gentle eyes; its forehead is adorned with two horns, which consist of a porous, bony substance, covered externally with a thick skin and bristly hair. In the middle of the forehead there is a protuberance of the same nature as the horns, but wider and shorter. The head of the Giraffe is supported by a very long neck. Along the neck is a short, thin mane. The body is short, and the line of the backbone is very sloping. Its fore-quarters are higher than the hinder—a feature which is observed in the Hyena. Its legs are most extensively developed, and are terminated by cloven hoofs. The skin, which is of a very light fawn-color, is covered with short hair, marked with large triangular or oblong spots of a darker shade.