caught hold of one hind and one fore leg, and threw the calf in a moment. Taking a strap from his horse's bridle, and sitting upon the calf's body, he tied its feet securely. There was great rejoicing over the first capture. In all, the hunters took eleven calves.

47. WILD AND COW-LIKE.

ANTELOPES, like the cow, chew cud, and have divided hoofs with dew-claws. They have hollow horns which are not, like the horns of the deer, lost and renewed. Like the deer, they are mostly fleet of foot, and keen of scent and sight.

In Africa, the home of wild beasts, there are large, heavy, ox-like antelopes called elands. Most antelopes, how

ever, are small and light, and run by bounding from the ground, as if their legs were made of steel springs. They live in companies,

and have some ways

African Springbok.

which are like those of the sheep. Their stu

pidity and curiosity often cost them their lives, which their swift feet might easily save.

When any thing startles them, instead of run

This

ning far away, they jump a short distance, and then turn about to see what is the matter. foolish action presents their faces to the deadly bullet of the hunter. Their flesh is not so palatable as is the meat of the deer, on account of the flavor of musk which it always has.

The gazelle of North Africa weighs only seventy pounds. His color is so nearly like the color of the sandy desert that it is difficult to discover him. The yellow skin is as sleek as satin. The head is adorned by two curved black horns and by a pair of large, soft, jet-black, bright eyes.

The Arabs chase the gazelle with the greyhound. At first, the supple, airy things fly away like pigeons, leaving the hounds behind. Then they fall victims to their folly. They stop short. They turn about to see the fun of the running dogs, and, in their joy, bound up from the ground again and again until they are tired. Meanwhile, the dogs have surrounded and made them prisoners.

The springbok of South Africa is the favorite of the hunter. It is gayly dressed in dark and white colors. "It will allow any dog, except a greyhound, to approach near to it, when all at once it will spring with a leap into the air, and alighting six feet away, will leap up again, like an india-rubber ball, bounding and rebounding

from the earth.

And so, resting and bounding the chase goes on, till the antelope, weary of the sport, makes off completely, and becomes a mere speck on the

distant plain."

The chamoisskin, used for rubbing furniture, calls to mind the little goat-like antelope of the Swiss Alps. The chamois gather in small herds, and one of the females stands out from the rest as a watchman. When danger approaches, she

gives a whistling noise and stamps with her foot. Cloven-footed and sharp-clawed, they climb up dangerous and steep places where men dare not go. They also slide down precipices, striking on their horns without injury.

ᏢᎪᏒᎢ 2.

THE only antelope found in America is the prong-horn of the Rocky Mountains.

queer animal.

It is a

Its horns are hollow, and yet

they are divided or pronged; and the covers or

sheaths of the horns fall off and are renewed Like others of its kind, the prong

every year.

horn is foolish and suffers by its curiosity.

The hunter ties a handkerchief to the muzzle of his gun, and holds it up in plain sight. The prong-horn must see what this strange thing is. So it approaches nearer and nearer, until within

range of the rifle, when bang! the gun fires, and the ante

lope usually falls.

The gnu of South Africa is a singular

animal. It has the

African Gnu.

habits of an antelope, but it looks like several other animals. It has the horns and hoofs of the African buffalo,

with a mane and a tail like those of the

horse. It is sometimes called the horned horse, and is frequently found in company with wild asses and zebras.

The giraffe is called the camelopard, because it was once thought that its head resembles the head of the camel, while its skin, being spotted, looks like the skin of the pard or leopard. The

giraffe is not quite an antelope, nor yet quite like a deer. Its horns are like those of the antelope, and its feet are like the feet of a cow. It is interesting to watch the cud as it climbs up through the long neck to the mouth. The giraffe is the tallest of all animals. The male is twelve feet high at the shoulder, and, in some cases, twenty

feet to the crown of his head.

The giraffe lives on the plain near the edge of the forest. It feeds on the foliage of trees. With its sharp eyes lifted high, it can readily watch the movements of its two enemies—man and the lion.

Its gait, when running, is awkward but swift. Its kick is terrible. The skin is very thick, and makes valuable leather. The bones of its legs are hard and are made into buttons. In the following story, Agamemnon is mistaken in saying that the fore legs of the Giraffe are longer than the hind legs.

48. THE PETERKINS AT THE MENAGERIE.

In the afternoon, all the family came together in the entry, ready to go to the menagerie— the little boys in their india-rubber boots.

The giraffe," said Mr. Peterkin, “is the same as the camelopard. Can any one tell me more about him?"