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Show Giraffe a Figure in Old Roman Pageants The wonderful, long-necked, spotted creature, the giraffe, has an Interesting Interest-ing history. Zoologists In deciding its actual species place it between the deer and the hollow-horned ruminants. The name "giraffe" seems to be derived de-rived from the Arabian "zerapha" which by some is supposed to have been a corruption of "zoraphe" the Egyptian for "long neck." In the days of Imperial Rome giraffes gi-raffes from the Libyan desert were exhibited in the triumphs of various emperors, and were probably shown to the Romans during the dictatorship of Julius Caesar. From tlie pariod of the Roman empire em-pire till the close of the Fifteenth cen tury these magnificent animals were unknown in Europe. In the last years of that century Lorenzo de Medici became possessed of a specimen, apparently perfectly tame, which was shown in Florence, and as it was led through the streets often halted, and raising its lofty head to some high balcony, received some dainty fruit or confection from the dwellers of the holtse before which it j had stayed its progress. I From that date till the reign of j George IV no giraffe was seen in Eu- rope until the year 1S27. when Ma-hommed Ma-hommed Ali, viceroy of Egypt, sent I one as a present to the king of Eng- land. |