Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/192

 168 AFRICA are coast formations distinct from those of the interior, in which marine fossils have been sought in vain. Every known fact connected with the geology or palaeontology of this re- gion indicates that it has remained practically unchanged through ages which have witnessed the rise and fall of other continents. Within its borders all traces of glacial drift are ab- sent ; and there are no volcanic mountains ex- cept the Caineroons near the W. coast, and Mt. Kilimanjaro, which has probably been in- active since prehistoric times. The precious metals do not seem to be very generally dis- tributed throughout Africa, and, so far as at present known, the mineral productions are neither abundant nor varied. Until the dis- covery of gold in Australia and California, however, the gold fields of Guinea, in the Kong mountains, were esteemed as among the most important sources of the world's supply. Iron and copper occur in many parts of inter- tropical Africa, and Livingstone found seams of coal cropping out along the banks of the Zambesi. Salt is said to be plentiful in al- most every country on the continent. Exten- sive diamond fields, producing many stones of fine quality and great size, were discovered in 1867 in the districts N. of the Orange river and near its contluence with the Vaal. Some controversy arose between the authorities of Cape Colony and the government of the neigh- boring Orange Free State as to which was en- titled to exercise jurisdiction over this territory, and was finally settled in favor of the British claim. The diamond called " the Star of South Africa," which was found shortly after the opening of the diggings, was sold in its rough state for 11,500 sterling. Among the distinguishing features of the fauna of Africa may be noted the numerical preponderance of terrestrial over aquatic species ofmamraals; the large proportion of quadrupeds exclusively African in their origin or habitat; and the number of gigantic pachyderms. Considered with reference to the geographical distribution of animals, Africa is partially included in each of two great provinces recognized by natural- ists : the palajo-arctic region, which comprises nearly all northern Asia and the African con- tinent N. of the Sahara, and the Ethiopian re- gion, containing the remainder of Africa and the whole of Madagascar. The affinities be- tween the existing and fossil animals of S. Af- rica and India strongly indicate that these now widely sundered countries must once have been connected with each other more intimate- ly than at present. Two of the three known genera of anthropoid apes, the chimpanzee and the. gorilla, are found only in Africa. The habitat of the chimpanzee comprehends the whole western region between the Sahara and the Congo river, but that of the gorilla is lim- ited to the tropical delta districts on the At- lantic seaboard near the equator. Baboons, with one or two exceptions about which there is some doubt, are also confined to Africa, Everywhere in Abyssinia is found the great dog-faced baboon (cynocephalus hamadryad), remarkable for its long hair. These monkeys traverse the country in bands numbering from 200 to 300, with a venerable male at the head of the line of march. The galagos of Senegal, Gambia, S. Africa, and Sennaar are the conti- nental representatives of the lemurs of Mada- gascar. Of the rhinoceros there are five Afri- can species, all with two horns, and all re- stricted to the region S. of the Great Desert, the two white species never having been en- countered N. of the equator. The range of the elephant (elephas Africanw), which differs from its Asiatic congener, and has never been domesticated like him, is similarly limited. Multitudes of hippopotami are met with on the Nile, the Niger, the Senegal, and in nearly all the equatorial rivers and lakes, the animal being peculiar to the continent. Sir Samuel Baker saw immense herds of them in the Al- bert N'yanza. Among the pachydermata are also the hyrax and the wart hog. In Borneo, Abyssinia, and the Galla coxmtry, the ox is re- markable for the extraordinary size and length of his horns. Buffaloes are numerous, and the Cape variety is quite fierce and formidable. The giraffe or camelopard, perhaps the most singular of African ruminants, and found in no other land on the globe except as a fossil, is a timorous creature of gregarious habits, which roams over the interior beyond the Orange river, in flocks seldom amounting to 100 in number. The zebra and quagga abound in S. Africa. Five sixths of the known species of antelopes are said to be natives of Africa ; of these, the most noteworthy are the eland, the springbok, the klipspringer, and the Abyssin- ian Beni Israel (A. saltiana), one of the small- est of antelopes, a specimen measured by Blan- ford being only 1 ft. 4 in. high at the shoulder. The more ferocious carnivora abound. The lion, although somewhat circumscribed in his range, is still found in the Atlas mountains on the north, and throughout a great portion of the table land. According to Dr. Kirk, every tribe has a name for him. The tiger is not found in any part of Africa, but leopards, pan- thers, and the smaller cats are common, as also are hyenas, jackals, and foxes. It is wor- thy of note that the domestic cat is exceeding- ly rare in Africa. The single-humped camel is the most useful of the domesticated animals, being almost indispensable for the perform- ance of the long desert journeys to which it is BO perfectly adapted. Tame goats and several varieties of coarse-wooled sheep are numerous in certain districts. The birds of N. Africa arc almost identical with those of Europe, but the ornithology of the torrid section is represented by some forms of uncommon interest, such as the ostrich, the guinea fowl, and the serpent- slaying secretary bird. The ostrich inhabits the deserts and adjacent plains throughout the interior, and is also met with in Arabia, which is the only country of Asia where it occurs.