32 Mr, C. II. Smith's Observations on some Animals 



sent base they are two inches and a half in their greater diame- 

 ter, by one across. The anterior and posterior parts are com- 

 pressed into a sharp edge, exhibiting the appearance of a hard, 

 black and brittle horny scabbard, with the surface strongly 

 pearled and striated for about seven inches towards the summit : 

 here the anterior part of each horn terminates in a compressed, 

 leaf-like, obtuse, deflected, striated and pearled point ; the pos- 

 terior part assuming a round, taper, and regularly uncinated 

 form, much larger and more pointed than the preceding. Upon 

 or near the ridge which unites the leaf-like part to the after- 

 horn, are one or two small knobs or button-like horny pearls, 

 somewhat resembling the buds of incipient ramification. 



In the museum these horns are placed together upon a bit of 

 wood ; but I apprehend their relative situation to be trans- 

 posed : that is, that the right horn is fixed on the left side. This 

 I judge from the analogy they bear to those of the Prong-horned 

 Antelope ; and because, if the hooks bent outwards, they would 

 arrest the progress of the animal. I have therefore ventured to 

 place them in the drawing in what I presume to be their true 

 position. The reasons which induce an opinion that these horns 

 belong not to a variety, but to a species distinct from the Prong- 

 horned Antelope, are, that the section of the base of the Palma- 

 ted Antelope's horn is lozenge-shaped ( -=cr=- ) ; whereas that 

 of the Prong-horned Antelope is a compressed oval ( <ZZ> ) : 

 that the former is on both sides striated and pearled to the bottom, 

 or at least as far as the present base ; while the latter is only stria- 

 ted on the surface next the forehead, and wrinkled on the outer 

 side : — that these are not sexual differences, is evident from the 

 horns of thePalmatediintelope being more bulky than the others, 

 which belong to an adult male. Hence it may be concluded that 

 they belong to a new and as yet undescribed species, the habitat 

 of which will probably be found to be in some mountainous 



part 



