53 



said to be erect and straight, although properly speaking they bend 

 forwards and outwards, and become suddenly incurved towards their 

 tips. These latter are rather acute, and the horns near them be- 

 come round; below they are laterally compressed, and are marked 

 by a series of from fifteen to twenty rings, extending from the base 

 to within six inches of the tip. On the lateral and dorsal surfaces 

 of the horn these rings are little elevated, and present a wavy rather 

 than a ridged appearance ; but on the frontal surface they exhibit a 

 succession of heavy, large ridges, with furrows between. 



Close to the outer margin of either nostril is a soft, fleshy, or ra- 

 ther skinny, tumour or tuft, about the size and shape of the half of 

 a domestic fowl's egg. These tufts, the purpose of which Mr. 

 Hodgson has been unable to discover, appear to be peculiar to the 

 Chiru. 



In its double covering the Chiru agrees with all the hairy animals 

 of Tibet; where not merely the goats and sheep, but the dogs, 

 horses, and kine, possess an under fleece of soft and fine wool. The 

 hair forming the external coat is about two inches long, and so 

 closely set as to present to the touch an impression of solidity ; it 

 is straight, nearly erect, rather harsh, and feeble, being for the most 

 part hollow like a quill. Grey blue is the general colour of the 

 hair throughout nine-tenths of its extent from root to tip, as well as 

 exclusively so of the wool beneath the hair. This radical and 

 prevalent colour is, however, but dimly seen through the external 

 or superficial hues with which it is overlaid ; hues which on the 

 upper parts of the animal are fawn-red, and on its under surface 

 and the inside of its limbs are white. The shoulders are faintly 

 marked by a tracing of colour lighter than that of the surround- 

 ing parts. Down the front of all the legs runs a black line reaching 

 to the hoofs on the fore legs, but to the knees only on the hind 

 legs. The forehead is perfectly black, and a fringe of the same 

 hue proceeding from the bottom of the frontal skin passes round 

 the outsides of the nasal tufts. These tufts, as well as the rim 

 surrounding them, are black ; as are also the bristles of the mouth 

 and lips ; the few hairs, however, which depend from the lower 

 lip are white. 



Some of the dimensions of the fully grown young male from which 

 the preceding description was taken are as follow : Entire length, 

 4- feet 11 inches ; length, minus tail, 4- feet 2-^ inches j length, minus 

 head and tail, 3 feet 64- inches ; height at the shoulder, 2 feet 8 

 inches j height of the fore-leg, 1 foot 8 inches ; of the hinder leg, 

 1 foot 9 inches ; length of the horns, 2 feet £ inch ; basal depth of 

 the horns, fore and aft, 2i inches, from side to side, H inch. 



The Chiru Antelope is highly gregarious, being usually found in 

 herds of several scores and even hundreds. It is extremely wild 

 and unapproachable by man, to avoid whom it relies chiefly on its 

 wariness and speed ; but though shy it is not timid, for if over- 

 taken it meets danger with a gallant bearing. The individual which 

 was kept alive at the Residency, though captured very young, was 

 perfectly fearless, and could only be approached with caution. It 



