MAMMALIA OF SOMALI LAND. 



459 



feet high afford a secure retreat for lions ; these clumps are' pvetty 

 thickly scattered in open sandy ground thinly covered with tborn 

 bush. I believe this plateau extends for about 200 miles, amd- no 

 doubt the character of it varies at different places. There are hardly 

 any trees in the Somali country. In the hills there are a few trees, 

 chiefly Somali pine, but elsewhere you see none, except an occasional 

 mimosa which looks just like the Indian babool. 



The general configuration of the country is something like that of 

 "Western India, the flat country near the coast, the ghauts, and the 

 elevated plateau on the top of the ghauts. 



On the plateau all the animals I have mentioned are to be found, 

 except elephant, koodoo, and klipspringer. I will now proceed to 

 describe the animals I have myself procured. 



Gazella watteri 

 Is at once recognizable by its peculiarly long neck and upper Eip, 

 which gives it the appearance of a miniature giraffe. They go> in 

 small herds of generally less than half a dozen, of which only oneis a 

 buck. Solitary bucks are common. The largest herd I saw consisted 

 of nine individuals, including three good bucks, and this is the only 

 occasion I saw more than one buck with a herd. Herds of a few 

 does without a buck are also met with. They are very elegant 

 animals with long slender legs ; in colour brown, the belly and inside 

 of legs white, along the back runs a broad band of dark brown, 

 much darker than the rest of the body, 7 or 8 inches in width. As 

 far as I could see with the glasses this band was not so dark in> the 

 does as it is in the bucks. A very good coloured representation &i the 

 skin and head is printed in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society 

 of London, 1885, p. 538. The horns of the buck are strongly ringed 

 for about three-fourths of their length; they bend outwards and back- 

 wards, curving in again towards the tips, which bend forward. 

 The measurements of three heads I have are as follows : — 



Length on curve 

 along upper surface 



Straight line from 

 base to tip 



Between tips 

 Round base ., 



No. 1. 



14 inches 



11 inches, 



3f inches 

 5| inches, 



No. 2. 

 13 inches 



11 inches 



5 inches 



b\ inches... ., 



No. 3. 



12£ inches. 



10J inches. 



2^ inches. 

 4f inches, 



