May 1897. East African Collection of Mammals — Elliot. 123 



able circumstances, the wild animals must have difficulty in pro- 

 curing it, and as there are no rivers between the Shebeyleh and 

 the sea, the natives get their supply by digging in the dry beds 

 of the Tugs, or rivers. Of course the animals can not do this, 

 and they must depend upon the chance pools they meet with, 

 left by the rains, and are easy to approach even on the open plains, 

 that is, close enough for a fairly near shot, something over a 

 hundred yards. Of course many times it will be necessary to 

 shoot at much greater distances than this. Among bushes it is 

 not difficult to get very near one of these animals if stalked with 

 knowledge and judgment. 



It does not seem to make much difference to this gazelle 

 what kind of country it dwells in, whether thickly covered with 

 trees and bushes, or on bare plains, but I think it prefers the 

 latter, and congregates in much larger herds in such a locality 

 than in any other. But it can not be considered as distinctly an 

 animal of the plains, as for instance the Hartebeest is. Aoul can 

 be distinguished for a long distance, the large white patch on the 

 hind quarters always showing very distinctly and causing them 

 to be recognized from the other animals associated with them 

 without difficulty. They are almost always seen with the herds 

 of Hartebeest, or Oryx when these last are out on the plains in 

 any numbers. This gazelle runs with great speed and has the 

 habit of jumping often to a considerable height and for long dis- 

 tances when in full flight. 



Possessed of considerable curiosity Aoul will always stop after 

 going a short distance, and turn to look at the cause of their fears, 

 and sometimes individuals will stand for a considerable time, 

 giving the hunter a good opportunity to shoot at them. Although 

 large for a gazelle, the body presents but a small mark, and the 

 bullet must be placed in some vital part or else the animal will 

 escape, as it possesses great vitality, and a broken leg does not 

 seem to incommode it in the least, nor prevent it from running 

 at full speed on the three that are unhurt. 



Both sexes carry horns, and these vary greatly in length and 

 shape. Sometimes the horns of a male will measure 20 

 inches and even more along the curve, but the average length is 

 much less, something like 14 inches. The smaller pairs 

 however are much more shapely than those of the extreme 

 lengths, the latter losing much of the characteristic graceful 

 curve. 



Aoul seem to be generally distributed south of the Golis Range 



