SOEMMERING'S GAZELLE, OR THE "AOUL" 

 Gazella soemmeringi, Cretschm. 



Somali name, Aoul 



Description. — The Aoul is one of the commonest of the 

 Somah* antelopes, and undoubtedly the easiest to shoot. The 

 general body colour is fawn, and where this joins the white of 

 the underpart there is no dark band as is commonly seen in 

 the gazelles. The fawn on the back and sides does not extend 

 to the tail, being separated from it by a conspicuous white band. 

 The whole of the posterior part of the rump is pure white together 

 with the root of the tail, the terminal portion being black. The 

 head is very handsome, the whole of the frontal portion from the 

 space between the horns to the nose being quite black in the males 

 and dark brown or black in the females. There is also a faintly 

 marked dark eye-stripe, which is separated from the frontal patch 

 by an interspace of the general body colour. Both males and 

 females possess horns, those of the latter being very much more 

 slender than the former. The horns in the males normally pass 

 upwards, backwards, and outwards until the terminal portion is 

 reached, when they abruptly turn inwards, forwards, and slightly 

 downwards. 



Measurements of an adult male in the flesh : 



Length from nose to root of tail . . -53 in- 



„ of tail io| „ 



Height at shoulder . . . . . 36 „ 



Horns 17 in. in the male and 16 in. in the female are the 

 average. 



Distribution. — Soemmering's gazelle is common in suitable 

 localities. Wherever there are grassy plains " Aoul " are sure 



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