DUIKERS AND SMALL ANTELOPES 533 



The Abbott duiker differs widely from any of the East 

 African species by its large size. It resembles quite closely 

 in size and color the black duiker of the West Coast of 

 Africa, from which it differs by the absence of rufous on 

 the chest and the character of the tail, which is long-haired 

 throughout. The skull differs from that of the black 

 duiker by its narrower mesopterygoid fossa and small 

 tympanic bullae. Sclater and Thomas in the " Book of 

 Antelopes" suggest that the close agreement which True 

 detected between this species and the black duiker is not 

 well founded, and that it is really a close relative of the 

 red duiker, natale^isis. A comparison of skulls, however, 

 shows close similarity in the shape of the palate between 

 the Abbott and black duiker and less agreement with the 

 red species. We are quite justified in considering it the 

 East Coast representative of the black duiker of West 

 Africa. It belongs in a general way to the group of giant 

 duikers, of which the yellow-backed duiker C. sylvicultrix 

 is typical. 



The color of the type, which is an adult male, is uniform 

 chestnut-brown on the body and legs, the under-parts being 

 quite as dark as the flanks. The hinder parts of the back and 

 the rump are darkest, and seal-brown in color. The tail is 

 dark, like the rump, and has a few white-tipped hairs at the 

 tip. The dorsal surface of the head is chestnut, like the body, 

 and the crown has a long tuft of blackish hair. The sides of 

 head and the snout are light-drab. The ears are chestnut on 

 the back with lighter inner surfaces. The type is in the 

 National Museum and measures as mounted: head and 

 body, 38 inches; tail, 3 inches; hind foot, 11 inches; ear, 

 3^ inches. The skull measures in greatest length g}^ 

 inches. Horn dimensions: length, 4^ inches; diameter at 

 base, lyi inches. 



Blue Duikers 



Cephalophus monticola 



The diminutive blue duiker in its numerous geograph- 

 ical forms is wide-spread throughout Africa from the ex- 

 treme southern point north through all the forested regions 

 to the southern edge of the Sahara on the west and the 



