150 



THE ANTELOPES 



horns are long, slender, and beautiful. They are but 

 slightly curved, being so straight, in fact, that they are 

 often used as canes. 



The gazelle (Fig. 127) is a type of beauty and speed. 

 Indeed, all these antelopes are famous for their activity, 



it being almost im- 

 possible to catch 

 them. The gazelle 

 is a desert-loving 

 form. Its close al- 

 lies numbertwenty- 

 three or twenty- 

 four species, found 

 in different parts 

 of the Dark Conti- 

 nent. This little 

 creature is often 

 chased with grey- 

 But it will tire the fleetest hound, its speed and 

 its wonderful resemblance to the dry, sandy soil making it 

 difficult game to capture. The antelopes are highly val- 

 ued as game, and the natives use the skins as water jars. 



Among the large and powerful antelopes are the gnus 

 (Fig. 128), which are by no means so attractive as the pre- 

 viously mentioned forms. They appear more like horses 

 with horns, and in fact a common name for them is the 

 horned horse. They stand about four feet at the shoulder, 

 and have a length of nine feet. Both sexes possess horns. 

 With heavy manes, flowing, horselike tails, and fiercely 

 whiskered faces, they are not the most attractive of ani- 

 mals. They run in herds of fifty, and are hunted by the 



Fig. 127. — The Gazelle. 



hounds. 



