THE ANTELOPES IN THE LEYDEN MUSEUM. 17 



NOTE III. 

 THE ANTELOPES IN THE LEYDEN MUSEUM 



reviewed by 



Dr. F. A. JENTINK. 



May -1901. 



(With a figure). 



The larger in size the animals are the more difficult 

 their comparative study is; 1° as there hardly is any possi- 

 bility to find all materials together in a given collection, 

 2° because no Museum in the world is large enough to 

 possess sufficient large series of all known species of a 

 given group, and 3° because large animals are very diffi- 

 cult to handle: they cannot be laid in series like small 

 animals, they cannot be turned easily, their flat skins 

 often are too strong and too obstinate, often dangerous 

 to handle if they are hoofed ; in one word there are lots 

 of difficulties to overcome unknown by the students of 

 smaller animals; moreover one has to travel and visit 

 distant collections, very expensive and keeping much time. 

 Add to all these obstacles that there is required a particular 

 sharp memory for forms and colors — and it will be evident 

 why the study of the larger animals hitherto so greatly has 

 been neglected and why the number of Monographs on 

 large animals is so small and the number of good Mono- 

 graphs still much smaller. 



Therefore the scientific world may be thankful to the 

 authors of »the Book of Antelopes", Dr. Sclater and Mr. 

 Oldfield Thomas, that they endeavored to undertake such 



Notes from, the Leyden üMuseum, Vol. XXIII. 



2 



