226 



THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



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Photo by thr Duchtsi of B*dford\ 



ROAN ANTELOPE 



In common iviti the Sable Antelope and the Oryx group, both sexes of this species carry 



horns 



counted between seventy and 

 eighty together. Howeverlarge 



a herd of sable antelopes may 

 be, it is very exceptional to find 

 with it more than one fully 

 adult male, from which fact I 

 should judge that these animals 

 are of a very jealous and 

 pugnacious disposition. When 

 wounded and brought to bay by 

 dogs, a sable antelope defends 

 itself with the utmost fury, using 

 its long scimitar-shaped horns 

 with most wonderful quick- 

 ness and dexterity. If badly 

 wounded it will lie down, other- 

 wise it tights standing. Keeping 

 its face to some of its foes, with 

 a sideways twist of its head 

 it will transfix and throw into 

 the air any dog which attempts 

 to attack it from behind. I 

 have seen a wounded sable 

 antelope, when lying down, 

 drive one of its horns clean 

 through a large dog deep into 

 its own haunch, and I have 



had four valuable hounds 

 killed and four others 

 grievously wounded by one 

 of these animals in less than 

 a minute. I once knew a na- 

 tive hunter who was stabbed 

 through the kidneys and 

 killed byasable antelope cow. 

 The nearest allies of the 

 sable and roan antelopes are 

 the various species of the 

 genus ( )rvx. In this group 

 are included t he W II IT E 

 ( )RYX,which inhabits the des- 

 ert regions of the interior of 

 Northern Africa from Don- 

 golatoSenegal ; the BEATRIX 

 • IRYX of Southern Arabia; 

 the GEMSBUCK of South- 

 western Africa; the Beisa, 

 which is found in North-east 

 Africa from Suakim south- 

 wards to the river Tana; and 



the Tufted Beisa, which is 



Photo b} Norman B $mtth t F.iq.] 



MALE OF GRANT'S GAZELLE 



Thti fire East African speacs is one of tie handsomest of its kind 



