498 



THE CLOVEX-HOOFED AXEMALS. 



gallop, followed by the whole herd. The flight is 

 always directed toward the water and the frightened 

 beasts plunge into the waves with a splash. 



The flesh of these beasts is said to be almost en- 

 tirely uneatable, being tough, coarse-grained and 

 pervaded with a disagreeable, rank odor, sufficiently 

 strong to disgust even a hungry Caffre. 



THE ORYX ANTELOPES. 



The genus of Antelopes classed as Oryx includes 

 animals which have been known from early ages. 

 At least one species has been found frequently de- 

 picted on the Egyptian and Nubian monuments, in 

 various positions: usually with a rope around its 

 neck, betokening that the animal has been pursued, 

 caught and subdued. In the chambers of the great 

 pyramid of Cheops the same animal is portrayed, 

 being sometimes represented with only one horn. 

 On this evidence some naturalists have based a 

 belief that the Oryx was the original of the fable of 

 the Unicorn, whereas the truth is that only the Rhi- 

 noceros can be meant by the name " Rem," which is 

 translated "Unicorn" in our Bible. 



The Passan The Passan, called "Gemsbok" by 



or Gemsbok of the Dutch and Kukama by the Bech- 



South Africa, uanas {Oryx cdpertsis) is generally 

 regarded as the type of the genus. It is eight feet 

 long, counting in the sixteen-inch tail, and its height 

 is tour feet from the ground to the top of the 

 shoulders. The back, sides, flanks and nape of the 

 neck are yellowish white, merging into a snowy 

 white on the head, the ears, the under portion of the 

 body, the upper parts of the thighs and the legs 

 from the pastern joint downwards. There are black 

 markings on the head, including a stripe on the fore- 

 head, a broad patch on the nose, a band extending 

 from the horns across the eyes to the lower jaw, and 

 another running parallel with it, and a black stripe 

 bordering the external margins of the ears, which 

 give the Gemsbok the appearance of wearing a 

 halter on its head, and there are other black patches 

 and stripes on various parts of the body. The 

 stately horns, which are borne by both sexes, arc 

 bent very little, and oftentimes are perfectly straight, 

 are ringed on the lower half, smooth on the upper 

 portion and end in sharp points. So far as is known 

 the Gemsljok is only found in southern Africa, but 

 is represented in the northeast by a closely allied 

 species. 



The Beisa of The latter is the Beisa {Oryx beisa), 



Northeastern probably the genuine Oryx de- 

 Africa. scribed by ancient writers. It is not 



inferior to the Passan in size, and like that animal 

 has horns which are straight, or only slightly curved, 

 and which are borne by both sexes and slightly ex- 

 ceed three feet in length. In markings and general 

 coloring the Beisa resembles the Passan. It inhab- 

 its northeastern Africa up to about the twentieth 

 parallel of north latitude. 



The Algazel or Wild The third species of this group, the 

 Cow of the .Algazel, called by the Arabs the 

 Arabs. Wild Cow, or the Cow of the Plains 



{Oryx leucoryx), is of a more clumsy build than its 

 relatives, and bears horns of the same length as 

 those of the Beisa, ringed, and gently curved in an 

 outward and backward direction, the tips inclining 

 downward. The ground color of the short, sleek 

 outer coat is an almost pure yellowish white, lighter 

 on the under surface of the body and the inneY faces 

 of the limbs, and deepening into a russet color on 

 the neck. Six patches of a dull brown tint mark 



the head. Old bucks attain a length of six feet 

 eight inches, or more, the height at the shoulders 

 being four feet four inches. 



The range of this Antelope extends throughout 

 the northeastern part of central Africa. It is fre- 

 quently encountered in Sennaar and Kordofan, more 

 rarely in central and western Soudan, but occurs in 

 the north and in a few desert valleys of Nubia. 



Characteristics The Oryx Antelopes are generally 

 of the Oryx seen in pairs or in very small bands, 

 Antelopes. t-] le company frequently consisting 

 of only a mother with her young. Their walk is 

 light, their trotting uneven and hard, their gallop 

 very heavy, but enduring and steady; yet a well- 

 mounted hunter can occasionally capture the Pas- 

 san without firing a single shot, simply pursuing the 

 animal until it is exhausted and ceases its flight. 

 The Passan of south Africa is apparently fond of 

 the society of its kind, as one frequently sees it graz- 

 ing in perfect harmony with other Antelopes. The 

 Algazel, however, sometimes proves to be a highly 

 intractable animal, as I have observed myself, and it 

 often severely ill-treats other animals while in a fit 

 of ill-humor. When Antelopes of this species are 

 provoked, they are said to turn upon their assailant 

 in a great rage and attack him in a most vicious 

 manner. Lichtenstein relates how one of his com- 

 panions found the skeletons of a Leopard and an 

 < )ryx lying beside each other in the Karroo country. 

 The buck had killed its dangerous enemy by a thrust 

 with its horns, but had succumbed to the injuries it 

 had received. Harris thinks it not improbable that 

 a Lion may occasionally meet its doom in a similar 

 way. 



The pursuit of all Oryx Antelopes is usually 

 undertaken on horseback. Gordon dimming de- 

 scribes a hunt in a graphic manner and relates how 

 he followed a wounded Passan a whole day, until the 

 animal stopped from sheer exhaustion. No other 

 Antelope is said to afford a more magnificent spec- 

 tacle than a fleeing Oryx buck. 



The wandering inhabitants of the African plains 

 frequently catch some one of the species of Oryx of 

 their native regions and bring it to town to dispose 

 of it to some native aristocrat or to a European. 

 From such a source I obtained several during my 

 sojourn in Africa. I can not say anything in praise 

 of my captives. They are lazy, uninteresting and 

 quarrelsome. They easily bear confinement and 

 readily recognize their keeper; but he can never 

 trust them, as they sometimes, apparently in play, 

 make use of their horns in a most dangerous man- 

 ner. They can not be kept together with other ani- 

 mals, as they soon assert their mastery and atro- 

 ciously ill-treat their companions. They also pick 

 quarrels among themselves and viciously engage in 

 combats with one another. They are very obstinate 

 and can be transported only with the greatest diffi- 

 culty. 



The skin and flesh of the Oryx Antelopes are 

 utilized for food and leather. The straight horns of 

 the Passan and the Beisa are often employed by 

 native warriors as spear tips. The Europeans at the 

 Cape often have the horns polished, decorated with 

 silver knobs and use them as canes. 



THE ADDAX. 



The Addax Antelopes are most nearly allied to 

 the Oryx, as their horns, which are well developed in 

 both sexes, form the sole distinctive feature. These 

 members are light, twisted cither spirally or in a 



