persons iraperfectly acąuainted with the subject to whom it has 

 been exliibited. A comparison of the two animals will, ho\vever, 

 render the esisting difFerence betvveen them too obvious to demand 

 any observation from me. 



During nearly three months that I hunted over the country lying 

 between the 24th and 26th parallels of south latitude, -vvithin 28° 

 and 30° east longitude, I only once met -vvith the Antelope in 

 ąuestion. On the northern side of the Cashan range of mountains, 

 about a degree and a half south of the tropic of C'apricorn, I found 

 a herd, consistiug of nine does and two bucks, and followed them 

 until I captured the specimen from \vhich the enclosed drawing 

 ■vvas made. 



None of the natives of the country were familiar with the appear- 

 ance of the animal when first interrogated on the subject, although 

 after confemng amongst themselves, they agreed that it was Koo- 

 kame, (^Oryx Capensis,) the Gemsbok; and, of the many individuals 

 to -vvhom it has been shown, a trader named Robert Scoon is the only 

 one by whom it has been recognized. He declares that he saw a 

 herd of them some years ago near the very spot I have described, 

 but could not succeed in killing one. It is, doubtless, very rare ; 

 and, judging from the formation of the foot, entirely confined to the 

 mountains. 



The females are somewhat smaller than the malęs, are provided 

 with shorter and slighter, but similarly shaped homs, and are simi- 

 larly marked ; a deep chestnut brown, verging upon black, taking 

 the place of the glossy black coat of the malė. I did not obtain a 

 female specimen ; but Avhilst riding down the buck, I had abundant 

 opportunities of narrowly observing them within the distance of afew 

 yards, and am, therefore, positive as to the correctness of the descrip- 

 tion here given. 



I have for the present designated the new Antelope " Aigocerus 

 niger ;" but of course it will ręst with the Zoological Society either 

 to confirm that name, or to besto\v one more appropriate or more 

 scientific ; and I shall be gratified by their doing so. 

 I have the honour to be, sir, 



Your most obedient servant, 



W. C. Harris. 



The following description of this interesting addition to the Fauna 

 of Southern Africa was appended to the above letter. 



Aigocerus niger. The Sable Antelope. 



Adult malė four feet six inches high at the shoulder ; nearly nine 

 feet in extreme length. Homs thirty-seven inches over the curve, 

 placed immediately above the eyes, rather higher than occurs in the 

 Aigocerus Eįuina ; flat, slender, sub-erect, and then strongly bent 

 back similar wise ; at first gradually diverging, and then running 

 parallel to each other; three-fourths annulated with about thirty 

 strongly pronounced, incomplete rings, more rigid on the edges, but 

 chiefly broken on the outside of the horn ; the remaining one fourtli 

 smooth, round, slender and pointed. Head somewhat attenuated 



