GEMSBUCK 281 



single-tufted throat ; the horns either sloping continuously upwards 

 almost in the plane of the face, or starting in this plane and then 

 sweeping backwards in a graceful curve. 



The markings in the gemsbuck group are of the same type as in 

 the gazelles, the head having a broad dark stripe down the middle of 

 the face flanked on each side by a narrower one in the line of the eye ; 

 these dark stripes being separated by a pair of white ones, and a second 

 pair of light stripes running on the outer sides of the dark eye-stripes. 

 Then, again, the flank shows a broad dark band dividing the fawn of 

 the body from the white of the under-parts. As similar markings 

 occur in the sable antelope, it seems probable that this type of 

 colouring is an ancient one. It is also noteworthy that when, as in 

 the white oryx, the markings tend to disappear and the fawn of the 

 body to be replaced by white, in adaptation to a purely desert 

 existence, the colouring becomes practically identical with that of the 

 addra or Sudan race of the dama gazelle. 



Standing about 48 inches at the shoulder, the gemsbuck has the 

 general colour of the upper-parts greyish sandy fawn, with the aforesaid 

 blackish-brown and white markings, white under-parts, and a black 

 heavily-tasselled tail which almost touches the ground. On the face 

 the dark markings may be best described as forming a headstall- 

 pattern, the white eye -stripe not reaching the white of the muzzle, 

 owing to the union of the middle and lateral dark streaks by means of 

 a narrow isthmus at the bottom. A dark dorsal stripe, continued 

 forwards on the neck as a short mane with the hairs inclined towards 

 the head, runs along the middle line of the back to spread out into a 

 large patch on the rump, which is continuous with the black of the 

 tail. Below the rump-patch is on each side a whitish area. Another 

 blackish stripe runs along the throat and chest, which has a tuft of 

 long black hair near the middle of its length. There is also a black 

 patch on the thigh, continuous with the broad flank-band ; and the 

 fronts of the hind-legs are black. The fore-limbs, which, like the 

 hind-pair, are mainly white, have a black garter above each knee, and 

 a small patch on the front surface below the same. 



The two longest pairs of horns on record measure respectively 

 47^ and 46 inches, but the sex of the animals to which they belonged 

 is unknown. The next longest specimens, known to be those of cows, 

 measure respectively 45:^ and 4 5 J; inches. 



The gemsbuck, or South African oryx, as it is often called, is a 

 native of the open semi-desert plains of the south-western regions of 

 the continent from the Great Karoo of the heart of Cape Colony to the 



