14(i MAMMALS. 



The family is essentially African, five-sixtlis of the species composing it being natives of that 

 country, and more than two-thirds coming from parts of it lying to the south of the Sahara. 



After Africa the Indian district has most specie.s. All not found in Africa south of the 

 Sahara, with the exception of a few sjoecies in North Africa, and three from trans-Himmalayan 

 Asia helong to the Indo-Malaj'an region. 



Strictly speaking, there is no recent European species of Antelope. The Antilope Saiga, 

 which is found in some of the eastern parts of Europe, being rather an Asiatic species which 

 has overflowed into Russia than a European extending into Asia. It is a' true Gazelle, but a 

 larger and less attractive animal than the gentle, graceful, little, dark-eyed beauty of Arabian 

 poetry. 



Looked at solely by the light derived from the distribution of the existing species, it would 

 appear that Africa was the birth-jjlace of this familj' ; that they had come into existence before the 

 ancient connexion between Africa and India was wholly cut off, but after it had been considerably 

 restricted ; that after a communication had been opened between North and South Africa by the 

 elevation of the Sahara, and between India and northern Asia by the rise of the Ilimnialayahs, and 

 obliteration of the barrier of the Sevalik Sea, the species now found in North Africa and Asia had 

 made their way into these districts. 



As at present recorded, fossil remains have been found in various parts of France, in the fahluns 

 of Touraine, the caverns in the dejjartment of L'Aude, in the miocene deposits of Auvergne, and at 

 Sansans, — all, I believe, in the most recent part of the upper miocene deposits, suggesting the idea 

 that it was only at the termination of this epoch that the Antelopes found their way into Europe. 

 It is alwa3's to be remembered that the determination of Antelopes, especially from imperfect frag- 

 ments of bone, which is all that we have had to rest on, is very difficult and uncertain. Another 

 important fact, if well founded, is the discovery in America, where no Antelopes are now found, 

 of a species (Antilope Mariquensis) in the bone-caves of Brazil by M. Lund, and in the Mau- 

 vaises Terres by Dr. Leidy, — at least of fragments which are referred to this ftimily. I do not 

 ventm-e to dispute the correctness of the determination, by such eminent authorities, of the fossil 

 remains referred to Antelopes from the deposits of Europe and America, merely because they run 

 counter to my anticipations ; but I may be allowed to be so far sceptical as to beg those palaeontologists 

 who may have the opportunity, to subject the remains to the severest scrutiny, and withal not to 

 assume that similarity to the Chamois is identity with the Antelope ; and I may add that if this is 

 done I shall be in no way surprised to learn that no fossil Anteloj^ine remains whatever have yet 

 been found in either of these countries. 



On a review of the whole species as separated into sections by Giebel,* whose arrangement, or I 

 should rather say, the contents of whose sections are very much the same as those of Dr. Gray and 

 other authors who have made a special study of the family, we find the affinities of the species 

 to correspond jDretty nearly with the localities whence they come ; that is, the members of each 

 section are, for the most part, inhabitants of the same district. For example, — 



Group 1. BoviNA. — There are two species in this group, — one (Anoa depressicornis. Smith) 

 found in Celebes, the other (Damalis Okeas, Pallas) in South Africa. This is a remarkable 



* Although I here for convenience sake adopt, without None of these, however, seem to iiftect any general con- 

 qualification, Giehel's determination of the species, it will elusion which may be drawn from the smaller number 

 be seen fi-om the synonymic list in the Appendix, that I accepted by Giebel. 

 admit a greater number as good species than he does. 



