200 GRACEFUL AFRICAX ANTELOPES ' ' 



longer neck with slenderer vertebrae, uplifting the head. The family 

 of antelopes shades directly into that of the sheep and goats, being 

 separated from them by no technical characteristic, but the horns 

 usually differ. Upwards of fifty African species have been described, 

 but we shall not attempt to deal with ^'ery rare species, but shall confine 

 ourselves to those well known and commonly met with. No agree- 

 ment has been reached by naturalists upon the dift"erent divisions of the 

 group. The antelopes include the smallest and most delicate gazelles, 

 steinboks and springboks, the bulky eland and hartebeest, as well as 

 the misshapen gnoo or wildebeest. We shall begin our description of 

 this graceful and interesting family with the latter. 



The Gnoo. — Of all four-footed animals it is probably the most 

 awkward and grotesque. Resembling in some respects both the horse 

 and buffalo, the full-grown male stands upw^ards of four feet high at 

 the shoulders and about nine feet in extreme length. In general con- 

 tour, he is very muscular and exhibits great energy. The head is 

 large and square with a large muzzle which is spread out and flattened, 

 with narrow nostrils. Above the muzzle is placed a conspicuous tuft 

 of black bristling hairs, which resemble a blacking brush. There is 

 also a tuft of similar hair beneath each of the eyes. The latter are 

 wild and fiery. The ears are pointed and short. White bristles sur- 

 round the eye, spreading out like the radii of a circle. Similar white 

 bristles appear on the upper lip. The horns are broad, placed close 

 together at the base, furrowed upon the summit of the head and 

 scarcely advancing from the skull, they taper out sideways over the 

 eyes, and then take an upward turn, forming sharp and wicked hooks. 

 The shoulder is deep and powerful, with a thick arched neck. The 

 general color is deep brown with a wliite tail. Tt has been well said 

 that the gnoo has the head of a buffalo, the mane and tail of a horse 

 and the body and legs of an antelope. 



As the name "wildebeest" by which they are usually known 

 implies, they are very wild and as they usually have a hartebeest as 

 sentinel, they are extremely wary and difficult to approach. Tt is a gre- 

 garious animal, fond of the society not only of its own kind, but of 

 giraffes, and ostriches, and zebras, which all roam about together in 

 one immense mixed herd. Its disposition is very much like its appear- 



