Game Animals of India, etc. 



Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, while in the central 

 deserts of the country it may be more or less replaced 

 by G. bennelti. With the exception that it is more of a 

 desert animal, its habits are apparently very similar to 

 those of the ordinary Indian gazelle. The late Sir O, 

 B. St. John states that, like the ghor-khur, it especially 

 affects the salt-deserts, and is thus probably able to 

 exist for long periods without drinking. It appears to 

 breed in the sheltered valleys at the foot of the hills, 

 and is commonly seen in small parties of from three to 

 half-a-dozen head. When it has a fair start, the 

 Persian gazelle will get clear away from the fleetest 

 greyhounds ; but if suddenly roused when reposing in 

 a hollow, or when the ground is heavy from rain, bucks 

 may be pulled down by good dogs. In Baluchistan 

 its habits are doubtless similar. 



The Yarkand race of the species (G. subgutturosa 

 yarcandensis) was described in 1879 ^7 -^r. W. T. 

 Blanford in the Scientific Results of the Second Yarkand 

 Expedition, where a coloured plate is given of a group 

 in the summer dress. These specimens came from the 

 neighbourhood of Yarkand and Kashg^ar. In the 

 original description the Yarkand gazelle was stated to 

 differ principally from the typical Persian gazelle in the 

 much darker face-markings, and the smaller divergence 

 of the horns of the bucks. It was also said to be 

 probably larger, although not much importance was 

 attached to this point, on account of a presumed 

 variation in size of the typical race. The largest 

 lumber of ridges on any of the Yarkand horns is 

 fourteen. The colour of the upper-parts is described 

 as light rufous brown (fawn). In the coloured plate 

 the face-markings are represented as strongly developed, 

 the middle one running right up the forehead, where 

 it splits to terminate at the base of each horn ; between 

 the dark bands, with the exception of a narrow streak, 

 the greater part of the face is fawn-coloured like the 

 back, so that there is an absence of white on the 



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