Game Animals of India, etc. 



Ghats and the Konkan, In Central India it occurs as 

 far east as Palamow and the western portion of Sarguja ; 

 in the Central Provinces it has been met with as far to 

 the eastward as Seoni and Chanda ; while it also occurs 

 in Hyderabad territory, and in the Madras Presidency 

 to some distance south of the Kistna valley, having 

 been recorded from Anantapur, to the south of Kurnul, 

 as well as in the north of Mysore. 



The chinkara is allied to the Arabian and Muscat 

 gazelles (G. arabica and muscatensis)^ as well as to the 

 Dorcas gazelle (G. dorcas) of North Africa. 



In general habits the chinkara is similar to the 

 majority of the members of its genus, being generally 

 found in small parties of from two to half-a-dozen 

 individuals, although on rare occasions as many as 

 from ten to twenty may be seen in company. Seldom 

 frequenting alluvial plains, and avoiding cultivated land 

 to a greater extent than the blackbuck, the chinkara is 

 partial to more or less sandy, open tracts of uncultivated 

 lands, especially those cut up by ravines ; the sand-hills 

 of the Indian desert being favourite resorts of the 



o 



species. It is, however, by no means confined to open 

 country, being often met with in thin bush or tree- 

 jungle ; while, where the country is suitable, it may 

 be found on the tops of hills. Grass and the leaves 

 of bushes and shrubs form its chief nutriment ; and 

 although partial to the luscious grass growing in the 

 neighbourhood of water, it is believed by some observers 

 never to drink, being often found during the hot season 

 where there is no water except in deep wells. Even 

 in places where water is found. Dr. Blanford states 

 that he never saw the footprints of gazelles among 

 those of animals that came to drink at the pools. The 

 writer of a review of the original edition of this work 

 in the Asian newspaper disputes this opinion in the 

 following words : — " I have seen a chinkara," he writes, 

 " in the act of drinking, when I was waiting one 

 evening for a panther, near a pool of water. In one 



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