ANTELOPES. 



283 



into a gallop when frightened. At such times they dash off with lowered heads 

 and upraised tails, at the same time puffing and snorting. In Somaliland the beisa, 

 according to Captain Swayne, chiefly frequents open stony grounds or grassy plains, 

 but it maybe found in any kind of country except thick jungle or the cedar forests. 

 The herds are chiefly composed of cows, the bulls wandering about by themselves. 



THE beisa (& nat. size). 



The Midgans of Somaliland hunt the beisa with packs of yellow pariah dogs. One 

 of the largest pair of horns measured 344 inches in length. 

 Fringe-Eared In the Kilima-Njaro district the genus is represented by the 



Oryx. fringe-eared oryx (0. callotis), distinguished from the beisa by the 

 ground-colour of the upper part of the face being of a rich fawn, and by the sharply- 

 pointed ears terminating in a tuft of long black hair, as shown in the illustration 

 on p. 287. This species is common in the plains and the tracts of thin thorny 

 bush. In examples killed by Sir J. Willoughby the horns in the females measured 

 from 30 to 32 inches in length, while those of the males were shorter, but thicker. 



